District Mama na Mtoto Leadership and Best Practices Sharing
The Mama na Mtoto initiative promotes maternal newborn and child health (MNCH) in Lake Zone, Tanzania. The goal of our activities is to make sustainable improvements to health systems and health outcomes while fostering leadership in demonstrating best MNCH implementation practices.
We are grateful for the contributions of all Mama na Mtoto partners, funders and communities throughout the 2016-2020 implementation period. Together, Mama na Mtoto has achieved the following:
IMPROVED MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH SERVICES AT HEALTH FACILITIES
INCREASED HEALTH SERVICE USE BY WOMEN DURING PREGNANCY AND DELIVERY
INCREASED MALE INVOLVEMENT IN MATERNAL, NEWBORN AND CHILD HEALTH
Established active, district-wide networks of over
volunteer community health workers
Provided significant Canadian engagement opportunities in global health issues, including internships and an active Global Health Youth Champion network
Following 5 years of collaboration, with implementation activities supported by Global Affairs Canada (GAC), Mama na Mtoto programming is now led by Misungwi and Kwimba districts. District leaders, managers, health providers, governance committees and community health workers sustain activities and are ready to act on emerging health needs.
Next Steps
As they arise, new programming opportunities will build upon the Mama na Mtoto platform and infrastructure. Districts are currently providing placements sites for nursing trainees at the Catholic University of Health and Applied Sciences and collaborative postgraduate research projects are being pursued. Mentorship, referrals, joint planning and problem-solving will continue between Bugando Medical Center and Misungwi and Kwimba care providers and managers. In addition, we are excited about a new project (starting 2021) to expand maternal newborn simulation training and mentorship for clinicians in Misungwi and Kwimba districts in collaboration with university partners.
Explore our website and check out the ‘Resources’ tab for our 2016-2020 results, research abstracts and publications, training guides, videos and more. Stay tuned as we continue to provide updates on our new activities.
By sharing our experiences and lessons, we hope to contribute to improved understanding of best practices to improve the health and survival of women and babies globally.