Social policy
We aim to reduce child poverty in Tanzania for all children, especially the most marginalized.
Challenge
Tanzania has made sustained economic progress in the last decade with GDP growth of over 6 per cent per annum. At the same time, it has delivered heartening results in the MDG 4 target for child survival, reducing under-five mortality by 40 per cent between 2005 and 2015. To ensure that the fruits of development reach all sections of society, the government's seminal Tanzania Development Vision 2025 clearly articulates the agenda for transforming the country into one that is equitable, safe and provides an enabling environment in which children can thrive.
The historic thrust of Tanzania’s egalitarian policy is undermined by deep social disparities which limit children’s access to services and life chances. Inequities in education, health, water, sanitation and protection from violence exist at multiple levels, including a child's place of residence, gender and family socioeconomic status. As long as these remain, Tanzania’s efforts to build a strong foundation for sustained growth will be hampered.
As Tanzania approaches middle-income status, rapid population growth, growing urbanization and the increase in the absolute number of poor people in the country are causes for concern. More than a quarter of Tanzanians still live in poverty, unable to put food on the table, access healthcare or keep a roof over their heads. Poverty has devastating effects on children. Nearly one third of Tanzanian children live in income poverty while as many as 74 per cent experience multidimensional poverty, suffering deprivation in three or more areas such as health, nutrition, water, sanitation, housing, education, child protection and access to information.
The multiple effects of poverty on children are also crippling. Even temporary deprivation experienced by young children, for example a period of food insecurity or missed schooling, can have a profound impact on their future capabilities and, in turn, their nation’s future prospects. This is of particular concern given the fact that half of Tanzania's population is under 18 years of age.
Solution
What is UNICEF doing?
To ensure the best future for Tanzania’s children, UNICEF focuses on generating knowledge on the situation of women and children in Tanzania for evidence-based advocacy and planning, including strengthening the national statistical system; ensuring adequate, efficient, effective and equitable public spending for the benefit of children and their families; and promoting the development of a comprehensive and integrated social protection system to reduce poverty and vulnerability.
UNICEF is supporting the Tanzanian government to build a child-sensitive social protection system, track public spending and expand the fiscal space for children.
What we want to achieve by 2021
Reduced child poverty in Tanzania at national and sub-national levels through quality, evidence-based policies, programmes and budgets designed for all children, especially the most marginalized. Some of the key planned results are:
- High-quality strategic research and analysis on child poverty available and utilized for evidence-based planning and budgeting.
- Measurement and reporting on child poverty institutionalized within government.
- National and sub-national statistical systems strengthened to collect and analyze data on the rights of children, including robust Five-Year Development Plan (FYDP II) and SDG monitoring.
- The needs and rights of children, particularly the most vulnerable, prioritized in national and sub-national policies and plans.
- Increased public resources for children leveraged, quality of spending regularly monitored, and innovative financing mechanisms for children’s well-being put in place.
- Inequities in public policy, budget formulation and implementation processes better understood, and strategies for addressing them identified and implemented.
- Children able to access a comprehensive and integrated social protection system that is increasingly funded by domestic resources.