Manifestations of the Ujamaa Intersections Model in Promoting Quality of Life for Children and Achieving SDGs through Ubuntu Stance: Lessons from the Parasocial Work Model in Tanzania

Abstract

The child’s quality of life has been an agenda in the evolution of human societies worldwide, and the emergence of child rights abuse in the 19th century posed a serious concern to its realisation. At the dawn of the 21st century, the quality of life for children became part of the global agenda, encompassing the Sustainable Development Goals. For Africa, Ubuntu has been a historical, philosophical, and practical framework that is relevant to the quality of life for children. Post-colonial Tanzania adopted the Ujamaa Intersections Model within the Ubuntu framework to align with its agenda. In the 1990s, Tanzania experienced a notable decline in the quality of life of children due to economic hardship, urbanisation, population growth, and family separations. On the other hand, the incompatibility of structural adjustment programs (SAPs) and the Ujamaa National Policy Framework distorted the available Ubuntu mechanism of child welfare. As a result, the incursion of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) impacted by the HIV and AIDS pandemic was further exposed to high risks of losing their quality of life. In the 2000s, the Tanzanian government engaged various stakeholders to (re)establish community-based interventions aimed at upholding the quality of life, including a cadre of para-social workers (PSWs) that combined social work and Ubuntu competencies. The initiation and operation of PSW are integrated within the Ujamaa system, alongside social work and Ubuntu principles, enabling existing community structures, such as families, extended families, neighbourhoods, local leadership, ecology, and spirituality, to realise the child’s quality of life. PSW contributed to the identification of the specific needs of vulnerable children, increased community awareness of child protection, established alert systems for abused children, and, when required, supported the provision of referrals to temporary or long-term alternative care, either formal or informal. Despite challenges, PSWs successfully advocated for children's rights and improved the lives of children and their families. Their efforts have demonstrated how Ubuntu can provide relevant and sustainable solutions to address the quality of life for children. Therefore, it serves as an alarm for the child's quality of life, prompting interested parties to revisit and adopt Ubuntu approaches to achieving the SDGs by 2030 and beyond.