By Prof Hazel Barrett & Dr Pascal Niyonkuru, Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations, Coventry University, UK
Parents, caregivers, religious and community leaders and World Vision Tanzania staff identified a number of positive changes for families resulting from implementation of Celebrating Families. Highlights include:
There was evidence that following Celebrating Families training that all parents were beginning to develop loving and caring relationships with their children. They recognised the importance of children attending school and of giving children the time and opportunity to play. It was reported that there had been significant decreases in FGM, child and forced marriage and children running away.
Parents had become aware of the physical harm they had done to their children in the past and said they had learned about good parenting. All parents said that they no longer used corporal punishment, but instead disciplined their children in a ‘loving way’.
There was a big improvement in spousal relationships and a decrease in domestic violence and abuse. This was mainly as a result of husbands and fathers changing their behaviour. One Faith Leader stated ‘Families have come together. There is now unity in families.’
Husbands were allowing their wives to join Savings and Credit Groups and set up small businesses in their own name. Such micro-enterprises were helping reduce the income gap between men and women and were contributing to improved livelihoods and costs of children’s education as well as ‘increased love, peace and joy in the family.’ Parents acknowledged that the spiritual nurture of children is part of good parenting. Many parents and children reported that they now pray together as a family, attend church and sit together, as well as discuss the scriptures at home.
There is strong evidence that Celebrating Families in Tanzania is having a positive effect at the family level, and is challenging cultural, sexual and social norms that are harmful to family relationships, particularly parenting.
However, a number of participants requested that Celebrating Families incorporate a module targeted at youth, to enable parents to start the healing process with their older children. As a World Vision Tanzania staff member stated: ‘They [the youth] need inner healing, as they are angry about what their parents did to them.’