The Child Health and Social Ecology (CHASE) is a partnership between Harvard University and communities in Tanzania designed to improve aspects of child health, including nutrition, malaria and sexual health. The program is based on the theory of collective efficacy developed by Rob Sampson and Felton Earls. The method builds on a child-to-child methodology respected in Eastern and Southern Africa.
Interventions include household visits and community open houses, followed by facilitated group meetings of children between the ages of ten and 14. Participants are given skills to encourage public discussion and work within municipal structures to inform, monitor and promote health issues. The program is being evaluated by randomized controlled trial involving 15 treatment and 15 delayed treatment (control) communities across the Moshi area of Tanzania. Initial results show benefits in terms of collective efficacy, particularly adults perspectives on young people’s standing in society.