MOSHI Tanzania History
Child Health and Social Ecology in Moshi (CHASE-Moshi) is the site for the most rigorous examination of the proposition that children can become valued and effective deliberative citizens. Moshi is a mid-sized municipality in northern Tanzania at the foot of Mt Kilimanjaro. Between 2003 and 2008, the Young Citizens Program was implemented in 30 neighborhoods in Moshi Urban District. The focus of that study was to gain control of the HIV epidemic through a curriculum that guided and encouraged young adolescents (ages 10-14 years) to develop their skills in communication, deliberation and critical thinking to educate and mobilize their communities around the biology of HIV/AIDS, fighting stigma and the importance of testing for HIV and, if necessary, seeking treatment. Since 2009, CHASE has built on success in fostering HIV health promotion by contributing to control of malaria. Activities that started as a research project funded by the US National Institute of Health has become a community-based organization. The current intentions are to sustain the Young Citizens principles and practices through partnerships with the municipal government and to expand the Program to the surrounding rural districts.