November 26, 2018

Dr. Brenda D’mello ‘A Sweet Victory’

As we wind down the last weeks of 2018, my team and I are reflecting on a year that has been difficult, yet so rewarding. Our CCBRT Maternal Health Capacity Building team feels we sometimes learn more than we teach. While working together with our partners and healthcare providers, we find new solutions to old challenges.

Recently, we conducted a refresher on-the-job training for healthcare workers that focused on postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). PPH is the leading cause of maternal mortality in Tanzania, accounting for more than 30% of all maternal deaths. The tragedy is that death due to PPH is preventable. The challenge is it requires an entire team to respond. Unfortunately, a full team of medical professionals is not always available. Staff shortages, gaps in training, and overwhelmed, overcrowded delivery wards in Tanzania are all factors that can contribute to a mother’s life being lost in just minutes.

At one of the facilities where my team trains and mentors healthcare workers, the supervising medical officer identified that staffing was an issue and that sometimes emergency cases did not have the support they needed. She wisely requested that we train non-maternal healthcare staff in PPH management. So, we conducted the training, even training outpatient nurses and staff from wards serving men only.

One week after the training, this medical officer called me with so much excitement. The night before, a patient had delivered her baby, and began to hemorrhage after delivery. The attending nurse shouted for help, but the doctor and only other nurse on duty in the ward were handling an emergency caesarean section in the operating theater. The nurse’s cries reached the neighboring wards, and ‘help’ came running from the outpatient and men’s wards. Thanks to the training they had received the week before, everyone knew exactly what to do. The team saved the mother’s life.

The medical officer told me that before her staff received the PPH training, they would have been afraid to respond to an emergency like this, but not anymore. Her staff were excited and motivated. She said, ‘For them, it truly was a sweet victory.”

My team and I are always grateful for these moments. Equipment and innovation in low-resource settings are critical for progress, but at the heart of our success lies one indispensable resource: people. It is the people we train, their collaboration, their courage in the face of emergencies, and their dedication to their patients that will change the face of maternal healthcare in Tanzania. And it is your support that empowers us to keep going.

We are more powerful together.

Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday in the United States. Here in Tanzania, we are also answering the call to give. I invite you to join us. Your gift of $100 provides training for two healthcare workers to save lives at birth, to prevent birth injuries like obstetric fistula, and to identify congenital disabilities like clubfoot for immediate referral and treatment. Just as one nurse cannot do the work of a full team, our success requires us all to work together for the mothers we are serving.

Thank you for supporting my team, and for helping us save the lives of women and newborns in Tanzania.

Be well,

Dr. Brenda D’mello
Technical Advisor & Project Manager
Maternal Health Capacity Building Program, CCBRT

October 24, 2018

Life After Parent-Carer Trainings (PCTs)

Originally posted on the CCBRT blog

 

How did a PCT help Juliet support her child’s development?

CCBRT staff working with parent/caregivers.
Photo credit: Sala Lewis

Juliet, a mother of five and an entrepreneur, attended one of CCBRT’s parent-carer trainings (PCTs) about six months ago. Her journey to CCBRT started when her daughter was only one year old:

“I realized that my daughter had a developmental problem. She was not able to sit properly and her neck was not stable,” she said. Fortunately, community members told her that CCBRT may be able to help. After visiting the hospital, Juliet’s daughter was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and started physiotherapy sessions. The sessions helped Juliet’s daughter become stronger and more mobile, but the new mother wanted to support her daughter’s development even more. That’s when she learned about PCTs.

CCBRT started PCTs to engage parents/caregivers of children with cerebral palsy as the primary providers of their child’s treatment plan. PCTs take a simple approach to understanding and supporting children with cerebral palsy. After an overview of the condition, parents are taken through ten modules focused on home-based care of their children – including communicating, positioning, feeding, playing and using assistive devices – to help them create suitable environments. By bringing parents/caregivers together to understand cerebral palsy, observe therapy and learn to evaluate their children’s condition (when to get urgent care, how to identify changes, etc.), the PCT sessions build confidence, knowledge and experience that enable families to support children’s growth and development.

At the beginning of the summer Juliet attended a week-long PCT. In those five days, she learned more about cerebral palsy and practiced feeding and holding her daughter properly. Thanks to her new skills, life after PCT has been much easier. By stretching her daughter’s palms, for example, Juliet has helped further improve her daughter’s mobility and strength. “Because of the training that I got from CCBRT, I have seen a lot of improvements in my child’s development. Before I started working with her at home, she could not unfold her palms and her neck was very weak, but now she can hold and touch things,” Juliet explained. 

She is very thankful to now have the confidence to support her child’s development outside of formal physiotherapy sessions, especially since it is hard for her to travel to CCBRT as often as she would like. The PCT empowered Juliet to continue her child’s therapy at home. She concluded, “I thank God every day for CCBRT. I hope you continue providing these trainings, because you are touching the lives of many people.” While PCTs don’t replace the critical need for more rehabilitation staff and resources in Tanzania, teaching parents to provide for their child helps maximize the impact of physiotherapy sessions and optimize development outcomes.

September 25, 2018

An Update from Tim’s Corner on Contraception Day

By Chloe Manchester, Kupona Foundation Advisory Board Member.

It was a warm Friday morning in May 2018, and the first rain showers of the day had cleared. There was a quiet buzz around the CCBRT Disability Hospital campus in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Patients flowed through the gates, some sitting on benches in the reception area, some mothers holding their children on their laps, or nursing their newborns. For a hospital that serves between 400-600 patients daily, the work was just getting started. That day, I was visiting CCBRT’s Family Planning clinic, Tim’s Corner and meeting with Nurse Bola, Technical Advisor in Nursing.

A group of clients was waiting under the shade of acacia trees on a patio next to the clinic. As I walked up, I found it hard to believe that the brightly painted clinic was once a commercial shipping container. Now, the carefully remodeled container was a safe and comfortable space for clients, CCBRT staff and patients to receive the confidential, high quality family planning care and information they need. In Tanzania, access to high quality sexual and reproductive healthcare is not only a convenience; it can be life saving and can break the cycle of poverty. A young girl is more likely to remain in school and pursue higher education or employment opportunities if she can avoid an unplanned pregnancy. A mother is more likely to safely space her pregnancies if she can access contraceptive methods. And a woman who is recovering from surgery to correct an obstetric fistula can give her body the time it needs to heal.

I felt a great sense of pride to be part of my father’s legacy and I knew he would have been so pleased to see the progress at the clinic that bears his name. This was certainly not my first time at Tim’s Corner, but it has been a few years since my last visit. I could see and feel that there had been many improvements as soon as I walked in. The shelves were stocked with contraception options trusted throughout Tanzania, and all the necessary supplies, medical equipment and educational materials.

Many of the health centers and dispensaries I have visited in Tanzania have struggled to keep basic commodities and supplies in stock. I consistently have heard complaints of staff shortages, lack of space and long wait times for clients. However, Tim’s Corner, located in a busy neighborhood in Tanzania’s largest city, is well stocked and outfitted to serve adolescents, people living with disabilities, and the most marginalized members of the community. My discussion with Bola and the Tim’s Corner nurse-midwife gave me even greater assurance that the clinic was delivering a high standard of care to their clients.

During our visit Bola received a phone call from a young woman. In Tanzania, many nurses and midwives serving in family planning health centers give out their personal cell phone numbers in case their clients have questions about symptoms or need further guidance when using a certain method of contraceptive. After finishing her call, Bola explained that the woman wanted to come in to discuss her contraceptive options on a Saturday. Unfortunately, the clinic is closed on the weekends. The young woman wanted to come at a time when she would not have to worry about being spotted by a neighbor or family member who might happen to be at the hospital. There is still a great deal of social disapproval for unmarried women using contraception, especially adolescents. It is for this reason that we are exploring the possibility of keeping Tim’s Corner open on Saturdays for just a few hours so the adolescent community of Dar es Salaam can comfortably access the care they need.

Staffing can also be a challenge, because if a provider falls ill or goes on leave, services can be interrupted. At the moment, staffing the clinic is the greatest operating expense, but we are committed to ensuring this care remains available to the populations we serve. The impact of high quality sexual and reproductive healthcare cannot be ignored. In addition to the positive impact on an individual’s life, there are farther reaching benefits for the community and Tanzania as a whole. The Post-2015 Copenhagen Consensus1 estimates that for every $1 spent on family planning, $120 is saved. At Tim’s Corner, our services cost an average of $35 per client or family. That means, our program generates over $4,200 in benefits for each client.

Today, on World Contraception Day, I want to invite you to help us reach 500 more women and girls with the care they need. It costs just $35 to deliver counseling to one young man or woman. We can absolutely impact 499 more. To lend your support today, visit the CrowdRise page established in honor of my father and his belief that it is every person’s basic right to reproductive health services.

Asanteni sana. Thank you all so much.

Chloe

1 http://www.copenhagenconsensus.com/post-2015-consensus/health-women-children

September 7, 2018

Meet Dr. Timothy: What’s a Vacuum Delivery?

Originally posted on the CCBRT blog

 

“My interest is in helping women give birth – I love what I’m doing,” says Dr. Timothy.

Dr. Timothy Mushi has worked on CCBRT’s Maternal and Newborn Healthcare Capacity Building team since 2013. As a clinical trainer, he supports health workers in 22 capacity building sites to deliver high quality care to mothers and newborns. His most recent training program – held in a series of sessions earlier this year – focused on vacuum-assisted deliveries.

Meet Dr. Timothy

“Mothers in labor need to deliver within a certain time frame,” Dr. Timothy explains. “Prolonged labor isn’t healthy for the mother – it leaves her exhausted and can cause fistula or death. And it certainly isn’t good for the newborn, because it can cause birth asphyxia.” If a woman is eligible, trained nurses and doctors can use a vacuum device to ensure that babies are delivered during the appropriate window of time. Put simply, “when vacuum rates go up, fistula goes down.”

The procedure only takes 10 to 15 minutes, requiring much shorter preparation and recovery time than a Cesarean section. “The vacuum can have negative side effects if done poorly,” warns Dr. Timothy, “so that’s why we focus on training.” In this latest round, Dr. Timothy worked with 97 providers in seven of the busiest Dar es Salaam health facilities. His sessions consist of a brief classroom-like training to identify existing skills, followed by on-the-job training to fill knowledge gaps and give health workers a chance to perform the procedure with his assistance. From March to April, 42 vacuum-assisted deliveries were done under his supervision. Average skill scores of participants increased from 53% to 85% at the conclusion of the training.

Stories from the field demonstrate just how important this work is. Dr. Timothy recalls entering a busy labor ward one morning, where the doctor on-call was finishing his eighth Cesarean section since the night before. Exhausted, he asked Dr. Timothy to look after the final woman waiting for surgery.

“I reviewed the client and discovered that the baby was low enough for a vacuum extraction,” says Dr. Timothy. He performed a successful vacuum-assisted delivery, avoiding the need for surgery altogether. “The doctor observed my procedure and insisted that he would not leave until he learned how to do one, too. And the mother had not wanted an operation – she was so thankful for our help.”

August 31, 2018

New Private Clinic 101

Originally posted on the CCBRT blog

We’re excited to announce that after three years of construction, the new CCBRT Private Clinic building opened in July.

Confused about what our Private Clinic is, or how it differs from our standard services? Today we’re answering your questions.

What is the Private Clinic?

In 2004, CCBRT started offering private services to help subsidize the cost of care provided to patients who cannot afford crucial health services. Since then, the clinic has grown substantially: last year it served 7,608 new patients and provided 11,630 consultations. The revenue it generated was reinvested into the provision of CCBRT’s standard services, ultimately funding treatment for 20% of the hospital’s patients.

Although physically separate from the rest of the hospital, the Private Clinic offers the same high-quality ophthalmology, optometry, orthopedics and rehabilitation services, in addition to ear, nose and throat (ENT) and gynecological services. Patients at the Private Clinic can book appointments in advance over the phone, and the clinic building offers air conditioning, free internet and waiting room televisions.

What’s special about the new Private Clinic building?
The new building expands CCBRT’s current Private Clinic space by 300%,giving us more room to accommodate more patients in our current service areas, and to expand into new services.

In addition to our existing private service areas – ophthalmology, optical, orthopedics, physiotherapy, ENT and gynecology – the expanded clinic will offer a well baby and pediatric clinic, and will ultimately provide general medicine consultations. As well as a larger optical shop, the clinic will contain its own pharmacy and a phlebotomy lab for patients to visit for bloodwork and lab tests.

With large windows and motion sensor lights, the clinic is both well lit and energy efficient. Disability-accessible toilets are located on each floor, and the building’s four levels are connected by both stairs and elevators. As in the existing Private Clinic, patients will have air conditioning and free wi-fi. Visitors to the clinic can park in the parking lot close to the building’s main entrance on Ali Bin Said Road.

Why does CCBRT need a Private Clinic?
CCBRT provides life-changing care to thousands of Tanzanians living with disabilities every year. To ensure that everyone who needs our services is able to access them, we provide high-quality treatment to our patients at highly subsidized rates or free of charge. We believe cost shouldn’t be a barrier to healthcare.

The Private Clinic doesn’t only enable us to reach more Tanzanians with high quality medical services – it also helps make our accessible model sustainable in the long term. “Our goal is to be the major donor for CCBRT,” says Rehema Ngamilo, General Manager for Private Services. “Our goal is to give back to CCBRT so that we can give back to the community.”

What are the Private Clinic’s hours?
In addition to new space and new services, the new clinic will also offer extended hours for some service areas. The eye clinic, orthopedic clinic, optical shop and pharmacy will be open from 7:30am to 8pm from Monday to Friday, and from 9am to 1pm on Saturday. ENT will maintain its current hours: 7:30am to 4pm Monday to Friday. Hours for the gynecology, well baby and pediatric, physiotherapy and general medicine clinics will be set following the clinic’s opening.

August 24, 2018

Kupona’s 3rd Annual ‘A Night (and Round) for Health & Hope’ raises over $47,000

Last night, we were delighted to host our third annual event at Saratoga National Golf Club. The generous support of Kupona’s sponsors and the Saratoga Springs-area community helped us raise over $47,000 to provide life-saving and life-changing healthcare services to children living with disabilities, women and newborns.

The foursome from Beebe Financial Services preparing to golf for good.

We were so fortunate to have a beautiful day for our golfers and guests. Teams golfed for health and hope on Saratoga National’s stunning golf course, and were joined by friends and family in the evening for a cocktail reception and live music from local artist Leah Woods.

Competition was fierce at the silent auction table, and one lucky raffle winner became the new owner of a piece live painted by artist David Hill. The very popular Mabinti Centre items were featured for a third year and were quickly snatched up by guests.

Guests listening to the evening’s remarks

During the evening’s remarks, Kupona’s Executive Director, Abbey Seaboyer Kocan shared an update on the impact our local community has had on the lives of people we are serving in Tanzania. She contrasted how a child born with a birth defect in the U.S. can access necessary medical care, and in many cases you would never know that child was born with a disability. In Tanzania, disability can be a life sentence to poverty. A child born with clubfoot, like Lita, will become permanently disabled and trapped in a cycle of poverty if she is unable to access quality care. That is where Kupona’s supporters and friends come in. $47,000 could provide 293 children just like Lita with the treatment they need to run, walk, and go to school.

One of the most important aspects of Kupona’s work is our focus on sustainability, helping our Tanzanian partner, CCBRT, on the journey toward becoming a social enterprise. We are doing this by harnessing the demand for high quality healthcare in Tanzania’s growing middle class, and providing an in-country opportunity for them to receive high quality services such as cataract surgeries and knee replacements. Clients are willing and able to pay more for ‘premium’ services (which are appointment based and offer an air-conditioned waiting room, for example) allowing us to provide subsidized and free care for those who cannot afford it.

Not only are we focused on financial sustainability, but also embedding high quality care and practices into the existing Tanzanian healthcare system. Our community’s generosity will help us continue to equip clinical teams with the live-saving skills they need to provide expert, quality care to women and newborns in need. By training healthcare workers to train others, we ensure that quality of care will be available for years to come.

A huge thank you goes to our generous Patron sponsors, The Gorman Group and WCC, LCC.

Thanks to our Ally Sponsors Beebe Financial Services, D.A. Collins, Tom & Laurie Longe, Bob & Denise Schwed and Steve & Debby Seaboyer.

And with thanks to our Bar Sponsor Galusha & Sons, LLC, our Event Sponsors Tim & Liz Ostrander and Bob and Mary Grace Manz, and our Friend of Kupona sponsors.

We are also grateful for the amazing staff at Saratoga National Golf Club, our golf committee, Tom Longe and Steve Seaboyer, and Leah Woods and David Hill for making the event such a success.

We invite you to stay involved with this work. Why? Because it’s your support that is breaking the cycle of poverty for thousands of people in Tanzania. Here’s how you can help:

Help us provide high quality maternal healthcare to more mothers and newborns in Tanzania

We have a goal of raising another $10,000 to enable us to invest in what it will take to ensure that the opening of our new Maternity & Newborn Hospital in 2019 is a success, and to reach more children with the care they need today.

  • Donate today! A gift of $160 will support a child living with a disability, improve their mobility and give them the chance to learn and play.
  • Join us with a donation of $5,000 to help us make the necessary investments in start up costs for the new maternity hospital.
  • Learn more! Check out your impact in our newly released 2017 Annual Report.
  • Reach out to someone who might want to learn more: a friend, colleague, minister, or neighbor.
  • Follow us on social media. We’re on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter

We’re so proud to call Saratoga Springs home and so grateful for the incredible generosity and support of this community.  Thank you.

May 22, 2018

Seventh Annual Cocktail Reception Raises Over $16,000

Increasing access to high quality sexual and reproductive healthcare

On May 17th, Kupona Board Member James Mann hosted our seventh annual Cocktail Reception at his beautiful New York City home in support of our work to make high quality sexual and reproductive healthcare more accessible to women and girls in Tanzania. Our guests and supporters raised over $16,000, unlocking access to quality services for 457 women and girls.

One of the highlights of the evening was a short film from the field, featuring interviews with CCBRT’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Bedan Gichanga, and Bola Abbas, Technical Advisor in Nursing.

Three key themes stood out from their message:

  1. Family planning saves lives

As Dr. Bedan shared, with access to and uptake of family planning methods, “The likelihood of mothers and newborns dying during childbirth is reduced significantly because the births are spaced, and mothers have adequate time to recover from their initial pregnancy.”

  1. Family planning breaks the cycle of poverty

In addition to its life-saving impact, family planning can also break the cycle of poverty. For young women and girls, the use of family planning means they are more likely to remain in school by avoiding unplanned pregnancy, and, as Dr. Bedan states, family planning can be very important to mothers looking to provide for their families. “The use of family planning…will [also] improve the productivity of mothers – because they’re not pregnant every year and they can be gainfully employed.”

  1. The return on investment is hard to ignore

According to the research from the Post-2015 Consensus 1, the return on investment for family planning is $120 for every $1 spent. At CCBRT, it costs just $35 to deliver family planning counseling to one person, meaning our program generates over $4,200 in benefits for every person served.

The potential impact of sexual and reproductive healthcare is huge, which is why we are delighted to support efforts to break down barriers to access for the communities we serve. There are already plans to integrate family planning across the full spectrum of care at the CCBRT Maternity and Newborn Hospital, opening in 2019. In the meantime, the team is integrating family planning into CCBRT’s disability services, providing women recovering from obstetric fistula with the knowledge and tools to safely plan future pregnancies, and enabling other patients and caregivers visiting the hospital to seek services during a single trip to the hospital – making CCBRT a ‘one stop shop’ for good health.

More photos from Thursday’s event are now live on our Facebook page. Thank you again to everyone who joined us on the night and gave so generously!

Want to learn more about our work or join us for a future event? Sign up for our mailing list to receive periodic updates straight to your inbox, or indicate your interest in joining us for future events.

  1. http://www.copenhagenconsensus.com/post-2015-consensus/health-women-children
May 21, 2018

“They need to know that there is life after fistula”

Originally posted on the CCBRT blog

“I always do the night shift, so I have lots of time to talk,” says nurse Damaris in the fistula ward. In fact, talking is part of her job. Damaris is one of very few nurses in Tanzania trained in counseling – an essential service for women recovering from obstetric fistula, most of whom have experienced great emotional trauma before accessing treatment.

We recognize that women and girls recovering from fistula require a comprehensive team of health professionals – from surgeons to counselors – for holistic recovery. That’s why we invest in training for nurses like Damaris. Before joining the team on the fistula ward, Damaris completed training at a nearby university to become a counselor. She explains: “Working with women recovering from fistula is emotional. After training, I can be strong to help carry their burden and help them move past their painful experiences.”

Damaris adds, “Even if women are physically healed from fistula, without counseling they are only halfway toward recovery. They need to know that there is life after fistula. They can return to their communities. They can connect with friends and family. They can start their own business.”

Meet Damaris

Damaris recalls one patient specifically, with a complicated case of two fistulae. Damaris noticed her patient’s distress – she didn’t talk to anyone and spent all of her time alone. In counseling, she began to open up to Damaris about her experience of abandonment: “I’m not even wanted by my own mother and father,” she revealed. But Damaris knew her future was bright. “I told her that everything was possible, that she would go back happy. And that I would support her every day until she went home dry.” The woman made a full recovery, and months later, she and Damaris still talk on the phone.

What inspires Damaris’ commitment to women with fistula? “They are women just like me. Their stories should be heard. Even though I can’t solve everything, I know that talking makes a big difference.”

There is great need for psychological support for women recovering from fistula in Tanzania. Damaris hopes that CCBRT can continue to train more fistula nurses in specialized counseling skills – “especially nurses on the night shift!”

May 14, 2018

Partnerships for Progress: Improving the health and wellbeing of children with disabilities

This month, Kupona Foundation launched a new partnership with the Dorothea Haus Ross Foundation to strengthen the comprehensive network of support available to children with disabilities and their families in Tanzania.

Funds will support training for parents/carers of children with disabilities, helping them to provide quality support for their children at home. Training will also be provided to government healthcare providers to strengthen delivery of rehabilitative services in healthcare facilities and community support units. At the community level, community events will increase awareness of rehabilitation services and promote inclusion. The grant will also facilitate knowledge exchanges between CCBRT and its peers in order to strengthen the network of community based inclusive development providers in the East Africa region. Combined, these activities will drive the sustainability of CCBRT’s established rehabilitation services, making quality care accessible to more children and their families.

Ken Goody, Foundation Executive at the Dorothea Haus Ross Foundation said, “At the Ross Foundation, we focus on alleviating the suffering experienced by vulnerable children and, when possible, strive toward the elimination of its root causes. We are thrilled to expand the Ross Foundation’s footprint in Tanzania by supporting this globally respected rehabilitation program, to make sustainable investments that strengthen the quality of rehabilitative care available to children with disabilities and their families.”

Unlocking opportunities for children with disabilities

Addressing disability during a child’s formative years is crucial to mitigate the impact of disability on health and development. More than half of children with disabilities in Tanzania do not attend school, limiting their access to education and future economic opportunity. Raising a child with a lifelong disability is also a significant challenge for parents and caregivers. With 86% of the Tanzanian population at risk of falling deeper into poverty because of healthcare expenses, families of a child with a disability are at particular risk for extreme poverty if they are unable to access affordable care for their child. Stigma associated with disability in Tanzanian communities also leaves children and their families excluded from their communities, and without a strong system of support. The dearth of skilled healthcare workers across the Tanzanian healthcare system exacerbates these challenges.

A comprehensive solution

CCBRT delivers high quality, specialist services at two rehabilitation centers: one in Moshi, serving rural communities in the north of Tanzania, and one in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s largest city. At these centers, CCBRT delivers high quality physiotherapy and occupational therapy, as well as special seating services and provision of assistive devices, including standing frames, prostheses and orthoses. In the community, CCBRT has established a network of Community Support Units in both Dar es Salaam and Moshi for the families of children with disabilities, providing a place for families to gather with their children, receive support from a trained physiotherapist/occupational therapist and develop a peer support system. CCBRT conducts home visits and community outreach to ensure long term support and follow up is provided to children with disabilities and their families in their home environment. CCBRT also uses training, lobbying and community awareness activities to build the capacity of parents, communities and government healthcare providers. This enables these groups to embrace their roles as primary caregivers and brings quality care closer to communities.

Abbey Kocan, Executive Director of Kupona Foundation said, “CCBRT has a 20+ year legacy of community-based rehabilitation work. Without trained caregivers and healthcare workers, an engaged and inclusive community, and a strong network of quality care providers, the impact of CCBRT’s efforts to deliver services to vulnerable children would be limited. The Ross Foundation’s contribution will act as a catalyst to enable the success of our overall program. We’re delighted to welcome them to the Kupona Foundation community.”

April 20, 2018

CCBRT Academy: Tackling Human Resources for Health Challenges in Tanzania

Did you know that there is a severe shortage of healthcare workers globally? The shortage is estimated to reach 18 million by 2030.

Did you know that this shortage is hitting countries like Tanzania particularly hard? Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 11% of the world’s population. The region shoulders 24% of the global burden of disease, yet only accounts for 3% of the world’s health workers. Tanzania alone can count on just 5.2 clinical health workers per 10,000 people: one fifth of the optimal ratio recommended by the World Health Organization. The country also lacks sufficient numbers of trained specialists, with only 177 specialist surgeons and fewer than 22 anesthesiologists available to serve a population of over 55 million. The health workforce that does exist has limited access to medical education and professional development.

These shortages have a particularly damaging effect on the health and wellbeing of the most vulnerable, including women, children, and people with disabilities. It also makes it hard for providers, like our partner, CCBRT, to serve their patients, as they struggle to recruit and retain the skilled teams they need to deliver high quality, specialized services. Without well trained, well equipped healthcare workers people simply cannot access the quality of care they need and deserve. And without adequate healthcare, people’s access to education, employment and economic opportunity is limited too.

With the support of the Kupona community, our colleagues at CCBRT have been taking action to train and build the capacity of healthcare workers in Tanzania and further afield for many years. The maternal and newborn healthcare capacity building program empowers nurses like Ladness to save newborn lives. CCBRT’s expert fistula surgeons are sharing their skills with surgeons from around the world. CCBRT also gives its own staff many opportunities for continued professional development.

Until now, CCBRT’s efforts to strengthen the health workforce have been implemented in both CCBRT’s hospital in Dar es Salaam and at partner facilities across the country. They had no dedicated training facility, and no formalized central training program.

That’s all about to change.

Since 2015, with the support of Kupona partners Johnson & Johnson and the UCLA Anderson School of Management, CCBRT has been developing detailed plans for a Center of Excellence in Clinical Education. We’re delighted to announce that these plans will soon become a reality, with the opening of the CCBRT Academy next month.

“[The CCBRT Academy] is the realization of a vision that we have had for a long time here,” says Technical Advisor for Training and Capacity Building Tilman Hannig. Through a unique combination of in-person training, online education and practical, hands-on experience, “it will allow us to better professionalize and develop our own staff, as well as health workers from beyond CCBRT.”

When it’s ready, the training center will include room for meetings, small workshops, large trainings and simulations in a lab mimicking a real hospital setting, and will use CCBRT’s existing computer lab for online courses and digital education. The Academy will be a learning environment of the highest quality to enrich educational experiences for the region’s healthcare heroes.

Indeed, training through the Academy has already launched, starting with a Training of Trainers on clubfoot casting techniques for participants from around world, including 20 from Africa last week. In the coming weeks, the Academy will provide and host trainings on topics ranging from ophthalmology equipment and small incision cataract surgery to customer care and breastfeeding.

We are excited to see the CCBRT Academy thrive, and address one of the most serious challenges facing the healthcare system in Tanzania. As Tilman says, “We have the space. Now we need to fill it with life.”

 
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