Malezi Centre Project – Strengthening Early Childhood Development in Tanzania
December 3, 2025 · Administrator Web
The Iringa Development of Youth and Disabled Children Care (IDYDC) is proud to be part of the Malezi Centre Project — a transformative initiative to expand access to quality early childhood care and development services across Mainland Tanzania.
The Malezi Centre Project was officially launched on 29th November 2025 in Dodoma by TECDEN (Tanzania Early Childhood Development Network) with funding support from Echidna Giving. This major milestone brings together civil society, government, and local communities to improve early childhood care and learning opportunities for children aged 2 to 5 years across 15 regions of Tanzania.
About the Malezi Centre Project
The Malezi Centre Project aims to support communities in establishing Community-Based Daycare Centres (ECD centres) as safe, inclusive, and nurturing places for young children. These centres provide early learning, stimulation, and holistic care that are essential for children’s development during their most formative years, while also enabling caregivers especially women, to participate more fully in economic and family development activities.
The project is aligned with Tanzania’s National Multisectoral Early Childhood Development Programme (NM-ECDP 2021/22-2025/26), reinforcing national priorities to support young children’s growth, health, and readiness for formal schooling.
The Malezi Centre Project is being implemented across 15 regions of mainland Tanzania, including:
Dodoma, Iringa, Lindi, Mtwara, Songwe, Ruvuma, Njombe, Katavi, Rukwa, Kigoma, Singida, Manyara, Pwani, Morogoro, and Tanga.
The project is designed as a three-year initiative (2025–2028), during which partners will:
- Support the establishment of ECD centres in local communities.
- Build capacity of caregivers and community members to run centres safely and effectively.
- Increase awareness of the importance of early childhood development and nurturing care.
- Strengthen linkages between community-based centres and government systems.