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Dear Friends,
When we talk about maternal healthcare, it’s easy to get lost in the statistics. And when statistics don't tell us what we’d like to hear it’s easy to get disheartened. Every year, 8,000 Tanzanian women will die as a result of childbirth or pregnancy related causes.[1] It’s true that we are still a long way from reaching our goals in the reduction of maternal mortality in Tanzania (we have 12 months to reduce the maternal mortality rate by 57% to meet the MDGs[2]).
But positive change is happening. And it’s all thanks to you. We’re here to remind you of the victories.
This September, there was incredible news from Temeke District Hospital, one of the 22 facilities that we support through CCBRT’s capacity building program in Dar es Salaam. Temeke Hospital has historically had one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the region. However, following the incredible work of the CCBRT team, Temeke reported zero maternal deaths in the month of September.
In a region where far too many mothers lose their lives in childbirth, this news was remarkable Thanks to the staff training, infrastructure improvements, and distribution of life-saving equipment that YOU supported, every mother who gave birth at Temeke in the month of September survived.
“At first, I used to get disappointed when I didn't get the results I wanted immediately, but then I realized that the one person you save means something…CCBRT has showed me that change is possible.”
- Dr Fatma Sulieman, OBGYN and technical advisor, CCBRT’s Maternal and Newborn Healthcare Program
Of course, not every month will be as successful as September. Without collaboration and perseverance, thousands of Tanzanian mothers and their babies will continue to die every year. We must build upon this year’s successes by enabling the teams on the ground to continue improving the skills of healthcare providers; ensuring that they have access to the facilities and the equipment they need to do their job; and decongesting health facilities so that medical staff have the time and space to attend to every patient.
It's the little victories that will come together to change the status quo for women and children in Tanzania. A donation of $55 USD this holiday season will fund a skilled delivery by trained medical staff: giving both mother and baby a better chance for survival. Make more of these victories possible, and support our work at CCBRT. Help us to continue to save lives and improve the quality of maternal and newborn healthcare in Tanzania.
Watch this video to learn more about how your support for our maternal healthcare program is changing lives: http://youtu.be/4-GqGew-QbU
You can help us win an additional $3,000 from GlobalGiving to help make motherhood safe in Tanzania by giving to this project between December 1, 2014 and December 31, 2014!
With gratitude,
Abbey
P.S. - Want to do a little more to help out Kupona during the holidays?
- Follow our blog series “Little Victories,” beginning November 30th. (We’ll post updates on Facebook. www.kuponafoundation.org/blog)
- We are participating in the national day of giving back, #GivingTuesday on December 2nd through our Global Giving project.
- Remind your friends & family to give thanks for #littlevictories @KuponaFdn, @CCBRTTanzania
- Dr. Fatma joined CCBRT in 2013 as an OB/GYN Specialist in the Capacity Building Program for Maternal & Newborn Healthcare. Read the rest of her story here
[1] Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS) 2010, National Bureau of Statistics, Tanzania, April 2011, Dar es Salaam
[2] The Millennium Development Goals Report 2014’, United Nations
![Dr. Fatma Sulieman]()
Dr. Fatma Sulieman
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