Government and UNICEF launched the Rerai Umntwana Parenting Application, concerns are mounting that the families most affected by food poverty and stunting may remain beyond its digital reach.
The app was unveiled today at Glenview Polyclinic as a digital solution to early childhood development gaps, against the backdrop of sobering statistics 76 percent of children under five live in food poverty, and more than a quarter are stunted.
“In Zimbabwe, too many children are starting life at a disadvantage,” said UNICEF Representative Ms. Etona Ekole. “Over 76 percent of children under five live in food poverty, unable to access a diet that meets their basic nutritional needs. As a result, more than a quarter of children under five are stunted.”
Yet those same households are often the least digitally connected.
Officially launching the platform, Minister of Health and Child Care Dr. Douglas T. Mombeshora acknowledged the importance of digital reach, calling for broader connectivity expansion.
“I urge the Ministry of ICT to accelerate the expansion of internet connectivity nationwide, recognising that connectivity is no longer a luxury but a necessity in today’s digital era,” Dr. Mombeshora said.
The application, grounded in the Nurturing Care Framework, provides tailored guidance on nutrition, immunisation, growth monitoring and early learning through smartphones.
It is designed to deliver age-specific information from pregnancy to six years.
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“It is my privilege to join you today for the official launch of the Rerai Umntwana parenting application, a groundbreaking digital tool designed to empower parents and caregivers with accurate, evidence-based information on child health, nutrition, early childhood development, and protection,” Dr. Mombeshora said.
Ms. Ekole emphasised the information gap the app seeks to close.
“At the same time, many parents and caregivers struggle to access practical, trustworthy information on how best to care for their children. Guidance is often fragmented, inconsistent, or simply unavailable when it is needed most,” she said.
However, for families living in food poverty where daily survival often takes precedence over data bundles access to smartphones, reliable internet and digital literacy remains uneven.
Dr. Mombeshora also appealed to mobile network operators to support the initiative.
“To mobile network operators, your corporate social responsibility remains vital in supporting government efforts through infrastructure development, subsidised data, or zero-rated access to the application,” he said.
Ms. Ekole framed the initiative as a national commitment beyond software.
“This innovation represents more than technology. It represents a collective promise that every child in Zimbabwe deserves nurturing care, dignity, and the opportunity to thrive,” she said.
The success of Rerai Umntwana may therefore depend not on downloads alone, but on whether digital access gaps are closed fast enough to reach the children whose growth is already being shaped by poverty.
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