Zanzibar invests where its future begins, in its youngest children

The launch of the Zanzibar Multisectoral Early Childhood Development Programme 2026–2031 on 22 July 2026, marked more than the unveiling of a new government initiative. The development of Zanzibar’s ECD agenda has benefited from the expertise, financial support and institutional commitment of numerous organisations including UNICEF, Save the Children, the World Health Organisation, Gates Foundation, Conrad Hilton Foundation and the Aga Khan Foundation. The future of the islands is not waiting somewhere in 2050. It is already being formed today in the food given to a child, the protection provided at home, the words spoken by a caregiver, the quality of a clinic visit and the opportunities to play and learn before the first school bell rings.