Twenty-year-old Selina was pregnant with her second child when she went for an antenatal visit at her local health center. The center was one of the facilities in Dar es Salaam where Kupona’s sister organization, CCBRT, has been building capacity since 2010.

This is the work your generosity supports, providing desperately needed resources and training to maternal healthcare teams, who in turn, can provide quality care for mothers and newborns. As Selina entered the center for her first appointment, your impact was obvious.

“I was surprised by the cleanliness of the facility,” she says. ”And the fact that doctors and nurses had smiles on their faces as they distributed medicine and attended to patients. I felt comfortable waiting in the busy reception area, so as my pregnancy progressed, I continued to attend the clinics.

One day while I was at home, I felt contractions begin, and knew my baby was on the way. I rushed to the center, but there was heavy traffic on the road. I feared I would not be able to reach the center in time. As I arrived, I couldn’t wait any longer. Nurses rushed out to the gate to assist, and fortunately, they got to me in time. With their help, I delivered a healthy baby boy, just paces away from the front doors.”

Selina and her baby boy might have had a different outcome at the same health center just six years earlier. Dr. Mbaga, medical officer in charge at the improved facility, shared, “A short while ago, this health center was under-staffed, ill equipped and almost empty. Now we have a thriving delivery unit and are leading clinical care standards in the region.” Dr. Mbaga credits CCBRT’s capacity building efforts with her staff’s improved confidence and ability to perform in emergency situations. Since the program began, emergency drills have become part of the routine at the health center.

“You can’t practice in an emergency,” says Dr. Mbaga. “At that stage, you work by instinct, but you need to practice to perform well under pressure. If the labor ward is quiet, we’ll gather together and work through an obstetric scenario, sometimes practicing three or four times until we get it right. Reviewing our clinical care like this, every day, helps us to improve constantly, and I see that my staff are much more capable as a result.”

This is the impact you support.

Safe birthing centers where mothers feel comfortable and confident that they are receiving high quality care. Medical teams that have been trained to handle complications and emergencies. Resourced, outfitted, clean healthcare facilities that are prepared to give the best care possible.