By Marko Hingi | Executive Director
GlobalGiving Project Update
January – March 2026
Dear Partners and Friends,
Warm greetings from Mwanza, Tanzania.
As the rainy season settles across our region, the challenges of accessing healthcare become even more pronounced. For many families, distance, poverty, and lack of transportation make reaching health facilities difficult or impossible. Because of your generous support, we are able to bring lifesaving care directly to those who need it most.
We are pleased to share our progress from January to March 2026 across three key initiatives: the Street Medicine Project, Bisou Bailey Medical Dispensary, and the Mwanza Community Emergency Response Project (Mwanza EMS).
We are also honored that our work in drowning prevention was recently featured in a Johns Hopkins University newsletter, highlighting the importance of community-based emergency response systems. Your support is helping bring global recognition to the work happening here in Mwanza:
https://publichealth.jhu.edu/international-injury-research-unit/2026/a-ripple-of-change-our-journey-in-drowning-prevention
Street Medicine Project: Bringing Care to the Streets
For street-connected children, healthcare is often out of reach. Living without stable shelter or family support exposes them to illness, injury, and untreated infections.
Through the Street Medicine Project, our team conducts regular outreach, meeting children where they are — on the streets and in informal settlements — and providing care with dignity and compassion.
During this reporting period:
111 street-connected children received healthcare services
Weekly outreach clinics were conducted
Additional treatment was provided through outpatient and inpatient services at Bisou Bailey Medical Dispensary
With your support, children received:
Medical consultations and treatment
Essential medications
Bedside diagnostic testing
Health education
Nutritious meals
Shoes and clothing
For many, this is their first experience of consistent medical care — and of kindness from healthcare providers.
A Story of Impact
During one outreach visit, our team met Amani, a 12-year-old boy who had been living on the streets for several months. He was suffering from a painful, infected leg wound that made walking difficult.
After building trust, our team brought Amani to Bisou Bailey Medical Dispensary, where he received wound care, medication, nutrition, and ongoing support. Over the following weeks, his condition improved significantly.
Today, Amani continues to visit the clinic for follow-up care and health education. What began as an urgent medical intervention has become an opportunity to support him toward a healthier, more stable future.
Stories like Amani’s remind us that healthcare is often the first step toward restoring dignity, trust, and hope.
Bisou Bailey Medical Dispensary: Healthcare with Love
“Bisou” means “a lot of love,” and this philosophy guides every aspect of the care we provide.
The dispensary operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, ensuring access to care at all times. We also utilize a Hospital Management System to maintain accurate records and strengthen patient safety.
From January to March:
1,757 patients received care
322 children attended the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) clinic
42 pregnant women received antenatal services
We have recently begun the SafeCare accreditation process, an important step toward meeting international healthcare quality standards.
At the same time, we are working to expand the dispensary into a fully equipped health center. Construction of a surgical theatre and labor ward is underway. Once completed, these additions will:
Reduce referrals for emergency surgical care
Improve access to safe delivery services
Decrease long travel distances to overcrowded hospitals
Renovation of the staff residence is also nearing completion, allowing healthcare providers to remain close to the facility and respond quickly to emergencies.
Mwanza Community Emergency Response Project (Mwanza EMS)
Emergency care begins long before a patient reaches a hospital. Our trained first responders provide critical prehospital care across Mwanza.
During this reporting period:
178 emergency incidents were dispatched
267 individuals received emergency assistance
The majority of cases involved road traffic injuries
To further strengthen our emergency response system, we will soon launch a newly renovated dispatch center — the Jason Friesen Dispatch Room. This upgraded facility will improve how emergency calls are received, coordinated, and monitored, enabling faster and more efficient response times.
Thank You for Making This Possible
Every child treated, every emergency response, and every life impacted is made possible through your generosity and partnership.
Together, we are building a healthcare system that reaches those most often left behind — the vulnerable, the underserved, and those without access to care.
As we continue to grow and expand our services, we warmly invite you to remain part of this journey and join us in our upcoming campaign to strengthen community healthcare and emergency response in Mwanza.
From all of us — and from the many patients whose lives you are helping transform — thank you for your continued support.
With deep gratitude,
Marko Hingi
Tanzania Rural Health Movement & Bisou Bailey Medical Dispensary
Mwanza, Tanzania
Links:
By Marko Hingi | Founder
By Marko Hingi | Executive Director
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