CARE Canada

Published purpose

The project seeks to reduce maternal and newborn mortality in Tabora region, Tanzania, by improving the availability of quality maternal and newborn health services and increasing the utilization of maternal and newborn health services by women and their families at health facilities and within the community in targeted districts. The project increases the number of safe deliveries taking place in health facilities; the number of women who receive quality antenatal care during pregnancy and the contraceptive prevalence rate. It also decreases the number of women with unmet family planning needs. Project activities include: (1) building the capacity of regional and district council health management teams in data management and usage, supply chain management, budgeting and leadership to plan, deliver and manage maternal and newborn health services; (2) refurbishing and upgrading health centre and hospital maternity wards to provide life-saving Basic Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (BEmONC) and Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) equipment and develop an emergency transportation system; (3) training and mentoring health care workers in BEmONC, CEmONC and reproductive health services including family planning; (4) training and supporting at least 1000 community health workers to deliver quality maternal and newborn health education and promote utilization of health care services; (5) developing and delivering youth friendly sexual and reproductive health services in health facilities; and; (6) leveraging existing village savings and loans programs which utilize a social fund for maternal and newborn health expenditures to increase women’s financial independence and decision making related to household resources. The project is being implemented in collaboration with the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, the Canadian Society for International Health, McGill University, CARE Tanzania, Association of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians of Tanzania, Ifakara Health Institute and the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood Tanzania.