Strengthening Midwifery in Tanzania

This project aims to reduce maternal and newborn mortality in Tanzania by increasing the availability of skilled midwives in the country. It takes a holistic approach by collaborating with health training institutions and health facilities to strengthen midwifery training and professional development. Project activities include: (1) engaging with communities to improve delivery and use of quality and gender-responsive midwifery services; (2) supporting government and relevant institutions to develop and implement midwifery-related policies regulations and guidelines; (3) working with the Tanzania Midwives Association (TAMA) to strengthen their capacity to promote and advance the midwifery profession in Tanzania; (4) enriching the midwifery content in the current Nurse Midwifery training program; (5) developing and implementing a robust training program for midwifery tutors; (6) refurbishing learning and teaching infrastructure in training institutions such as computer labs classrooms libraries preceptor corners and skills labs; (7) developing and implementing a midwifery bridging program for in-service midwives to complete the acquisition of their midwifery competencies; (8) establishing social accountability mechanisms to increase citizen participation in decision-making about their health services; (9) implementing community awareness campaigns on SRHR; (10) reviewing and disseminating midwifery-related policies guidelines and laws; (11) developing and implementing strategies and plans to improve the institutional capacity of the Tanzania Midwives Association including advocacy communication and member engagement; and (12) developing and implementing a leadership program for young midwives. The project aims to benefit 1 071 852 pregnant women expecting to deliver in the targeted health facilities and their 805 945 newborns. It indirectly benefits 4 287 408 Tanzanians and 538 788 members of targeted communities which is 10% of the population. The pro

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) improved delivery of quality gender-responsive education (pre-services and in-service) for midwifery in Tanzania; (2) improved delivery of gender-responsive health services by midwives; and (3) strengthened enabling environment to facilitate gender-responsive midwifery procedures in Tanzania.