With the goal of reducing preventable maternal and child death in the Lake and Western zones of Tanzania, More and Better Midwives for Rural Tanzania (MBMTz) made significant contributions to ensuring that women and children in these areas have greater access to skilled midwifery care now and in the future.
Over the five-year project, MBMTz increased the number of skilled midwives from 122 to over 400; and provided a forum for the Tanzania Midwives Association (TAMA) to advocate with the Tanzania Nursing and Midwifery Council for regulation and licensure processes that adhere to global standards and reflect the priorities of Tanzania’s midwives.
The project was implemented by a consortium led by Jhpiego in partnership with AMREF Health Africa-Canada and CAM. MBMTz was financially supported by the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada.
Highlights
- TAMA increased the number of functional branches from four (122 members) to 10 (431 members) This is expected to increase the continued advocacy and promotion of midwifery profession within Tanzania.
- 2 position statement papers were developed and disseminated to the government as an advocacy method to influence health policies entitled “Respectful maternity care” and “Competent midwives for quality maternal, newborn and child health”.
- A mentorship programme was developed, and 89 practicing senior midwives were trained on mentorship skills to mentor students and fellow practicing midwives. By the end of the project, a total of 3,759 mentorship sessions had been conducted by midwifery mentors.
- 95% of pre-service health training institutes achieved 85% of Continuous Quality Improvement standards (19/20 institutes, up from 6/20)
- 100% of in-services training sites achieved 80% of Standard-Based Management and Recognition (19/19 sites, up from 0/19)
Total Project Budget
10 million CAD
Dates: 2016-2021
