Make Motherhood Safe for Tanzanian Women

Greetings from Kupona Foundation!

We were so pleased to have CCBRT’s Dr. Brenda D’mello join us in April for a Fireside Chat. This intimate conversation provided an in-depth look at what has been happening at CCBRT.

Here’s what we heard from Dr. Brenda:

What’s happening at CCBRT 

• The CCBRT Maternal and Newborn Wing is open! The first baby was delivered on January 3, 2022 during the soft opening. The official opening was in July. To date, CCBRT has had over 500 deliveries, providing a safe, respectful delivery experience for mothers and babies – a major departure from where we started in 2010. The wing includes 6 clinical blocks with 160 bed capacity, 4 operating rooms, 2 procedure rooms, 8 delivery suites and 15 outpatient consultation rooms.       

• What does this mean? CCBRT is now able to provide high quality, respectful care for mothers and babies onsite, with a focus on those who are at greatest risk, further contributing to a decrease public facility congestion and preventable maternal death, premature birth, and stillbirth.
• How can you help? Kupona and CCBRT are committed to supporting healthy pre- and post-natal care for mothers in need in Tanzania. We have a goal of supporting 500 vulnerable women with free services, annually. Your donations directly enable our ability to scale up services to those most in need.

• Tim’s Corner Family Planning services are now embedded within the maternity wing.  Over 1,500 family planning visits have occurred since the opening of the new wing. Family planning services at CCBRT have been made possible thanks to the generosity of the Tim’s Corner community. Thank you for your generosity over the years - you continue to make an impact, especially on populations who typically fall through the cracks. 

• CCBRT’s holistic fistula surgery and treatment program continues to change the lives of over 600 women per year. The full complement of supports for women recovering from fistula includes physical healing, as well as social and emotional healing at the House of Hope.  Additional opportunities through the Mabinti Centre provide life, sewing and economic / business skills training to provide women the opportunity to create income generating opportunities for themselves and their families. 

What’s next for CCBRT 

• CCBRT is focused on strategic growth to continue to change lives and transform communities in Tanzania. Current goals include: 

• Full operationalization of the Maternal and Newborn Wing 
• Reaching more patients with high quality and respectful clinical care, especially the poorest and most vulnerable, such as children under 5 (in the Disability Hospital), women and girls living with obstetric fistula, pregnant women living with a disability, pregnant women with a history of fistula, and pregnant adolescent girls 

• Engaging in more clinical and community research  
• Increasing sustainability by expanding and diversifying the donor portfolio and social impact investors 
• Continuing to evolve the CCBRT Academy, including telehealth services and enhancing the surgical skills training lab 

Thank you for your continued support of Kupona Foundation and the important work happening every day at CCBRT.

Dear Friends,

Greetings! We are happy to share with you some updates from our sister organization, CCBRT, from 2022.

After an extended construction and development period, 2022 saw the opening of the long-awaited Maternal Wing within CCBRT! The opening of the Maternal Wing has allowed CCBRT to continue to ensure availability of skilled attendance during delivery and access to 24-hour comprehensive emergency obstetric care for complicated deliveries. CCBRT continues to target patients who are former obstetric fistula patients, women with disabilities, and some referred high-risk clientele from regional referral hospitals. These targeted patients require free or subsidized services to provide the holistic care required. Now more than ever, with this expanded capacity to offer life-saving and life-changing maternal services, CCBRT relies on your support to continue to provide the high level of care for which they are renowned.

In 2022, CCBRT provided support to over 550 children with disabilities and their families at the House of Hope in Moshi. Specifically, 338 children were reached through support from Wheelchairs for Kids, with critical support offered by the Dorothea H. Ross Foundation. CCBRT’s major objective for wheelchair service provision is to support children with disabilities to:

• Improve overall health and well-being;
• Promote their ability to go attend schooling; and
• Empower persons with disabilities and their families to engage in socioeconomic activities.

CCBRT was also able to welcome back Dr. Picard Undendele from Aravind Eye Care System in India, where he was pursuing fellowship studies in Pediatric Ophthalmology. His return in June 2022 has increased capacity for treatment of pediatric patients in need of eye treatment. Clinics are conducted on Monday and Wednesday, and surgeries are scheduled for Tuesday and Thursdays. The Ophthalmology department has recruited and is still recruiting more MDs to meet regional pediatric ophthalmology needs.

Your support through GlobalGiving provides critical support to CCBRT to support the continued provision of improved access to healthcare and assistive devices. On behalf of the team at Kupona Foundation, I thank you for your ongoing support.

With Gratitude,
Robert Schwed
President, Kupona Foundation Board of Directors

Dear Friends,

Greetings! We are happy to share with you some updates from our sister organization, CCBRT, from the last few months.

With the recent opening of the new Maternal Wing within CCBRT, and as of early September we are happy to report 150 deliveries so far this year! CCBRT has held some exciting events to honor the opening of the Maternal Wing, including hosting Her Excellency President Samia Suluhu Hassan. Here you, see the Chair of the CCBRT Board, Dr. W. Slaa, presenting Her Excellency President Hassan with a portrait of her with Mabinti Centre participants from her visit to CCBRT years ago as our fistula ambassador.

We are also happy to report an update on the wheelchair distribution at the House of Hope in Moshi. The Wheelchairs for Kids program was provided in part by funding from the Dorothea Haus Ross Foundation and through contributions received by Kupona Foundation. At this time, all 166 wheelchairs procured have been distributed to children in need. Your support has provided these children with life-changing equipment to improve their mobility and quality of life.

Your support through GlobalGiving helps CCBRT provide improved access to healthcare and assistive devices. On behalf of the team at Kupona Foundation, I thank you for your continued support.

With Gratitude,
Robert Schwed
President, Kupona Foundation Board of Directors

Dear Friends,

Greetings! We are happy to share with you some updates from our sister organization, CCBRT, from the last few months.

After an extended construction and development period, the new Maternal Wing within CCBRT is finally open! As of April 2022, 39 babies have been delivered in the wing, including 3 sets of twins, 2 mothers with disabilities and 1 emergency premature delivery. The opening of the Maternal Wing assures safe, accessible maternal health care for mothers throughout the region.

We are also happy to report an update on the wheelchair distribution at the House of Hope in Moshi. The Wheelchairs for Kids program was provided in part by funding from the Dorothea Haus Ross Foundation and through contributions received by Kupona Foundation. At this time, all 166 wheelchairs procured have been distributed to children in need. Your support has provided these children with life-changing equipment to improve their mobility and quality of life.

Your support through GlobalGiving helps CCBRT provide improved access to healthcare and assistive devices. On behalf of the team at Kupona Foundation, I thank you for your continued support.

With Gratitude,
Robert Schwed
President, Kupona Foundation Board of Directors

Dear Friends,

Greetings, and Happy New Year! We are excited to share with you some updates from our sister organization, CCBRT, from the last few months.

From July through November of 2021, 217 fistula repair surgeries were performed at CCBRT, the largest provider of fistula treatment in the country. Thanks in part to the generous support we receive through GlobalGiving, all costs of treatment are covered—from surgery, to transportation, to accommodation and meals.

CCBRT’s fistula program also recently conducted training for community health workers from the Dodoma and Singed regions of Tanzania, to improve their capacity to identify and refer patients for treatment. Fistula ambassadors from all over the country also attended a fistula conference hosted by CCBRT, to promote cross-regional learning and sharing of experiences.

We aim to eradicate obstetric fistula by providing safe delivery services and high-quality obstetrics care to those suffering from this debilitating condition, and your donations help keep treatment free for patients and provide funding for training and other resources. As always, we are so thankful for your support and look forward to sharing more updates in our next report.

With Gratitude,
Robert Schwed
President, Kupona Foundation Board of Directors