Dar does Day of the African Child

Day of the African Child has been a major event for Save the Children across Africa. As I was in Tanzania, I was able to join in the events there. A big day of activities was organised with multiple occasions, including the opening of the new Save the Children office, to mark the formal handover from the outgoing country Director Deborah Crowe to Catherine Kennedy (left with Ministty of Health and Social Welfare official Peter Mbuji), the start of activities for the Newborn and Child Survival Campaign, the change of the national programme to a Unified Presence (meaning that they are no longer constrained to call themselves “Save the Children UK”) and, of course, the Day of the African Child.

The team had worked hard and the garden in front of the office looked like a royal garden party with dignitaries, community representatives and children enjoyng the day. Staff had been invited to bring their children to work for the day to enjoy the occasion and keep reminding us of the focus. It was also an opportunity to make sure that government representatives were aware of the work that Save the Children is doing and continued good communication. In addition, it was a chance to talk about the importance of our new campaign to ensure that Millennium Development Goal 4 (to reduce child mortality) is achieved in this country and to invite partners, government and communities to join us in that campaign.

It was great to be in Tanzania for this day and to get a real sense of what the campaign will look like in a country which needs so much attention and political will to achieve this vital target.