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Vital Strategies calls on Tanzanians to join #IDeliver Social Media Campaign

(13 May 2016, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania and New York, USA): Global public health experts Vital Strategies (formerly World Lung Foundation) today encouraged its team, colleagues and stakeholders in the Kigoma region and across Tanzania to join the #IDeliver initiative. #IDeliver was launched by the Danish Government to coincide with the build-up to the Women Deliver Conference being held this year in Copenhagen. The campaign aims to encourage people to use social media and the #IDeliver hashtag to support a pledge to invest in women and girls.

To amplify the #IDeliver message, Vital Strategies is asking people in its network – including community health workers – to use social media and the #IDeliver and #ThaminiUhai hashtags to share the aspirations they have for their own daughters and girls in their community – whether better health, education, rights or financial and career opportunities – which could be achieved through greater investment in women and girls. Vital Strategies is also inviting members of the media, government and all Tanzanian citizens to join the campaign by sending a tweet with a picture and a message to @ThaminiUhai.

José Luis Castro, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vital Strategies and Dr Nguke Mwakatundu, Country Director, Tanzania and Director of Vital Strategies’ Maternal Health Program, kicked off the campaign by posting their own #IDeliver messages on the @ThaminiUhai and @VitalStrat Twitter accounts. 

  

Dr Nguke Mwakatundu, Country Director, Tanzania and Director of Vital Strategies’ Maternal Health Program and José Luis Castro, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vital Strategies, supporting the #IDeliver campaign.

Commenting on behalf of Vital Strategies, Dr Mwakatundu said: “With this initiative, we’re aiming to bridge the gap between Women Deliver, which is a major global conference, and the aspirations of people in Tanzania. We welcome the contributions of all Tanzanians and encourage people to think about what they want for their daughters and the other girls in their community. We hope these messages will show the importance of investment in the education, rights and health of women and girls in Tanzania and will act as a prompt for action. In terms of maternal health – such a central part of so many women’s lives – we will proudly continue to play our part to improve access to health care and facilities that save women’s lives and give them and their daughters better life opportunities.”

Join the Vital Strategies Tanzania #IDeliver Campaign

Vital Strategies is asking women and men to answer the question “What do you want for your daughter when she grows up?” If the person does not have a daughter, they can think of their sisters, granddaughters, nieces, or other young women and girls in the community. Participants are asked to write a short answer in Kiswahili or English on an A4 or larger piece of paper or cardboard, with #IDeliver and #thaminiuhai written at the bottom. They can then tweet the image to the @ThaminiUhai twitter account to join the campaign.  All Tanzanians are invited join the campaign and fuller instructions are available on the Thamini Uhai social media accounts at @ThaminiUhai and https://www.facebook.com/ThaminiUhai/

Vital Strategies is attending Women Deliver in Copenhagen from 16-19 May 2016.

About Vital Strategies’ Tanzania Maternal Health Program

Recently published data from WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, and The World Bank estimate that Tanzania, which accounted for 3% of global maternal deaths in 2013, reduced its maternal mortality ratio (MMR) by 55% between 1990 and 2013. Since 2008, Vital Strategies (formerly World Lung Foundation) has been working to help reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in Tanzania by implementing a state-of-the-art maternal health program. 

The program, which has received financial support from Bloomberg Philanthropies and Fondation H&B Agerup, aims to improve women’s access to good-quality, comprehensive emergency obstetric care, particularly in rural and isolated areas. Vital Strategies can point to a number of accomplishments across geographically strategic health centers and hospitals in eight districts in the Kigoma, Morogoro and Pwani regions. Since 2008: 

  • Vital Strategies has actively upgraded, renovated or rebuilt 10 rural health centers and four district hospitals to ensure the provision of life-saving comprehensive emergency obstetric care. Prior to the program, patients had to travel three to four hours to the nearest hospital. Now, emergency obstetric care is available in the community.
  • More than 100 assistant medical officers, nurse-midwives, and clinical officers have been trained in comprehensive emergency obstetric care or anesthesia. 
  • Health center utilization for delivery care has increased substantially, from about 3,500 deliveries per year in nine health centers prior to the program to about 12,300 in 2014 after Vital Strategies’ intervention. 
  • More than 2,500 C-sections have been performed in supported health centers that could not have provided this service prior to Vital Strategies’ maternal health program. 

More information about Vital Strategies’ Tanzania Maternal Health Program can be found at https://www.vitalstrategies.org/programs/maternal-health

About Vital Strategies

Vital Strategies envisions a world where every person is protected by a strong public health system.  Our team combines evidence-based strategies with innovation to help develop sound public health policies, manage programs efficiently, strengthen data systems, conduct research, and design strategic communication campaigns for policy and behavior change.  Vital Strategies was formed when The Union North America and World Lung Foundation joined forces.  It is an affiliate of The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union).

To find out more, please visit vitalstrategies.org or Twitter @VitalStrat

For further information or to arrange an interview with a Vital Strategies public health expert, please contact Tracey Johnston, Vital Strategies, at +44.7889.081.170 or tjohnston@vitalstrategies.org