Make Motherhood Safe for Tanzanian Women

Dear Friend, 

Tomorrow is Bonus Day! Beginning at 9:00 am ET on July 18th, your donation goes further to support health workers like Dorcas and the mothers, babies and families they serve. Gifts from $100 to $1,000 will receive up to a 50% match

Dorcas is a valued member of our partner CCBRT’s Maternal Health Capacity Building Team (MHCB),whichworks to strengthen health systems in Dar es Salaam by expanding the knowledge of clinicians and quality of care. On a recent visit to Tegeta Dispensary, a clinic that provides antenatal care for expectant mothers, she met 17-year-old Jane, who was expecting her first child. Jane’s mother explained that they had been to the clinic before, and had been told that Jane needed a male partner with her to receive services. “I told Jane and her mother that nothing like that is needed to access services,” remembers Dorcas. “Even when their partners are not around, women should still be able to access the care they need.” 

That same day, Dorcas met another couple. It was soon apparent that the man was not the baby’s father. During her two prior visits to Tegeta Dispensary, the mother had been told that she needed a male partner, just as Jane had. Dorcas realized what was happening: the clinic had misinterpreted best practice knowledge advising that male partners should be encouraged to accompany their expectant partner on visits to receive information on how to best support mother and child.  However, male partners are by no means necessary for a woman to receive care. 

Dorcas quickly informed regional and district authorities, who are taking action to remedy the incorrect rule. Dorcas emphasizes how this situation reinforces the importance of the MHCB Program. “This challenge was only discovered working alongside the providers on the frontline. Health education messages can get modified without direct observation and quality control,” explains Dorcas. “That’s why CCBRT’s Capacity Building Program is so important – on-site coaching and practice facilitation has proven to be the best practice for behavior change, so that every mother in need can access the best care.”  

Your support makes Dorcas’ work possible. You are helping Dorcas empower health workers with the tools they need to empower expectant mothers and their partners with the information THEY need to demand high quality care. I invite you to join us for this special matching opportunity tomorrow, to make your gift go further. The higher the amount, the higher the match! 

Thank you so much for your support!

With gratitude, 
Abbey Kocan

Executive Director, Kupona Foundation

Dear Friends,

Today we’re celebrating the sixth annual International Day to End Obstetric Fistula.

Obstetric fistula is a devastating childbirth injury caused by prolonged, obstructed labor without access to timely, high-quality medical care. The injury leaves women with chronic incontinence, leaking urine, feces or both due to a hole formed between the birth canal and bladder or rectum during childbirth. In 90% of cases, the baby doesn’t survive the traumatic delivery.

The condition and stigma surrounding it often cause women to be isolated or rejected by their families and communities. Women in disadvantaged communities live with the condition for years – or even decades – because they’re unaware that fistula can be treated, or unable to access treatment.

That was true for 82-year-old Msonde, who lived with fistula for 60 years after developing it during the delivery of her second child in 1958. It wasn’t until last year that she learned from her niece that she could receive free fistula treatment at our local partner CCBRT. In August, Msonde traveled to CCBRT and underwent surgery that successfully repaired her fistula.

"When I arrived at CCBRT, I could not believe it was possible, but I found many women undergoing fistula treatment," Msonde said after her surgery. “I wish my husband could still have been alive. We are old now, but he could have been able to see me walking freely.”

In Jovitha’s case, she developed fistula after being in labor for three days during the delivery of her fourth child. Tragically, her baby did not survive. Despite quickly learning that she had fistula, the trauma of the delivery, loss and injury deeply affected Jovitha’s mental health and self-esteem.

“My experience – it’s unexplainable,” Jovitha shared. “I hated myself for three months. I had urine flowing down my legs and was extremely embarrassed. But…thankfully I had that support that so many other women don’t feel from their families and communities.”

Fistula is treatable through surgery and rehabilitation. What’s more, it’s preventable – through access to high-quality maternal health services.

This International Day to End Obstetric Fistula, we’re asking for your help to eradicate fistula in Tanzania.

Share your support for the global movement to fight fistula by using the hashtag #EndFistula in your posts or stories on social media.

Join the movement. Make a donation in honor of a strong woman or mother in your life. By giving Tanzanian maternal health workers the training and resources to both prevent and treat fistula, your gift gives women like Msonde and Jovitha the chance for a better life.

Regardless of income or location, we believe that NO woman should live with obstetric fistula. We hope you’ll join us in making that dream a reality. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Abbey Kocan

Executive Director, Kupona Foundation

P.S. Read Jovitha’s full story here, and learn more about Msonde’s journey here.