The Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection has launched a free parenting app to help parents and caregivers access information on child health, nutrition, safety and early childhood development.
Minister Sashi Kiran told Parliament last week that the Bebbo Parenting App, launched with support from UNICEF, currently provides guidance for parents from pregnancy until their child reaches six years of age.
The app is being translated into Fiji’s vernacular languages, with plans to extend its coverage to children up to eight years old.
“This app provides a practical guidance on child health, nutrition, immunisation, safety, positive parenting, early childhood development and learning through play,” Ms Kiran said.
She said the app also includes tools to monitor children’s growth and developmental milestones, along with reminders for vaccinations and health check-ups.
Importantly, the app can be accessed offline once downloaded, making parenting information more accessible to families living in rural and maritime communities.
Ms Kiran said the initiative formed part of the Ministry’s broader efforts to promote positive parenting, strengthen early childhood development and prevent violence against children.
She also confirmed that the Ministry had revived the National Coordinating Committee on Children (NCCC) to strengthen coordination and monitoring of child protection initiatives across different sectors.
“To ensure that all our efforts are seamlessly executed and monitored across all sectors, the Ministry has revived the National Coordinating Committee on Children,” she said.
The Ministry is also working closely with the Fiji Police Force, schools, health services and civil society organisations to identify children at risk of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.
Ms Kiran said the coordinated approach would help ensure vulnerable children received timely assistance, including assessments, counselling, safe placement and other necessary interventions.
She said stronger cooperation between agencies would also improve early intervention and reduce the risk of further harm to children.
