In 2021

Doctors with Africa CUAMM’s activities in Tanzania were heavily impacted by the COVID-19 crisis in 2021. The country’s already weak health facilities were therefore unable to take appropriate countermeasures, which left them unprepared to handle the large number of infected patients when the Delta variant emerged in July. Doctors with Africa CUAMM supported the health system by providing medical supplies, drugs and protective materials and making its personnel available to help treat the sick. In the fall, when COVID-19 vaccination campaigns kicked off, our organization lent its support to the 5 regions where we are active – Iringa, Njombe, Simiyu, Shinyanga and Dodoma – assisting with logistics, vaccine distribution and immunization in villages and helping to raise community awareness about the virus.

We also continued our intervention in the area of maternal and child health, facilitating access to health services, including obstetric emergency services, to those in need, to ensure greater service coverage, equity and quality. Support was provided to peripheral health facilities through the training of health workers, supervision and the supply of drugs. In addition, CUAMM worked to combat acute and chronic malnutrition, supporting Tanzania’s national program with educational activities to promote the exclusive breastfeeding of newborns for the first 6 months of life, weaning, and proper infant feeding. Integrated with water and agriculturerelated initiatives carried out in partnership with other NGOs, the interventions sought to improve the quality of services provided by nutritional units through health personnel training, supervision and the supply of nutritional supplements critical for the treatment of malnourished individuals. CUAMM integrated them with other activities aimed at early child development to help foster children’s physical, cognitive, social and emotional development.

Our HIV prevention and treatment efforts also continued with a program in the Shinyanga and Simiyu Regions that implemented the test-and-treat strategy and provided free care and treatment to HIV-positive patients. The program also involved awarenessraising campaigns to reduce HIV-related stigma and offered opportunities for testing, with a special focus on adolescents. Another key goal for CUAMM was to bolster efforts to prevent and treat chronic diseases at the national level. We developed an integrated project for the prevention and treatment of diabetes and hypertension at the Tosamaganga Hospital, which became the district referral facility for the diagnosis and care of such patients, with peripheral facilities supporting treatment and follow-up.

OUR HISTORY IN TANZANIA

1968
Health system strengthening begun in Iringa Region.

1990
Inauguration of hospital in Iringa.

2012
Launch of “Mothers and Children First” program to ensure access to safe deliveries and care for newborns in four African countries.

2014
Project for treatment of child malnutrition launched in Iringa and Njombe Regions.

2016
Launch of second phase of “Mothers and Children First: The First 1,000 Days” (the period from conception through a baby’s 2nd birthday), with a focus on nutrition.

2017
Italy’s Prime Minister awards CUAMM best partner in the field of nutrition.

2018
CUAMM active in Tanzania for 50 years.

2019
CUAMM becomes member of technical working groups on nutrition, maternal and child health, early development, chronic noncommunicable diseases and HIV.

2020/2021
Test and Treat program for HIV prevention and treatment in Simiyu and Shinyanga Regions concluded; intervention focused on chronic diseases strengthened.

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