Population: 132,000
Targeted district and communities: 1 district (Kibaha), 6 wards (Kibaha , Kwala, Magindu, Mlandizi, , Ruvu and Visiga)
Sponsored children: Around 5,980

Kibaha district is one of the poorest districts in the coast region. Around 80% of people engage in small scale farming activities, largely for domestic consumption.

Plan’s Kibaha Programme Unit works in collaboration with a number of partners, including the Kibaha District Council, Kibaha Town Council and community-based organisations such as FARAJA and PHAERA.

Programme highlights

Community health promotion

Plan’s Kibaha Programme Unit works to reduce the incidence of preventable childhood illnesses, increase the percentage of women of childbearing age who use reproductive health services, promote safe motherhood as well as reduce the prevalence and adverse effects of HIV and AIDS.

As a result of these interventions, immunisation coverage has improved from 83% in 2003 to 99.8% in 2008. Also there has been an increase of women who use contraceptives from 7,924 in 2007 to 9,764 in 2008.

Through establishing health centres or dispensaries in almost every ward, communities now enjoy easy access to health services.

Enabling children to learn

Through our school improvement programme, Plan has boosted access to quality primary education in the area. We have improved the daily performance and accountability of school committees and enhanced planning and the management of school development.

As a result, in 2008 Kibabha’s 2 district councils ranked 1 and 2 in standard 7 national examinations across the whole of the Coast region, which has a total of 7 districts.

Also through our support to the most vulnerable children we have helped 99 boys and 67 girls with school fees. Some of them have enrolled in high school and higher learning institutions.

Water and environmental health

Plan’s Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach educates communities about the importance of sanitation and helps them to construct and maintain their own latrines. As a result, the number of people in the Kibaha Programme Unit who use latrines leapt from 3,334 in 2008 to 7,496 in 2009.

This approach went hand–in-hand with building the capacity of water management committees responsible for proper use and maintenance of water supply systems.

Sustainable family livelihood

Communities have been trained on how to increase family income through access to sustainable financial services. The awareness has enhanced the formation of Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs), which help communities to come together for the purpose of increasing household income. Currently, there are about 60 groups in the area involved in different income generating activities.

Sauti ya Watoto (Children’s voices)

Plan Tanzania has increased community awareness of child rights through training on child protection and helping children to speak out on matters affecting them. As a result, child rights violations are now reported each time they occur.

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