The effect of changing patterns of indigenous child care and upbringing practices in Kilimanjaro: Lessons to be learned from Chagga Community in Hai”,

This study was designed to examine the effect of changing patterns of indigenous child care and upbringing practices in Tanzania. Five specific objectives with related research questions were worked up on, namely to analyse and identify traditions and norms guiding childrearing, to determine changes taking place in child rearing over time, to identify cultural methods of inculcating social, moral and cognitive skills in children, to examine the factors behind the changes and to identify emerging patterns and lessons on child care. The study was carried out in Hai district in Kilimanjaro region. A mainly qualitative with some elements of quantitative approach employing a case study design informed the study with 78 respondents, in the categories of (18) older parents, (18) middle parents, (18) younger parents, (12) children between 6-8 years and (12) young children between 2-4 years old. Purposive, stratified and simple random sampling were employed to finally obtain the study respondents. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and observations. The data collected was subjected to both qualitative and quantitative analysis using content analysis and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) respectively. The results emerging from the current study tend to show that traditionally during the pregnant and lactating period much attention was given to mothers by immediate community and they had a resting period, fed on special traditional foods and guided with taboos. The situations however, have changed, today very little attention is given to pregnant and lactating mothers. Also storytelling, proverbs, songs, traditional dances and jando and unyago which were traditional methods used to inculcate social values and norms to children are on disappeared in today modern society. In addition, the study recommends further studies in child care and upbringing practices to cover a wider community of Tanzania for generalization and policy implications.