Online Reporter
Tanaka Nkala, [email protected]
THE Ministry of Health and Child Care will on Friday hold the second launch of a parenting mobile application designed as a one-stop digital resource offering reliable, expert advice on child health, safety and development to families nationwide.
The regional launch will take place at a health centre in Bulawayo’s Cowdray Park suburb.
Speaking to Zimpapers, the Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, Sleiman Timios Kwidini, described the ‘Rerai Umntwana’ application as a historic milestone for the country’s health sector, as Zimbabwe becomes the first African country to roll out such a parenting mobile application to support the delivery of health services to the general public.
The app can be used by both parents and health professionals.
The Rerai Umntwana mobile application is a free digital parenting tool which has already been launched in Harare and is now set for a regional launch in Bulawayo.
It is expected to ease the burden on health facilities while empowering families, particularly those in hard-to-reach areas.
The application allows parents and caregivers to download it onto their smartphones, enter basic information about their child and receive guidance tailored to the child’s age and stage of development.
It also functions offline and includes reminders for immunisations and micronutrient supplements in line with the national immunisation schedule.
Deputy Minister Kwidini said the application comes at a critical time for child health in Zimbabwe. Nearly one in four children under the age of five is stunted — meaning they are not growing or developing as expected for their age — while a further 4.3 percent suffer from wasting, a severe and potentially life-threatening form of malnutrition.
“This Rerai Umntwana application is a monitoring tool which can be used by many medical or health practitioners so that mothers, parents or guardians can easily monitor the growth of their children,” said Deputy Minister Kwidini.
“It does not replace hospital visits but it enhances what we are already doing.”
He said the new application goes a step further by providing additional guidance and alerts.
“With this application it is even more detailed because it gives possible simple solutions and guidance to ensure that the parent is on the right track in looking after the child,” he said.
Deputy Minister Kwidini emphasised that the application works offline and does not require an expensive smartphone, making it accessible to a wide range of users.
“Any simple smartphone that can download the application can use it. This makes it ideal even for mothers and guardians in hard to reach areas,” he said.
Deputy Minister Kwidini clarified that the application does not eliminate the need for routine health visits.
“It is not saying mothers should no longer go to the scale or stop visiting health facilities. There are some health problems that can arise in between scheduled visits,”
“For example, between six months and nine months, a lot can happen, so this tool helps monitor growth during that period but clinic visits remain important.”
He added that the application also incorporates elements related to immunisation schedules, reminding caregivers when certain vaccines are due while primarily focusing on growth monitoring.
“At the same time it focuses on growth monitoring to reduce complications and unwanted conditions during the growth of a child,” he said.
