Building momentum in 2014

Our Tanzanian team isn’t the only one celebrating little victories this year. Kupona’s Board President, Dr. Yoni Barnhard looks back on Kupona’s victories in 2014.

Dr. Barnhard addresses Kupona cocktail reception attendees.

I’ve been President of the Board of Directors at Kupona for two years.  In 2011, I traveled to Tanzania to visit a different hospital as an OB/GYN. My flight out of Dar es Salaam was cancelled, so a friend suggested I visit CCBRT’s maternal and newborn healthcare program. I had not been looking to join a Board. But my experience at CCBRT was so powerful – the potential for transformative change so great – that I had to be part of it. You can read more about that first visit in my three-part blog post in 2012: “A Slice of Dar – A Story from the Field.”

Kupona’s work at CCBRT is changing the status quo for mothers in Tanzania.

The donations from our supporters have a real and lasting impact – changing lives today, and strengthening the maternal and newborn healthcare system for generations to come. I first saw the impact and potential in 2011. Over the past year, more and more people are starting to see the potential, too.

Your continued support is enabling us to give more to CCBRT than ever before. This year, thanks to generous support from individuals and corporate and institutional partners, we raised over $500,000 for CCBRT, and this number is set to increase before the year is up. Some victories from our 2014 fundraising efforts included:

• Spring Cocktails: Our third consecutive Spring Cocktail Event raised over $12,000 to purchase delivery beds and equipment for the CCBRT Maternity and Newborn Hospital.
• Golfing for Good: Our fourth annual Kupona Foundation golf outing raised over $50,000 for mothers and babies in Tanzania.
• Fall Cocktails: An intimate cocktail reception with Erwin Telemans, CCBRT CEO gave supporters an opportunity to ask questions and hear stories first-hand.
• Memorial Campaign: Since 2013, family and friends of Tim Manchester have raised over $53,000 for family planning services at CCBRT; an incredible legacy for a close ally of CCBRT and Kupona. Read more on the Crowdrise Holiday Fundraiser for Tim’s Corner.

Our sincerest thanks to everyone who contributed to making these events and fundraisers happen. Together, we are saving the lives of women and children in Tanzania.

CCBRT CEO, Erwin Telemans, visits with Kupona team in September.

Dr. Sierra Washington speaks with guests at a cocktail reception in June.

In light of our continued growth, it was time to build a team that could help us fulfill our potential. Our Board, Advisory Board (AB), and the Kupona team have welcomed new recruits this year: a mixture of fresh new talent and individuals with a wealth of experience to share. We also strengthened our links to the work on the ground with the secondment of AB member Dr. Sierra Washington to CCBRT as a technical advisor to the maternal and newborn healthcare program and the placement of Princeton in Africa Fellow Erin Keating in CCBRT’s Communications Department. Our Executive Director spent over five weeks with the CCBRT team in Tanzania and New York, including joining CCBRT’s 20^th Anniversary celebration in Dar es Salaam. Momentum is building. If you are interested in joining our dedicated team as a Board or Advisory Board member, please email info@kuponafoundation.org.

From L to R: James Mann, Dr. Yoni Barnhard, Adrian Stewart, Katie Flanagan, Peter Maddens                                  Photo Credit: Melanie Quinn Photography

It’s been quite a year of little victories in the USA and Tanzania – making high-quality healthcare more accessible for some of the most vulnerable women and children in the world. Thank you for your support, and happy holidays.

Yoni

CCBRT 2014: Success stories that you made possible

Kupona’s newest team member, Alexandra, joined us in November after two years working on the ground with CCBRT in Dar es Salaam. Here are her highlights from the year.

Alexandra visiting a CCBRT support unit in Dar es Salaam

During my time with CCBRT, I heard inspirational stories and met inspirational people every day. But it wasn’t just the change that we could see happening on the ground that spurred us on. It was hearing that there are individuals like you, thousands of miles away from Dar es Salaam, that are making our work possible.

If you’ve never visited CCBRT in Tanzania, you may sometimes wonder if your donation is actually making a difference. I’m here to tell you it is. You are supporting high quality, life-changing care for some of the poorest and most marginalized people in Tanzania. I saw it happening every day.

Your donations are funding expert care
Our expertise in the disability field was recognized earlier this year with two major accreditations. In June, CCBRT became a FIGO accredited training center for fistula surgeons enabling our team to pass on their experience to the next generation of surgeons. CCBRT also became the international training center and headquarters for the International Red Cross, Special Fund for the Disabled (ICRC/SFD). Our new orthopedic workshop, refurbished with the support of ICRC/SFD, provides custom-made prosthetics and orthopedic devices to people with disabilities. Today, CCBRT is in a position to train orthopedic technicians from all over the world.

Recipients of custom-made prosthetics in the newly furnished orthopedic workshop, funded by ICRC/SFD.

A huge step forward in preventing unplanned pregnancies
In 2014, we also saw Tim’s Corner transform from a shipping container into a fully functioning clinic providing family planning services and confidential advice to staff and patients on how to plan pregnancies. This was an important step forward in our efforts to prevent maternal and newborn mortality and disability.

Family Planning services will be fully integrated into the spectrum of care in CCBRT’s maternity and newborn healthcare program. See the recent progress of the Maternity and Newborn Hospital construction for yourself with this virtual tour. Over my two years in Dar es Salaam, the structure’s evolution has been incredible.

Family outside of CCBRT’s fistula ward. Photo credit: Mark Tuschman

Building capacity to save the lives of mothers and newborns
In parallel to the construction of this new facility, the team also continues to make progress in 22 public health facilities in Dar es Salaam, working in challenging conditions, conducting on-the-job training for healthcare workers, improving facilities, and distributing life-saving equipment.

This September, there was exciting news from Temeke District Hospital, one of the 22 facilities in our capacity building program. Temeke Hospital has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the region. However, following the work of the CCBRT team, Temeke reported zero maternal deaths in the month of September. 

Lives are being saved every day. You can read more about these particular achievements in our latest post on Girls’ Globe.

Twenty years of service to the Tanzanian community
This past October, CCBRT marked its 20^th anniversary by championing the everyday heroes – the staff. My colleagues on the ground are rock stars, and I congratulate them for their victories – both big and small. You can read more about their stories here. If we didn’t have the support of people like you, none of this would be possible.

Alex with team members at CCBRT’s 20th Anniversary.

It’s been an amazing year, and I’m thrilled to be part of our momentum going into 2015. While we celebrate the successes, it is important that we do not rest on our laurels. There are thousands of people living with impairments that need treatment at CCBRT, and thousands of women and children who die every year as a result of avoidable complications during childbirth.

We still need your help. Make a donation today, safe in the knowledge that your money is reaching those in need, and is making a difference where change is so desperately needed.

~Alex
Individual Giving & Communications, Kupona Foundation

2014: Giving thanks for little victories that make a big difference 

2014 has been a milestone year. CCBRT (our partner on the ground in Tanzania) marked 20 years of service to the community, Kupona turned 5 years old, and I completed my first year as Kupona’s Executive Director. These anniversaries gave us cause to reflect, as our teams in the U.S. and Tanzania appreciated the contributions of our supporters who enable us to provide transformative healthcare services to millions of the poorest and most marginalized people in Tanzania.

CCBRT patient and mother

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be giving thanks for little victories. Stay tuned for success stories from the field, a summary of developments here in the U.S., a look behind the scenes at CCBRT, and a preview of our plans for 2015. This series highlights the little victories that have culminated in real change on the ground in Tanzania; bringing to life the impact your support has had over the last 12 months, and the power that a further donation will have upon the lives of families in Tanzania.

As we enter the holiday season, and our final month of fundraising in 2014, my first message to you is simple. Thank You. Whether you’ve supported Kupona since the beginning, or you’ve recently joined our journey. With your help, Kupona has provided more support to CCBRT every year since we began fundraising in 2009. This means more children accessing education, more adults able to provide for themselves and their families and more mothers able to greet their newborn children. Every single life changed is a victory for the people of Tanzania.

CCBRT and Kupona staff celebrating the #littlevictories

Stay tuned and take pride in the updates. Our victories are your victories, too.

With gratitude,
Abbey