Tushikamane Group reports to visitors July 2016

Saturday Group 1: Kichangani - 'Tupendane'

Dear Friends,

We have a short speech prepared by Tupendane group. We are very happy to welcome you at Tunguli. We have few words to talk with you through this speech, first we thank you very much for your research of identifying deaths that occur to pregnant mothers and children under 5 and we say thank you for establishing Tushikamane project to our village.

Tupendane group until today have 24 members and they identify the following problems to pregnant mothers and children.

Firstly, transportation - ambulance from Tunguli health centre to another hospital.

Secondly, low income - due to the low capital, mothers cannot afford to get to the hospital after getting ill.

Thirdly, malaria - malaria with convulsion is a problem identified in our hamlet.

Another problem is mortuary. This makes fear to the patients who are still receiving treatment in the ward, while in the nearest bed there is a dead patient.

Among that also we do not have a theatre near for surgery, until Kilindi district or Berega hospital. Through health education from our facilitators there are so many changes done in Tupendane group. First they use boiled water for drinking, they use insecticide treated net, pregnant women got safe birth to the hospital, also pregnant mothers attend RCH clinic on time as well as bringing children for vaccinations.

We have also the following challenges. First, unavailability of water, an operating theatre for emergency procedures and a mortuary. In order of priority, 1. theatre, 2. water, 3. mortuary. We plan to have cereal and grain grinding machine but we couldn’t afford it.

Lastly, let us end by saying thanks very much for coming and thanks for our facilitators for co-operating with us in this Tushikamane project in our village. God be with you all and we believe that we will show big changes in our village through this education we got.

THANK YOU

Saturday Group 2: Tunguli (Centre) - 'Tujikomboe'

The following is the short speech to our guests of honour. First of all we would like to say very sorry for your hard journey from Uk to Tanzania. But we are happy to see you at Tunguli village, you are welcome.

Dear friends, we know that through Tushikamane project there are many advantages. First, Tujikomboe group started to use insecticide treated nets for protection of malaria diseases. Secondly, through health education they know importance of attending RCH clinic and through that attending anti-natal clinics and bringing children for vaccination. Not only that but also they started to drink boiled water for diarrhoea disease protection.

Another advantage is pregnant mothers began to have safe birth in the hospital.

Challenges are: transportation = no ambulance, theatre = emergency procedures which cannot be referred to distant hospital, water = unavailability, mothers use a lot of time to find sources of water.

Prioritised: 1. transportation to save lives, 2. theatre.

Thanks for bringing us this project which gives big advantages through our facilitators and we believe all deaths of mothers and children will not happen.

THANKS

Saturday Group 3: Ngiapanda - 'Uamsho'

Dear our friends, thanks for coming and welcome. Our group Uamsho has around 30 members of all ages, both able to bear children and those who are older. All together we have joined in order to share the education of reducing the maternal and neonatal death.

May we take this opportunity to mention the main problem, which can contribute to maternal and neonatal death. Theatre, we do not have one in our health centre.

Ambulance, once a mother or child needs to go to Berega, it is difficult to get there. Also many women here live under poverty, we do not have the capital to start a small scale business which means we can’t afford transport cost to hospital. We would like to thank you for Tushikamane leaders because they taught us how to identify danger signs to mothers and children and also we ask you to pray for us about our many problems when you are back home.

Thank you.

Saturday Group 4: Ngiapanda - 'Tumaini'

We at Tumaini women’s group in Ngiapanda hamlet thank you for coming and we know you are always thinking of us and you come so that we may see each other and hear about the problem which cause death to mothers and children during their pregnancy and during their early age of life. We welcome you and the Tushikamane project. We have started a group of about 40 women, we are happy with Tushikamane because it deals with our daily life in means of health and self reliance activities.

When you educate the mother you educate the family. In our weekly meetings we have been discussing several problems, and surely we have friends to solve some of them but there are others whereby we ask you to pray for us.

We would like to thank Berega hospital and the team of Tushikamane for giving us education about reducing maternal and neonatal death. Some of the problems which contribute to this: water, is the commonest problem in our village. We spend more time fetching water rather than working.

Ambulance, we do not have one once mother gets referred to a hospital.

We do not have a theatre, which sometimes results in death of mothers.

Sunday Group 6 - Msamvu - 'Furaha'

First of all, welcome to our village and hamlet. Our group has a total of 30 members, the group has been formulated after education from leaders of Tushikamane. They came and taught us about maternal and neonatal death. Our hamlet has more than 70 women but we are the ones who get the education, we decided to join and make that group in March 2016. The aim of forming this group is to sit together and get education about maternal and neonatal death and find solutions together on how we can reduce or stop that problem.

We meet every Tuesday and we collect 500 TZS from everyone so that it can be used when someone has a problem. Also we plan to initiate a small project of poultry rearing and in future we can have the ability of borrowing from our fund to help when we have health problems or need referral to hospital.

Through Tushikamane we are now well educated in general health and danger signs, self reliance actives and the importance of using mosquito nets and clean water. Although we have many benefits also there are problems facing us. In our health centre we have no theatre, no ambulance, lack of clean water, people living in poverty we need to be pushed up, poor communication (infrastructure).

 Also among the problems facing us in our daily life, this year the rain was low and this makes for a poor harvest. We rely on farming activities. Lastly, we pray that God may guard you on your way home but don’t forget to pray for us and we have a gift of a goat and beans, you will remember us your friends when you are back at home.

Sunday Group 7 - Kikundi Cha Mjuini - 'Asante'

Welcome to our hamlet. We know you are tired from a long journey but God will give strength. Our group Asante was formed in March after education from Tushikamane leaders.

We started with 26 members but numbers have increased and now have 40 members. Together with Tushikamane leaders we have identified problems leading to maternal death, including bleeding after delivery, malaria, anaemia, pregnancy induced hypertension and retained placenta.

In children there are fits, anaemia, pneumonia, skin infection, high fever, vomiting together with diarrhoea. There are other factors which sometimes can cause problems in indirect ways. These include, water, many mothers are using a lot of time trying to find water and therefore do not have much time for other things.

Also in our health centre we do not have an ambulance, once a mother needs to go to Berega hospital for further treatment it takes time to find transport to get there. It would be better if our health centre also had an operating theatre for when mothers have obstructed labour.

There are many benefits we get from joining Tushikamane we know now the benefits of going early to the clinic when pregnant and we know about the danger signs for pregnant mother and her children. In order to help each other our group has plans to raise funds and we started by collecting 200 TZS every week when we meet.

We now have approx. 40,000 TZS but our aim is to have more money and to start a small scale business. Lastly, let us end by asking you to pray for us and we know that God will heed you and have a safe journey home.

Amen!

Sunday Group 8 - Mkwajuni - 'Utulivu'

Welcome to Mkwajuni hamlet, thank you for co-ordinating Tushikamane project. We started on 3rd February.

Women are now able to identify maternal health problems such as eclampsia, obstructed labour, anaemia, postpartum haemorrhage, malaria, poor economic status, transport, advanced services like an operating theatre and retained placenta.

We prioritised these problems: 1. transport, 2. poor economic status, 3. theatre, 4. postpartum haemorrhage. We are able to identify underlying health problems such as convulsions, malaria, difficulty in breathing and frequent cough.

Starting with transport problem, now women understand the importance of attending the hospital when mother or child is sick, but sometimes they still die because we don’t have a special ambulance or transport. It takes a long time to reach a decision on how to get to the hospital and after a while you may find the child or mother has died or sometimes when the baby is descended the mother is not able to sit on a motorcycle.

Secondly, safe water, women required to fetch water from the wells sometimes do not come back with any. Water is obviously not safe for drinking or use for domestic purposes. Lastly, operating theatre, we cannot afford transport to the big hospitals and so our plan is to have an operating theatre in Tunguli.

Lets end here and wish you a happy journey back to the UK, God be with you and thanks for listening.

Sunday Group 9 - Msamvu village, Mkuyuni hamlet - 'Kwimage'

Dear visitors, thanks for coming and sorry for your long journey from the UK. Earlier this year with co-operation from the Tushikamane leaders our group was established. We have benefited from Tushikamane in health education and to identify maternal and neonatal deaths.

Maternal problems are obstructed labour, transport, poor economic status.

We identified neonatal problems including pneumonia, unsafe water, convulsions, tetanus.

We have prioritised our problems, 1. theatre, 2. water, 3. transport, 4. poor economic status, 5. postpartum haemorrhage, 6. postpartum eclampsia.

The women contribute 500 TZS so as to have enough money to make vicoba. We are pleased to have collected 80,000 TZS to start our small project. Lastly, you are welcome and we wish you a safe journey home.

Also we have prepared a gift of goat and beans, please take home and pray for us.

Monday Group 10 - Msamvu village, 'Kipera'

We know that you have been welcomed to many women’s groups but we would like to welcome you here. We are a group of around 42 members, 35 women and 7 men. Having the men makes our group strong.

After forming the group we have decided to involve ourselves in a small scale business, this includes 1. poultry rearing, up to now we have about 35, 2. vegetable garden, whereby we have tomatoes, onions and other green vegetables, 3. involvement in other development activities including making the road to our village and cleaning our environment.

Our future plan, we want to have 500 poultry, also we want to increase our garden to have more vegetables, apart from that we want also to find area whereby we may have farm for food groups and business.

Our problems in our poultry project we don’t have nets to protect them from wild animals also vaccines for them. In our garden, we don’t have pump for irrigation also if we could have a dam that would be very helpful.

About mother and child, the clinic is far from here and nowadays nurses don’t have outreach clinic. We also want an ambulance for pregnant mothers to go to the hospital if needed. Success due to this project, members got some help from our money to help go to the hospital and other small problems.

Also the project makes us aware of what we are supposed to do during pregnancy and even about our general health.

Lastly, we have mineral mining (gold) in our hamlet, through Msamvu village you may find a way of helping us.

Monday Group 11 - Dibabla Hamlet - 'Upendo'

Dear our visitors in front of you are women of Upendo group, Dibabla branch. Our group was established in February with 30 members.

After having some knowledge from our facilitators, together we identified maternal and neonatal problems.

Starting with maternal problems we have eclampsia, cervical cancer and breast cancer, postpartum haemorrhage, obstructed labour, prolonged labour, sharing of delivery instruments, still birth from cord around the neck, poor attendance to anti-natal clinics.

For neonates we identified the following problems, convulsions, malaria, malnutrition, vomiting and diarrhoea, tuberculosis, measles.

Our group has the following challenges: firstly, long distance from health services because we do not have health facility or hospital nearby, secondly, our road is in a poor state it is difficult to travel, thirdly, water that we use is not safe because we share with cattle, fourthly, poor economic status, this is a serious problems and we women established vicoba whereby each member contributes. Lastly, we failed in poultry rearing, vegetable garden because we do not have enough funds.