DODOMA: Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has adopted an abandoned baby girl and urged parents facing hardship not to abandon children but instead seek help from authorities or child-care institutions.
The child, found abandoned in Nzega District in western Tanzania earlier this year, was formally received by the president during a ceremony at State House in Chamwino, near the capital Dodoma.
The infant has been named Grace Samia Suluhu, according to a statement shared on official presidential social media accounts.
“Instead of abandoning a child, it is better to hand the baby over to lawful authorities or recognised child-care centres,” the president said. “Every child born is a treasure and we do not know what their future holds.”
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Local authorities said the child was discovered on January 17 near a guesthouse in Nzega town. Police and district officials took the baby to hospital and attempted to locate the mother, but the search was unsuccessful.
Child welfare advocates say cases of newborn abandonment occasionally occur in Tanzania, often linked to poverty, social stigma or lack of support for young mothers.
Psychologist Erick Bunono of the University of Dar es Salaam said mothers who abandon infants often experience long-term emotional distress.
He urged women facing difficult circumstances to seek help from relatives, authorities or child-care centres rather than abandoning newborns.