Familia Imara: A Parenting Program to Reduce Family Violence in Tanzania

Summary

This cluster-randomized controlled trial will evaluate the effectiveness, implementation, and scalability of Familia Imara, a group-based, couples-focused, community health worker (CHW)-delivered parenting program, on reducing intimate partner violence (IPV), harsh discipline, and improving child development and nutrition outcomes in the Mara and Geita regions of Tanzania. Villages will be randomly assigned to either an intervention or control arm. The study will be implemented in two sequential cohorts. In Cohort 1, a traditional randomized controlled trial will compare intervention villages receiving the program to control villages receiving no intervention (waitlist control), with delivery supported primarily by implementing partners in collaboration with government supervisors. In Cohort 2, the same villages will retain their original assignment. Intervention villages will receive the program under a government-led delivery model to assess scalability and integration into existing systems, while control villages will transition from waitlist to receive the intervention. Evidence generated will inform policy and practice for preventing family violence and promoting early childhood development at scale.

Conditions

• Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Familia Imara

Familia Imara is a couples-based, group parenting program delivered by trained community health workers (CHWs) in community settings. In each village, one male and one female CHW are assigned to facilitate the program. They co-facilitate joint couples' sessions and lead separate peer group sessions for mothers and fathers in a gender-matched format. Sessions are approximately 2 hours in duration and occur twice monthly over a 10-month period. Curriculum content includes: prevention of IPV and harsh discipline, play and early learning stimulation, nutrition and infant and young child feeding practices, couples' communication and conflict resolution, stress management, power, and gender norms and roles.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Emory University

  collaborator OTHER

• National Institute of Medical Research

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• The Prevention Collaborative

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Global Communities

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Kivulini Women's Right Organization

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Saini Das

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-05-02

Primary Completion

2027-05-01

Completion

2028-04-01

Countries

• Tanzania

Study Locations