Improving Quality Health Care for Mothers and Newborns in Tarime - Building the Capacity of Community Health Workers in Tanzania
Tanzania’s Tarime district is home to nearly 500,000 people and borders the south-eastern shore of Lake Victoria. The district has very weak health services – affecting women and children most severely.
Local clinics are ill-equipped and lack reproductive and child health services, maternity rooms and quality antenatal care. They are also between 5 to 10 kilometres away from most villages, making it nearly impossible for pregnant women or sick people to access them regularly. There are few government resources available to invest into health care resulting in poor home-based services and few community-based health organizations.
These weak health services have led to high rates of HIV/AIDS and malaria particularly among women, children and youth. Traditional values sometimes discourage gender equality so women and girls don’t have the power or means to negotiate safer sex, leaving them exposed to an increased risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
Malaria is the deadliest disease in Tarime district accounting for 12 per cent of adult deaths and 13 per cent of deaths of children under five. Pregnant women, young children and people living with HIV/AIDS are at the highest risk of malaria because of their weak or undeveloped immune systems.
AMREF’s Work
To improve women and children’s access to better health care AMREF is improving the skills of community health workers across the district.
Specifically AMREF will train;
200 community health workers
70 community midwives
40 peer educators
24 clinicians
24 counselors
27 AIDS committees (consisting of 320 members)
Community health workers will provide pre and post natal care for mothers and HIV testing, counseling and treatment. They will also educate mothers on preventing malaria and other common childhood illnesses. Both men and women will receive education on reproductive and sexual rights encouraging gender equality.
The program will strengthen Tarime district’s ability to provide essential, accessible and sustainable health care to women and children.
Improving Quality Health Care for Mothers and Newborns in Tarime is part of AMREF’s 4-country Building the Capacity of Community Health Workers program. Learn more about this program in Kenya, South Africa and Uganda.
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