The Girl-Child and Government Service Provision.pdf - Tanzania ...

Girl-Child Accessto Government Social Servicesin TanzaniaZabdiel Kimambo and World Vision TanzaniaIntroduction andbackgroundResearch backgroundIn order to evaluate the issue of girl children’s access togovernment service provision, some general backgroundis required. This section addresses that need.Government services at the community level, such as localhealth and education, were affected in many countriesby the processes of structural adjustment and economicreform. Quality of services declined and provision wasoften cut in order to reduce government budget deficits.Where services were not cut, governments often lackedthe resources for increased investment, and in some countriesthis has led to a growing role for NGOs and otherinstitutions to provide services.In the last few years there has been a return to emphasisinggovernment service provision on the part of donorsand also the World Bank/International Monetary Fund(IMF). These outside bodies have pressed governments toincrease social service provision and to improve quality.This trend includes the requirement on recipient countriesto produce Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers(PRSPs). Donors and the World Bank/IMF also claim thatthe privatisation of some services (such as water) will improvelocal access and the quality of provision.The new emphasis on social-service provision is likely tobring a great deal of attention to bear on the failure ofthose services. Many stories of corruption and inefficiencyhave led to criticism of governments, donors and internationalfinancial institutions. The problems of service provisionare very complex, however, with problems arisingfrom many causes. It is therefore important to look at thesituation “on the ground” and to gain an accurate pictureof how the poor are able to access and use local services,particularly health and education.Children in TanzaniaTanzania has made important improvements in recentyears in maintaining relative stability and improving macroeconomicperformance. The annual growth rate reached5.6 per cent in 2001 and was projected to rise to 5.9per cent in 2002 despite substantial losses in the terms oftrade. According to TASOET—the Tanzania Social EconomicTrust—the rate of inflation was reduced from 30.2per cent in 1981 to 5.9 per cent in 2000. Government revenueshave increased, and public expenditures have beenbetter controlled. Debt relief has been secured throughthe Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative,which is intended to make additional resources availablefor poverty reduction. The government has articulated thecountry’s key development priorities and strategies in thePRSP which places special emphasis on improving education,health, water, roads, agriculture and good governance– areas that are critical to children’s well-being(UNICEF 2001).Tanzania’s macro developments are important achievements.But they have yet to be translated into concreteimprovements in the lives of many poor Tanzanian children.At the beginning of the twenty-first century andZabdiel Kimambo was Advocacy Officer with World Vision Tanzania and continues to work in Tanzania in the NGO sector.The Girl-Child and Government Service Provision 29