Reaching Children’s Potential in Tanzania: Welcoming New Moms to the Program in January

Angelina Kitosi was born in Ukwega village in January 2004. There, she studied at Kwela Primary School. She lives with her family – her father, mother, and siblings. She is currently pregnant with her first child and due in February. She works in agriculture for a living. Angelina says she joined the RCP Program because she wants to learn how to raise a healthy family by considering nutritious food. She says she has heard that the RCP Program helps mothers and children by providing education on nutritious food and that members of program are provided with nutritious porridge and micronutrients for the growth of a healthy family. She has friends, neighbors, and relatives enrolled in the program. Angelina says she has been motivated by her friends who are in the program who have told her of their success stories about how the program has been very helpful to them throughout their pregnancies and at delivery of their babies. She shares that her hopes in participating in the RCP Program are: “to have a healthy family and to acquire education on how to raise my newborn since I don’t have any knowledge on that.”

Remija Mhadisa was born in Ukwega village in March 1999. She studied primary education there and finished in 2013. She lives with her husband and they are expecting their first child in August. Her source of income is agriculture. Remija has relatives, friends, and neighbors who are enrolled in the program and has heard that the RCP Program helps mothers and children with their health. She says she decided to join the program because “I want to get education on how to take care of my pregnancy and to get knowledge on how to raise a health family.” She hopes that by participating in the program, she will have a healthy family. She says that one of her most important cultural values is to respect everyone regardless of their age.

Edeneki Kikoti was born in Ukwega Village in June 1984 and studied her primary education there. She is a single mother with four children, all daughters: Estrida (age 22), Onjeni (age 18), Gladness (age 8), and Entruda (age 6). Edeneki is currently expecting her fifth child, due in April. She works in agriculture for a living. Edeneki says she has heard that the RCP Program provides various services and that it benefits the moms who apply what they learn to their lives. She has relatives and neighbors who are enrolled in the program, and says she joined because she wants to benefit in the same ways and access the good services. She hopes to gain knowledge that will help her raise the child she is expecting. She says that one of her important cultural values is to take care of the umbilical cord after birth until the father’s family comes and takes it. She also says that she has been taught by her elders that patience is very important in life as it helps achieve great things.

Mariam Somela was born in July 1997 in Ilula village, where she attended Ilula Primary school. Later, she married and moved to Mkalanga village where she lives with her husband. They have a son, Jyavan, who is three months old. She works in agriculture for a living. Mariam says she joined the program because of the good services it provides to RCP families. Her father-in-law and neighbors are in the program, and she has heard that RCP provides services to mothers and children and education on hygiene and how to raise children. She shares her hopes in participating in the RCP Program: “I need to acquire education on how to raise a health family by receiving education provided by the program.” When talking about her cultural values, she says, “I have been taught from my ancestors that respect and love are the pillars which can help a person to grow well within their community.”