Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child and Adolescent Health + Nutrition
Mobile Antenatal Care (ANC)
Only 65% of pregnant women in Tanzania attended the recommended four or more ANC visits, according to the 2022 TDHS. The JAMII SALAMA Project aims to improve access to quality antenatal care (ANC) services for pregnant women in remote areas of Tanzania through mobile outreach clinics. Recognizing the importance of early ANC for managing pregnancy risks, the project supports the government’s efforts to increase ANC attendance and promote early visits (before 12 weeks).
In addition to ANC, JAMII SALAMA incorporates malaria prevention and oral health education for pregnant women and primary school children. Using a Community Health Worker (CHW) model, the project seeks to reach 800 pregnant women and 2,000 primary school children in hard-to-reach communities within the Sikonge and Uyui districts of the Tabora Region.
2016-2021 National Mapping Of MNCH Interventions in Tanzania Mainland
In April 2021, JMKF collaborated with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), to map interventions that addressed maternal and newborn deaths in Tanzania mainland from January 2016 to June 2021. Coverage of data collected is from 184 local councils across the 26 regions with information on the type of interventions, coverage of the interventions, highlighting innovations, key actors, main gaps, and opportunities for scaling up those interventions for Tanzania to reach the related 2030 SDG targets.
The report will be used to foster collaboration and support the efforts of the government and other MNCH stakeholders to improve MNCH services by ensuring the survival of all women and newborns during pregnancy, labour and delivery, and the postpartum period.
Enhancing Primary Healthcare Access: Dispensary Construction Project In Tabora Region
To support quality service delivery of primary healthcare aligning with our strategic objectives, the JMKF in partnership with the President’s Office – Regional Administration and Local Government (PORALG), Ministry of Health (MoH), Tabora Regional Authorities, and the District Councils of Uyui and Sikonge in the Tabora region, aims to address the healthcare challenges in hard-to-reach areas in Tabora region.
This is a donor-funded project supported by SC Johnson. The project will focus on constructing two dispensaries, one each, at Gengesita village in the Kizengi ward of Uyui District Council and Ipembe village in the Kiloli ward of Sikonge District Council to ensure access to primary healthcare services. These dispensaries are expected to significantly enhance access to healthcare services for approximately 36,000 underserved residents across the two districts.
Nurse Midwives
Every day, pregnant women and newborns in Tanzania continue to face life-threatening, yet preventable, complications. According to the 2022 Tanzania Demographic Health Survey (TDHS), the maternal mortality rate stands at 104 deaths per 100,000 live births, and the neonatal mortality rate is 24 deaths per 1,000 live births. These are not just numbers they represent lives lost that could have been saved with timely, skilled care.
Nurse midwives are at the heart of maternal and newborn healthcare in Tanzania, delivering up to 80% of health services and making up approximately 60% of the national health workforce. Despite their vital role, many still lack the comprehensive training needed to manage emergency maternal and neonatal complications in line with national and international standards.
Maternity Waiting Home (MWH) Project
Poor pregnant women face a multitude of challenges in accessing quality health services especially if they live far away from hospitals and there is no safe and/or affordable transport, which coupled with the lack of good road infrastructure prolongs the journey, resulting in such women taking days to reach health facilities. To contribute to the reduction of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality attributed to these delays in accessing quality routine and emergency obstetric care, JMKF will construct and maintain Maternity Waiting Homes (MWH’s) in Sikonge District Council (DC) of Tabora Region and Nanyumbu DC of Mtwara Region.
This is just the beginning. MWHs across the country will provide space for pregnant women and their companions to safely wait for delivery while being attended to by skilled nurse-midwives. To facilitate this, in 2021, JMKF supported the Ministry of Health (MoH) to finalize the 2022 National Maternity Waiting Homes Operational Guidelines to harmonise the management of MWH in Tanzania.
