Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE government has called upon the social welfare institutions across the country to strengthen relationships with local communities around them to encourage, educate and devise strategies.
The move is expected to enable and develop local measures and strategies to prevent children and youth from fleeing to cities and engaging in uncalled for activities that undermine their future prospects.
The call was given here by the Minister of Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups, Dr Dorothy Gwajima, during a visit at the Kikombo National Children Home that is located on the city’s outskirts.
Dr Gwajima hinted that if the social welfare and community development officials engage the communities in their local areas, youth will involve themselves in productive activities, thus get away with the concept of fleeing to urban areas in search of employment.
Referring to 2012 population and housing census, Dr Gwajima said a total of 2.5 million children were living and working on the streets by that year, equivalent to 12 per cent of all children in the country
“On Monday we met children living in dangerous situations on the streets here in Dodoma and in listening to them, you can see they have direction but they have failed to guide them the right way so they have decided to escape from homes and flee to cities,” explained Dr Gwajima.
She added that the government’s plan is to remove children living in dangerous and vulnerable environment and rehabilitate them through child shelters across the country, adding that there are currently a total of 468 centres.
However, she instructed Secretary General of the Ministry, Dr Zainab Chaula, to collaborate with the private sector and assess the capacity and readiness of all facilities that are to be part of the implementation of the exercise.
On her part, the Deputy Minister Mwanaidi Ali Khamis urged the social welfare officers at the Kikombo Center to ensure that they care for the children present, in line with various ethics, values, dignity, procedures and guidelines for the upbringing and development of the childildren.
“Our role here is to nurture the children in a way that they could well receive from their parents; so we as a community who decided to carry this responsibility, must show love for these children so that they feel valued by their community,” said Ms Khamis.
Speaking at the event, the Deputy Permanent Secretary, Mr Amon Mpanju, urged the center to provide appropriate care by adding skills and knowledge to caregivers, sothat they can raise the children with disabilities according to the appropriate guidelines.
Earlier in the day, Ms Vivian Kaiza who is the In-charge of the center, said the center’s vision is to be a national model in caring for vulnerable children and provide them with vocational training and development for the purpose of subsequent self-reliance.
Currently the Government is in the process of making sure it finds a solution to the problem of children living and working on the streets and see to it that the children have a better upbringing, proper development as well as life skills.
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