Dar es Salaam. The Parliament of the United Republic of Tanzania on January 31, 2025 passed amendments to the The Labour Laws (Amendments) Act, 2024, introducing significant changes to parental leave policies. One key amendment extends maternity leave for employees who give birth to preterm babies, ensuring they receive additional leave to cover the remaining period up to 40 weeks of pregnancy.
This change aims to safeguard the health and well-being of preterm babies, who require specialized care from their mothers. It also seeks to improve maternal health by allowing mothers of premature infants more time to recover and bond with their babies.
Additionally, the amendments include an extension of paternity leave for fathers of premature babies. Instead of the usual three days, fathers will now receive seven days of leave to help care for their newborns.
These changes did not come easily. Extensive advocacy efforts were required to push for the amendments, with various stakeholders working tirelessly to highlight the importance of better support for preterm infants and their families. Among the key advocates leading this movement is Doris Mollel, whose efforts played a crucial role in driving this reform.
Doris is the Director of the Doris Mollel Foundation, a non-governmental organization dedicated to improving services and welfare for premature babies. She has been advocating for an extension of maternity leave for mothers delivering premature babies since 2017.
Mollel is currently celebrating a long awaited victory, one of the key goals she and her team have been striving for. In an interview with The Chanzo, she shared her journey and the challenges faced in advocating for extended maternity leave for parents of premature babies.
Here’s an excerpt from that conversation:
The Chanzo: How did you start advocating for an extension of maternity leave for mothers who give birth to preterm babies?
Mollel: I remember in 2017 we went to donate medical supplies to Muhimbili National Hospital. It’s a common practice for us to also bring small gifts for mothers who have already delivered. I often like to visit mothers who have given birth prematurely, to check on them, talk to them, and learn what they need so we can continue assisting.
I remember meeting a woman there who worked for a certain organization (I prefer not to mention the name), and she told me she had been at the hospital for over four months because her baby was in critical condition. She gave birth to a baby weighing only 600 grams. I thought about how small 600 grams could be.
I started the foundation in 2015, so I know exactly what it’s like for a baby weighing 600 grams. I asked her how her employer understood her situation and how she managed to stay in the hospital for so long. She told me that she had taken unpaid leave, but now she was considering quitting her job because she felt her employer didn’t understand her situation. That troubled me, and I wanted to understand more about the challenges of employers and how parents of premature babies struggle with not having enough time to care for their babies properly.
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After that, I visited over three other hospitals and found the same challenges. I met mothers who had been fired from their jobs after delivering premature babies. Some of them had been in the hospital for different lengths of time, three months, six months, and others for two months. But all of them were facing the same problem.
Some of these mothers had families with resources, so it wasn’t as tough for them, but others didn’t have the financial means. They were left wondering how they would care for their babies, especially with the high costs of medical care for premature babies.
I knew I had to find a way to meet more mothers to hear their voices. In 2017, we organized a camp to discuss the upbringing and care of premature babies, in collaboration with Aga Khan Hospital and Muhimbili National Hospital. We met with over 200 mothers and their babies, and doctors conducted examinations to check on their health.
As we were wrapping up, a nurse told me about a mother who had been allowed to leave the hospital with her baby, who weighed only 1.8 kg. The baby was later found to have lost sight. It became clear to me that mothers were being discharged too soon, and without enough support. For a mother to go back to work, she needs to have sufficient leave to properly care for her baby.
We also realized that hospital stays, especially without insurance, were very expensive. Even those with insurance often found it insufficient to cover the costs of caring for premature babies. This was a major concern.
The Chanzo: How did the process of advocating for extended maternity leave unfold?
Mollel: I remember we met with the Member of Parliament Special Seats for workers (CCM), Hon. Angellah Kairuki, and explained the issue to her. She was very supportive and pointed out that Tanzania had not yet made changes to its maternity leave policies. She highlighted that many other countries allow mothers more time to care for their babies.
At the time, the International Labour Organization (ILO) recommended at least six months of leave for mothers, but in Tanzania, even those who delivered preterm babies were given the same leave as those who delivered full-term babies.
We wanted to raise awareness about the specific needs of premature babies and the importance of providing enough leave for their mothers.
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In 2018, we held several meetings with stakeholders to discuss the issue, including asking for six months of maternity leave for mothers and one month for fathers. We also consulted with legal experts, who advised us on how the law currently recognized preterm babies. We discovered there were gaps in the legal framework and that preterm babies had not been fully recognized by the law.
We kept pushing for changes, and by 2019, our research confirmed that the number of premature babies was increasing. We met with more lawmakers and explained the situation. Thankfully, they understood and expressed their support for us in Parliament.
The Chanzo: How does this success affect parents who are unemployed? Why should we celebrate this issue?
Mollel: First of all, I am thankful to Parliament for passing the amendments to the Employment Act. Now, maternity leave for mothers of premature babies will begin after they complete 40 weeks of pregnancy. This means that even if a mother delivers at 30 weeks, her leave will begin when the baby reaches the equivalent of 40 weeks.
The key point here is that we should celebrate because even one child who is not raised properly is a huge loss for the nation. This child could have become the next president, pilot, or successful entrepreneur who would contribute significantly to the country’s growth.
The Chanzo: How do you feel about being part of those who achieved this change?
Mollel: Even though the number of children born prematurely is not as high as that of all children, and as you mentioned, it is an issue that benefits only a few people, why should we celebrate it? We must celebrate it because even if just one child fails to receive proper care, it is a huge loss for the nation. That child could have been a president, a pilot, or a major employer who provides jobs for many people we will depend on in the future.
Therefore, for us, we wish that even if just one child can be given the right upbringing and care, we have preserved a significant workforce for the nation. That is what we must do as a country. And as stakeholders working in this area, our job is to open the government’s eyes so they can see where gaps exist and help bridge them. Whether we seal those gaps with cement or bricks, the important thing is to fix what is lacking.
That is the role of non-governmental organizations. To collaborate with the government in improving social services around us.
The Chanzo: What plans do you have to continue your advocacy work in reducing the mortality rate of premature babies?
Mollel: I am glad that our activism has brought positive results in the country. Our activism is not about standing on the streets and opposing the government on one, two, or three things. We focus on how we can work with the government to bring about positive change. We help them see where the gap is and what needs to be done.
For example, advocating for parental leave was one of the issues we addressed as part of the preterm baby agenda. I remember we asked members of parliament to visit hospitals and see how preterm babies live.
The Parliamentary Committee on Social Development and Welfare visited Muhimbili National Hospital to see firsthand the situation of these babies whose mothers lose their jobs. What is their life like? What challenges do they face?
I remember that after the MPs visited the hospital, each one of them left with different emotions. In my heart, I said, ‘Now you understand what I have been saying and what we have been fighting for all along.’ That these children need budget allocations, more healthcare workers, and better support systems for their parents to care for them properly, as they are part of the country’s workforce.
Once a child reaches school age, goes to secondary school, and then university, they are no longer just their parent’s responsibility, they belong to the government. The government benefits from them as they work, earn salaries, and pay taxes.
Changing laws or implementing new policies is one thing, but as an institution, we will continue educating society about premature babies and contributing medical equipment. The main goal is to make the government recognize this as a national issue. And we thank God that it has now become a national concern. The government is now talking about building neonatal wards, providing medical equipment, and training healthcare providers in handling premature babies, who are very few in the country.
Besides what I have mentioned, there is still a significant gap in research. There is also a considerable shortage of specialized healthcare providers. As an institution, we plan to offer scholarships to doctors working with preterm babies to encourage interest in this issue.
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You know, not many nurses or doctors are keen on working with premature babies. They see these infants as too delicate, requiring too much effort, and the pay is low.
Therefore, this is something we plan to address. As an institution, we aim to continue investing in improving maternal and child healthcare services, especially for girls. These are areas we must fight for and work on daily. The activities we have been doing will continue.
It is crucial to identify new, unaddressed issues and tackle them. Discovering medical devices that can help in areas with no electricity is an essential task. Over the next five years, we will invest in building neonatal wards and providing medical equipment, especially for health centers and dispensaries.
A mother from a rural village starts to get health services at a dispensary. If she has complications and gives birth to a preterm baby, that baby must be transferred to a health center. If the health center lacks the necessary services, they must be referred to a district hospital.
We want to reduce these referrals by strengthening health centers and dispensaries with appropriate equipment that does not rely on electricity. That is our biggest priority right now. I am currently searching for the best materials to create locally-made, affordable, and life-saving medical devices, especially for premature babies.
