Physical Health Tanzania, United Republic of Project #8594

Make Motherhood Safe for Tanzanian Women

by Kupona Foundation

Make Motherhood Safe for Tanzanian Women

Project Report | May 13, 2015
Drastically different expectations

By Abbey Kocan | Executive Director

Abbey visiting with CCBRT fistula patients

Kupona Foundation’s mission has never felt more personal for our Executive Director.

During my most recent trip to our partner, CCBRT, in Tanzania, I met women recovering from fistula surgery, and the incredible staff who support them. I’ve met women living with the trauma of fistula before, but this year their stories resonated even more than usual.

My husband and I are expecting our first child in September. Just writing that fills me with joy and fear. However, sitting with these patients at CCBRT, my fears about motherhood seemed insignificant in comparison to their accounts of loss, grief and survival. My fears focus on the future. Their fears are more immediate. Will they come out of future deliveries unscathed? Will their baby survive delivery? Will they?

In the U.S., like most developed countries, we expect a certain standard of medical care. As a mother-to-be, I expect to be treated with respect. I expect that the hospital and medical staff will be prepared with the requisite skills, supplies and equipment to take care of my baby and me. I expect that my husband will be by my side. I expect to leave the hospital with a healthy child, ready to face those fears about parenting.

In Tanzania, mothers-to-be expect to share a hospital bed with two or three other women in labor. They expect to deliver alone because there’s no space for the father or family to provide moral support.

But, why should Tanzanian mothers expect so much less than I do?

Thanks to you, we’re delivering sustainable change to the Tanzanian healthcare system that raises the bar for quality, respectful maternal healthcare. Your donations enable us to build a stronger, safer future for mothers who, like me, want to experience the joy of meeting their healthy newborn baby. Your support can change the status quo for Tanzanian women and give them access to the quality of care they deserve.

Need a refresher on what you’re helping us achieve for mothers? Watch this 3 minute video.

Today, you have an excellent opportunity to boost your impact. Starting at 9am, our friends at GlobalGiving are going to match every donation made through our project page until 11.59pm. Donate today, and invest in building a brighter future for mothers in Tanzania.

Thank you for your continued support,
Abbey

Executive Director
Kupona Foundation

For every donation made in honor of a mother, her name will be entered into our prize drawing. The winner will receive a gift from the Mabinti Center, winner of Accessories Designer of the Year at Swahili Fashion Week 2014. Just email us at info@kuponafoundation.org with the name of a mother you would like to honor for her chance to win!

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Apr 29, 2015
Giving Tanzanian mothers the chance to be mums

By Alexandra Cairns | External Affairs Manager

Photo credit: Benjamin Eagle

8,000 women every year won’t find out what kind of mother they will be to their children.

Being a ‘good mum’ means different things to different people. But every year in Tanzania 8,000 women won’t get the chance to find out what kind of mother they will be to their children. They won’t even survive the delivery. Read more….

As a valued Kupona supporter, you’ll have seen this statistic from us before: 8,000 maternal deaths in Tanzania every year. During next month’s Bonus Day, I will be donating to Kupona Foundation because I’ve seen a real opportunity to get that number to zero.

Here’s how

Your support enables our partner, CCBRT, to significantly improve the quality of maternal healthcare in Dar es Salaam. In just 4 years the average quality of care score across these 22 facilities increased from 9% to 78%. In close partnership with the Government of Tanzania, CCBRT’s training and mentoring schemes are being implemented in 22 public facilities, and CCBRT has expanded efforts to fill critical gaps in equipment and infrastructure.

Maximize the power of your donation

Next month’s Bonus Day is a fantastic opportunity to maximize the power of your support. Every donation made from 9am on May 13th will be matched by our friends at GlobalGiving, so your donation goes even further.

Access to high-quality, respectful maternal healthcare creates the opportunity for both mother and baby to lead healthy lives, and to build a promising future. This should not be a privilege. It should be a right.

For every donation made in honor of a mother, her name will be entered into our prize drawing. The winner will receive a gift from the Mabinti Center, winner of ‘Accessories Designer of the Year’ at Swahili Fashion Week 2014! Just type ‘In honor of {insert Mom’s name here}’ in your donation description for her chance to win!

Thank you for your support,
Alex

Alexandra Cairns

External Affairs Manager, Kupona Foundation

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Apr 12, 2015
Why is this about luck?

By Sami Bossalini | Communications and Development Associate

16 year-old Malela is recovering at CCBRT

Dear Friends,

This past March, I visited our partner, CCBRT, in Tanzania for the first time. One afternoon, I sat with a dozen ladies, each recovering from a surgery to repair the trauma of obstetric fistula, and I listened to their stories.

Two stories really struck me.
Malela is a 16-year-old girl with a shy smile. In the US, a girl her age would be thinking about friends, boys, passing her driver’s test and studying for SAT’s; Malela was telling me about the day she lost her baby. She never saw her child, but to some, she is considered fortunate; ‘Fortunate’, because she survived. Read More…

Before I met with the second patient I asked my interpreter if, like Malela, this woman had also lost her child. The interpreter shook her head. “No, her baby survived. She is lucky.” During my half-hour interview with 30-year-old Salma, I watched her 3-month-old baby girl rubbing her little face against her mother’s shoulder and clutching Salma’s blue hospital gown in a tiny fist. Read More…

I just kept thinking, why is this about luck?

Mark your calendars. Next month we have a fantastic opportunity to maximize the power of your donation. Every donation made from 9am on May 13th will be matched by our friends at GlobalGiving, so your support goes even further.

Donate via GlobalGiving on May 13th!

I will be donating because I’ve seen the impact that my contribution makes through Kupona. I’ve met the dedicated team of doctors and staff at CCBRT who are making monumental strides to strengthen the Tanzanian healthcare system. I’ve heard stories of lives changed, healthcare workers and facilities empowered, and hope restored. With my donation, I am joining a network of supporters, and together we are taking luck out of the equation for thousands of women and newborns.

Join me, and become part of this game-changing team.

For every donation made in honor of a mother, we will enter her name into our prize draw to win a gift from the Mabinti Center, winner of Accessories Designer of the Year at Swahili Fashion Week 2014! Just write ‘In honor of {insert Mom’s name here}’ in your donation description for her chance to win!

With gratitude,
Sami Bossalini

Communications and Development Associate, Kupona Foundation

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