A long-term research program, built to keep going

How the program came about

Poor developmental outcomes early in life can have a lasting impact and pass poverty and marginalisation from one generation to the next. A great deal is known about what helps children develop: the provision of nurturing care. Far less is known about the constraints in the delivery of nurturing care, how to sustainably relax these constraints and change caregiving practices, what works at scale, at what cost, and in what sequence.

Kizazi Kijacho was launched in March 2021 to close that gap in Tanzania. Led by Bet Caeyers of Chr. Michelsen Institute (Norway) and Ingvild Almås of the University of Zurich (Switzerland) and Stockholm University (Sweden), and locally led by Ester Elisaria of Ifakara Health Institute, it brings together an international, multi-displiniary team of researchers (e.g., economists, public health scientists, nutritionists, child psychologists, epidemiologists) and implementing agencies, working in close collaboration with the Tanzanian government.

Where we are heading

We have completed a randomised controlled trial in Dodoma region and its data are being analysed. The households will continue to be followed, and further lab experiments and a follow-up at school entry are being prepared. A nationally representative longitudinal study is also planned.