In Dr Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete’s arms is a little boy who shares his name, Jakaya, and whose birth tells a moving story of healthcare reaching a family when it mattered most.

Standing to Dr Kikwete’s left is the boy’s mother, Mariam, a resident of Nyankombe village, about 30 kilometres from the nearest health facility. She had received no antenatal care throughout her pregnancy, with the distance keeping her beyond the reach of routine check-ups and medical advice.

When the Jamii Salama mobile clinic, run by the Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete Foundation (JMKF), arrived in her village, health workers found Mariam already in labour. They arranged her transfer to Miyenze Dispensary, where she safely delivered her son. She named him Jakaya, giving her gratitude a name that would remain with the family.

During Dr Kikwete’s mid-September 2026 visit to Tabora Region to inspect JMKF-supported health projects, Mariam and her son met the man whose foundation had helped bring care closer to their village. As the former President held his young namesake, the encounter gave a familiar face to the purpose behind Jamii Salama.

For Mariam, the project’s value lies in a deeply personal memory: when labour began, help reached her village, and she was taken somewhere she could deliver safely. Now, in little Jakaya’s name, that gratitude has become part of the family’s story.