Community health and education for mothers and children in Arusha, Tanzania

Details

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  Description

  ABOUT US.
  
  We are a non-profit organization that focuses on supporting pregnant women, young mothers and children till the age of 5 in rural communities. We do so with education and health support.
  
  Education: this is focused on knowledge about maternal health care in the community and for traditional midwives. With this, we ensure that the community gains greater understanding about maternal health and how to act in emergencies. We stop the misconceptions that some communities hold about mother’s and children’s health.
  Health: we help the community to identify nutrition problems for pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and young children. We give them nutritious food when available and learn them for example how to cook nutritious meals.
  
  There is a high demand for better maternal care in Tanzania, because maternal and child death is one of the countries biggest problems. This is mainly due to lack of access to good care and knowledge in rural areas. The infrastructure is poor and distances are long. Sometimes they need to walk 50km, because they cannot afford transport. This causes pregnant mothers to give birth at home with the help of a traditional midwife, or on the road. The traditional midwives unfortunately do not have enough education to help the mothers during child birth. So when problem arise during childbirth, they are unable to face these problems properly. This is were our eduction is focused on.
  
  The main reasons of maternal death in Tanzania are;
  HAEMORRHAGE (28%);
  ECLAMPSIA (19%);
  PUERPERAL SEPSIS; (8%)
  
  LACK OF ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENTS (11.8%)
  Another problem we face, is that health centers that provide maternal health service in rural areas, do not have enough equipment to help pregnant mothers. Such as blood Pressure machine, Baby Doppler, delivery beds, but also medicines.
  LACK OF TRANSPORTATION (15.7%)
  These health services are free, but transportation is very difficult. The transportation in rural area is poor, and as explained before, this causes pregnant mothers to give birth at home or on the road without help.
  
  Additionally, Tanzania faces very high maternal and gender health indicator including high rate of pre – mature birth, HIV transmission from mother to child (PITC) and early pregnancy. Increased maternal death is found by women aged 30 – 39 versus 15- 19 years.
  So this situation made us start provision these services in rural area where these services do not exist to help to reduce maternal and child mortality.
  
  Our organization was founded by Jesca who is a Midwife and had a great calling in helping the community in the matter of mother and children health. This was her idea from when she was a little girl, she saw how the community was having trouble to get care for mother and children, especially for pregnant mothers when they wanted to give birth, they did not get quick care and some had to walk a long way to get the care. This led her to study nursing and Midwife to help the community. Immediately after completed her studies at the age of 23, she started to volunteer to help the community. Especially the communities that live in areas where there are no proper services available.
  
  She started the organization with a group of five people who have the same hearts that were ready to help the community. They registered the NGO in 2023.
  Currently we don’t have people who are employed, we all invest our own time.
  
  Our team is formed by the following
  1. Jesca - Founder
  2. Baraka - Secretary
  3. Jenipher – Accountant
  4. George – Field Officer
  5. Hellen - Operation Manager
  
  Our Vision
  To help and support all women in Africa to reduce Maternal and child Mortality
  Objectives
  1. To ensure that the community gets enough education about Maternal and child health care
  2. To provide free maternal care
  3. To provide training about traditional midwives to improve their skills and eliminate harmful practices
  4. To provide voluntary family planning programs
  5. To provide free skilled attendants to rural area
  6. To donate medical equipment to the Dispensaries which provide care for mother and children in rural areas
  7. To upgrade rural health center to provide emergency obstetric service
  
  Our place is called Maji ya chai Village. Located in Meru District Arusha region in Tanzania. A place we live with family and pets. Our house is big and has five rooms, large living rooms and dining area. Outside the house there is good environment with tall trees and a beautiful garden. It’s a quiet area decorated with the sound of birds and at night bush babies. The house has electricity and a fence. It’s located 1 km from the main road (Moshi Arusha road). It takes 45 minutes to get to Arusha town. We can accommodate four guests and they will be sharing room with separated bed according to gender.
  
  What to do for the project?
   Help in education design and provide training to traditional midwives, with and without medical background
   Help in medical activities, depending on medical background. Without medical background help with simple activities and administration can be given. With medical background, we should discuss what’s possible.
   Fundraising activities, we always need support with this, for example to finance a car to make our work more efficient
   We sometimes need help with proposal writing
   A local school needs help with teaching English
   Your ideas for our organization are welcome as well!
  Every week, we make a schedule together on how to give the community what they need, and use your skills and enthusiasm best.
  
  What else to learn?
   You will learn Swahili language.
   You will learn how to cook Tanzania food
   You will learn to cook African coffee
   You will share our Traditional ceremonies
   You will learn about our home farming with cattle and a vegetable garden
  
  See locally
   Walk in beautiful forest and see black Collobus monkey and blue monkey
   Walk around to see different kind of birds
   We can visit Arusha National Park, or other parks. Arusha NP is almost forty minutes from our home
   We can visit Mount Kilimanjaro area. It is almost one hour from our home
   Visit water falls like Marangu water fall
   Visit Chemka hot spring
  We will make a schedule as well when you’re here, or you can share your wishes beforehand

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Charity Work

  Teaching

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  • You will be able to learn about through Tanzanian living while staying with my family, like local customs, language, food, sports, etc.
  • During outreach clinic, you will experience how Tanzanian people live in rural areas
  • You will get chance to visit our hospitals
  • You will get chance to visit our attractions like National parks, forest reserves, mountain, museum, waterfall, hot water spring, etc.
  • When you are in Tanzania, you will see opportunities to invest in our country and communities

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  Registered charity

  This host is a registered charity in their country and is looking for volunteers to help with their project(s).

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  Help

  What to do for the project?
   Help in education design and provide training to traditional midwives, with and without medical background
   Help in medical activities, depending on medical background. Without medical background help with simple activities and administration can be given. With medical background, we should discuss what’s possible.
   Fundraising activities, we always need support with this, for example to finance a car to make our work more efficient
   We sometimes need help with proposal writing
   A local school needs help with teaching English
   Your ideas for our organization are welcome as well!
  Every week, we make a schedule together on how to give the community what they need, and use your skills and enthusiasm best

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  Swahili (Kiswahili): Fluent
  English: Intermediate

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  • You will get delicious local food and you will sleep in a family house. You will share the room with someone of the same sexe
  • The house has a fence, water and electricity. It’s safe and well protected

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  What else ...

  • Go long and short walks to enjoy nature
  • Watch or participate in local sport
  • visit some close-by national park
  • Visit local restaurant and cuisine
  • Experience local transport like dala-dala and boda-boda (motorcycle taxi)
  
  PLEASE NOTE: as mentioned before, transport is a problem. There will be costs for you when joining our project, this is only to provide your stay and transportation, nothing else. Please ask about the details. If you would like to visit the national parks there will be an additional fee (not by our organization)

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Space for parking camper vans

  The place is quite big to park almost 6 vehicles.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  My animals / pets

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