Child Protection Department

The Catholic Archdiocese of Arusha is situated in the Northern part of Tanzania and comprises of six administrative districts namely: Arusha, Arumeru, Ngorongoro, Kiteto, Monduli and Simanjiro. The Archdiocese is made up of two pillars namely Pastoral and the Development. There are different programs which fall under these two pillars, Child protection office being under Pastoral Departments deals with the safeguarding of children from violence, exploitation, abuse, neglect and all kinds of harassments.

Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child provides for the protection of children in and out of the home. Many children live in extreme hostile environment and are not fully protected. Many of them are growing up with violence in the home; suffering abuse, either physical and/or sexual, some experience emotional abuse, neglect, exploitation, exclusion and/or discrimination. Such violations affect growth and hamper pursuit of the children’s dreams and it is our responsibility to protect the children and their welfare.

The Church as an Institution realizes herself that she has the  obligation of  promoting protection of minors and vulnerable adults, because children have the right to live, to be safe, to belong, to be heard, to receive adequate care and to grow up in a caring environment. The family is the first place where protection for children should begin. Parents and all those who take care of children are responsible for building a protective and loving home environment. Likewise, all other Church establishments like schools, Parishes and communities are responsible for building a safe and child-friendly environment outside the child’s home. In all these settings children should be fully protected so that they can grow, learn and develop to their fullest potential. It is for this reason that the Catholic Archdiocese of Arusha officially opened the Office for Child protection and nominated the Coordinator Rev. Fr. Dennis Ombeni on 07/10/2019 the Policy which was launched on 02/10/2020.

Child Protection is a nonprofit making department entrusted with empowering the marginalized and promoting sustainable development, among the communities in Archdiocese of Arusha. Child Protection department implements development activities in seven districts of Arusha and Manyara regions these are Arumeru, Arusha, Kiteto, Longido, Monduli, Ngorongoro and Simanjiro.

Mission: “To build a family of God that lives in love, accountability and solidarity through spreading the Gospel and rendering spiritual and social services in accordance with Catholic teachings.

Vision: To promote and provide holistic formation to our youth, both physically, mentally, socially and spiritually in order to contribute towards economic development of the community and entire national at large.

Child Protection Department Activities