Tanzania
Tanzania is one of the world’s poorest countries. More than one-third of the population live below the national poverty line. And more than a million children have been orphaned by AIDS.
What we’re doing
- We’re providing healthcare for 45,670 babies and children under five
- We’re providing health, shelter & food and support for schooling to over 14,000 vulnerable children
- We're helping nearly 200 children in 60 extremely poor families stay free from hunger
Photos from Tanzania
Tanzania introduced fees for healthcare in hospitals in 1994 under pressure from international donors.
About five years ago fees spread to local health centres and dispensaries. Rehema's, in background, father died and left the family with a large healthcare bill
Her mother can now not afford to send her to school. Instead Rehema spends her days fetching water and cleaning.
Lucianne's mother (in the background, working) has had one set of triplets and one set of twins as well as two other children. Two of these children have died.
Her mother became ill when she couldn't afford to go to hospital for a complicated birth. The treatment she finally received cost her and her husband their home.
Research undertaken by Save the Children has shown the enormous impact that fees have, particularly on poor families who simply can’t afford to pay.
Save the Children in Tanzania
We’ve been working in mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar for more than ten years. We're improving the quality of healthcare in some of the poorest areas and making sure that children – particularly newborns, infants and children under five – receive care when they’re sick.
We’re saving lives by improving healthcare for newborns, infants and children under five
Despite recent reductions in infant and child mortality, there’s still no reduction in the rate of newborn mortality (during a child’s first 30 days). This makes up 30% of all under five deaths.
Following our work with nearly 18,000 under fives Lindi rural district, with the support of the Reckitt Benckiser, a leading household products company, we’re expanding our services to reach a further 27,377 children in Ruangwa and Kilwa districts.
We’re training clinical officers in the 55 rural dispensaries in Ruangwa and Kilwa to diagnose the difference between malaria and pneumonia, which will make a great difference to babies’ survival chances.
Read our letters to the Tanzanian Minister of Health and Minister of Finance, urging them to take action to improve child survival and maternal health in Africa.
We’re helping protect children and young people
Recently we’ve been approved by the government to implement its National Plan of Action for Vulnerable Children. We’re working in five districts in the north west of the country where HIV rates are among the highest.
We’ll be supporting local partners to provide healthcare, education, shelter and food to just over 14,000 vulnerable babies and children.
We’re reducing child malnutrition
More than 54% of children are malnourished, and those living in rural areas are more likely to be affected.
More than one-third of households in the district can’t afford to feed their children a healthy diet. We’re supplementing the income of households in three villages, benefiting 198 children in 60 families.
We also run a cooking club, which is attended by 53 mothers in seven villages. The women learn how to prepare and cook a protein-rich, pre-mix porridge for their children.
Learn more about out work in Tanzania, download the Tanzania country brief (PDF 70KB)