It takes a village

It takes a village to raise a child is a proverb that leverages the cultural context and belief that it takes an entire community to raise a child: A child has the best ability to become a healthy adult if the entire community takes an active role in contributing to the rearing of the child.

Attributions

The proverb has been attributed to African cultures, though historians have found similar sayings in many cultures across the world.

Examples of African societies with proverbs which translate to 'It takes a village...' include the following:^[1]

• In Lunyoro (Bunyoro) there is a proverb that says 'Omwana takulila nju emoi,' whose literal translation is 'A child does not grow up only in a single home.'
• In Kihaya (Bahaya) there is a saying, 'Omwana taba womoi,' which translates as 'A child belongs not to one parent or home.'
• In Kijita (Wajita) there is a proverb which says 'Omwana ni wa bhone,' meaning regardless of a child's biological parent(s) its upbringing belongs to the community.
• In Swahili, the proverb 'Asiyefunzwa na mamae hufunzwa na ulimwengu' approximates to the same.

Books titled It takes a village

• It Takes a Village by Jane Cowen-Fletcher, published in 1994
• It Takes a Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us, by Hillary Rodham Clinton, published in 1996

References

1. ↑ "Proverb: It takes a Whole Village to Raise a Child". www.h-net.org. Retrieved 2016-10-01.