Status of Children in Tanzania - 2012 - Tanzania Education Network ...

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not receive adequate health care. Thus they become vulnerable to diseases. Arguably their denied
children services, rights and the elderly cannot protect them from enemies and diseases. For more
observation see figure 1 which follows.
FIGURE 1: CHILDREN SURVIVING UNDER ELDERLY HOUSEHOLD STATUS
SOURCE: Research findings 2012
3.2.2 Children surviving under child headed Household status.
These children have lost both their parents. Child headed households in Iramba, Singida; Dodoma
and Lindi are subjected to different kind of suffering and torture. As noted substantial number of
them are not attending school properly as they do not have anyone to support them. Others cannot
afford school fees or regular contribution needed in school. In contrary, some are engaged in
household chores and housekeeping or engaged in business for income generating to support
them. Others are sick and cannot afford to go to hospital. Thus majority of children in child headed
household are deprived their right to education, and their status of lacking parental care affects
regular school attendance and permanently endure psychological torture.
Findings from Singida, Arusha, Manyara, Kagera indicated that children residing in child headed
household cannot afford to get three meals per day. Substantial number survive with one meal,
mostly ugali that does not have adequate nutrition, mostly it is a starch-based food. Most of child
headed families use one container because the food is too little to be distributed among the
siblings. Children on their own do not have enough energy to produce enough to ensure quantity
and quality food availability at households. Majority of children at Iramba, Same, Mtwara, Arusha,
and Manyara established that their first survival right was food. However, there was no guarantee to
get adequate food supply at their household, thus vulnerable to malnutrition and stunt growth.
As revealed from Iramba child headed households need to be empowered with income generating
activities that can meet different types of child survival needs. Experience from Iramba further
revealed that majority of children from child headed household does not have income generating
activities. Casual unpredictable activities characterize many child headed households. Socially
some children from these families were not dressed properly. e.g. dressed in tops, no shorts or
skirts or trousers, or tarted clothes which one cannot locate the first colour of the material because
of numerous mending. These children are mostly playing in dusts or mud without shoes or sandals
during sun or rain season. Children are at risk of containing worms, or other illness without anybody
to assist. In Arusha Ngarenaro, Elerai, Unga limited, Daraja II and Sokoni I wards were leading for
these incidences.
Findings from Iramba, Lushoto, Arusha, and Same, further demonstrated those children who are in
this category, their protection rights were mostly likely to be violated. At Iramba and Lushoto were
so vulnerable to child trafficking, child labour, child sexual abuse or engaging in risk behaviors.
These children are lacking parental protection and brought up in poor parenting style. Arguably,
child residing in this category did not have any shelter from abuse, risks, punishment, child labour,
teenage pregnancy, care or Identity. (See Figure 2 for more observation)
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