Dar es Salaam - Healthy children are more likely to grow up to be healthy adults who can effectively contribute to their communities and society.

At the Eastern Regional Conference on Early Childhood Development, stakeholders affirmed continuous investment in ensuring children have access to basic needs such as healthcare services, education, nutrition, and resources for their well-being and development.

The conference was hosted by the Government of Tanzania in partnership with Africa Early Childhood Network (AfECN), Tanzania Early Childhood Network (TECDEN), World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, aimed at exploring strategic opportunities and financing for the acceleration of child development across the Eastern Africa.

Speaking as the Guest of Honour at the conference, The Minister of Community Development, Gender and Children, Ms. Dorothy Gwajima stressed the importance of governments coming together to formulate measures for the holistic upbringing of African children.

“Our children today, are tomorrow’s adults but are usually vulnerable to diseases and health issues, such as malnutrition, infectious diseases, and mental health disorders, therefore, I call for more support and collaboration to ensure that no child is left behind in the development agenda,” she noted.

Tanzania was the first country in Eastern and Central Africa to launch a national multisectoral Early Childhood Development Programme that is being implemented from the financial year 2021/2022 to 2025/2026.

On the sidelines of the conference, the WHO and UNICEF led conversations on the role of the health sector in supporting Early Childhood Development; Building Human Capital along the Life Course and highlighted how Eastern countries like Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya amongst others are integrating policies and implementing actions to augment child health in these countries.

This was further accentuated in the outcomes of the conference, Mr Amon Mpanju, Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Community Development, Gender, Women, and Special Groups, underscored the importance of translating agreements into action. He emphasized that meaningful investment in building solid foundations for child upbringing and growth is essential for realizing the desired future for Africa. 

The Country Representative of WHO, Dr Charles Sagoe-Moses, emphasized the continuous partnership and collaboration of WHO in supporting the Government of Tanzania’s agenda of reaching every child everywhere with development needs. He underscored the evidence that this partnership has resulted in a reduction in the child and maternal mortality rate in the country and the commitment to reaching every child everywhere with vaccine-preventable diseases.

“When we change the beginning of the story, we change the whole story. It is important to note that Maternal Health and survival have a great impact on the psychosocial growth of children. This level of achievement in the survival of women and children now justifies the need to invest and ensure that our children do not just survive but grow to their full potential,” he added.

The conference, themed “Investing in Early Childhood: Building Human Capital Along the Life Course,” attracted over 1000 participants from Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), governments, Civil Social Organizations (CSOs), international organizations, students, and other childhood care stakeholders.