Back in Tanzania with Every Mother Counts to make Pregnancy and Childbirth safer

Team Every Mother Counts during our first training run.

I just arrived in Tanzania with Every Mother Counts and I’m so excited to be back! This year we will have a team of 20 women running the Kilimanjaro Half Marathon. We will be raising funds to improve access to essential maternity care and raise awareness about one of the biggest barriers mothers face in accessing healthcare around the world: distance.

Tanzania has special significance to Every Mother Counts. In June of 2009, I traveled with a small film crew to Tanzania from New York during the making of NO WOMAN, NO CRY and we have returned with regularity ever since. Maternal death is a pressing issue in Tanzania. With nearly 8,000 maternal deaths annually, a full 3% of global maternal deaths occur in this country.

Every Mother Counts met Lightness and her baby while filming NO WOMAN NO CRY in Tanzania. (Photo by Jake Lyell)

We learned that for women living in countries like Tanzania, especially in rural areas, distance was an enormous barrier for mothers who needed healthcare of any kind. In fact, the minimum distance a pregnant woman had to travel was 5K for prenatal care. An average distance to reach emergency obstetric care was 35K, and often times much more.

In addition to running the race, we will have the opportunity to visit two of the programs that Every Mother Counts is supporting on the ground to improve access to essential maternity care.

Team Every Mother Counts after completeting the Kilimajaro 5k, Half and Full Marathon in 2015.

We Care Solar

We Care Solar’s installation of Solar Suitcases in 50 health centers in Sengerema, Shinyanga and Arusha provides reliable electricity, including lights for nighttime deliveries, outlets for charging medical devices and mobile phones to strengthen referral networks, and a fetal Doppler.

Many health facilities in Tanzania lack the proper equipment and supplies, including reliable electricity, needed to provide quality care to mothers during pregnancy and childbirth. Since 2014, the Every Mother Counts community have together provided 50 solar suitcases in Tanzania, and 44 solar suitcases in Malawi.

Foundation for African Medicine & Education (FAME)

FAME provides high-quality pregnancy care, labor and delivery services and emergency obstetric care, training of healthcare workers, and critical health education for patients and families in Karatu.

New mother, Tasiana, after Dr. Msuya delivered her healthy baby boy at FAME Medical in Karatu, Tanzania.

We are eager to visit our grantee partners and meet new friends too. Follow me for the next week to see progress in real time!