Reproductive Health Tanzania, United Republic of Project #72909

Maasai Mother and Child Health Outreach Ngorongoro

by Ngorongoro Community Network, Inc.

Summary

Maasai Partners is looking to raise funds to provide health care to Maasai mothers and children through our life-changing Mobile Medical Clinic. We partner with Dr. Shemaghembe of Community Health Access and Environmental Conservation (CHAEC) to provide essential health care to the underserved Maasai population living in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA). In 2024 Dr. Shemaghembe administered a total of 46,389 vaccines to children by holding an impressive 588 Mobile Medical Clinics per year.

$10,000
total goal

$5,154
remaining

28
donors

0
monthly donors

5
months

Challenge

The Maasai of Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) in Tanzania are a semi-nomadic people, following green pastures in order to feed the cattle they so heavily rely on. Because they move with the seasons, it becomes hard for them to remain near a government-run health clinic long enough to receive pre and post-natal care, and to stay on track with their children's vaccine schedule. Recently, the TZ government has also been pulling services out of the NCA, encouraging the Maasai to vacate the NCA.

Solution

When we met Dr. S., he was working for the TZ Ministry of Health. The program focused on static health clinics, and the mobile clinic took place only a few days a month. On those days, he would load up supplies and go out into the field, central to where the Maasai were, and administer services. He noticed that he would reach a lot more people on those days. Since TZ law calls for retirement at age 60, Dr. S founded CHAEC to offer the mobile medical clinic with Maasai Partners, post-retirement.

Long-Term Impact

Since our partnership with CHAEC started in 2021, our mobile medical clinic has been making a huge difference in the lives of mothers and children in the NCA. In a place where non-communicable diseases still run rampant, mothers take advantage of the childhood vaccinations provided by our mobile medical clinic to keep their children safe. Our doctor consistently vaccinates more children than the government-run static health clinic, and has received several awards recognizing this essential work.