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A playful childhood in Tanzania

D-tree | Jun 11, 2026

Today is International Day of Play, a day to celebrate the power of play. Here are some of the families in a community that today, as a result of community health workers’ home visits, think differently about play and understand the importance of play on their children’s development and happiness.

Mother Anthonetha is playing with her daughter Annastazia in Olevolosi Village, Arusha

In Tanzania, many parents grew up believing young children couldn’t yet understand the world around them. That there was no point talking to them, singing to them, playing with them before they could talk back.

“My grandmother used to tell me ‘a child before two years can’t see, feel or understand things around them and so there’s no need to speak to them’. I know now this is not true and engage with my children by singing songs, playing and speaking to them”
Lucy Peter, mother of two, 29 years old, Arusha

Community health workers are chaning this. During the home visits, parents will learn how important play is for their children’s development, as well as how something as simple as a water bottle filled with stones or dried beans makes a fun rattle.

Here is Esther, 3 years old, and her brother Elifuraha, 1.5 years old, outside their home, playing with plastic bottle toys. Simple objects that build motor skills and cognitive development.
Mother, Lucy Peter, 29 years old, is taking care of the dishes in the meantime.

Community health workers are using digital tablets to guide each home visit and to input all the information from the session. This way, the following visits will build on each other and whenever a child is displaying anything that might need attention, this will be flagged.

Kantate is a community health worker in Arusha. Here using a digital tablet to manage household health registries and input maternal milestones during a home visit.

The shift is reaching fathers too. In Zanzibar, fathers in our program were 11 times more likely to play with their children than those outside it.

James is a traditional leader in mainland Tanzania, Arusha, and now plays daily with his son Ebenezer, 2.5 years old.

“During my wife’s pregnancy, the community health worker visited us at home and shared how we can support our baby’s growth in the womb by singing and speaking to the baby”
James Saloni Lekamoi, father of four and traditional leader, Arusha

James Saloni Lekamoi is a father of four and a traditional leader in Arusha. Here, inviting to play with his son Ebenezer, 2,5 years.

And play doesn’t have to wait until birth. Community health workers encourage parents to sing to their babies in the womb because development begins before the first breath, and so does connection.

Pamela Nguseini, 26 years old, community member, Arusha District. Sitting outdoors during a home visit while a Community Health Worker uses a digital tablet to register her prenatal health milestones.

Today, on International Day of Play, we’re recognizing the community health workers who show up week after week so that children like Annastazia, Esther and Ebenezer get to grow up in homes full of songs and games.

Thanks to the Conrand N. Hilton Foundation for supporting this work in mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar.

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