Kisarawe-Kilimanjaro Challenge: News from the Summit

Hu Jambo, greetings from Arusha, Tanzania. It is our pleasure to share the good news with COHI's friends and supporters that all of COHI's climbers made it to the summit of the rooftop of Africa! The entire experience from beginning to end moved us greatly, and we are so glad we were able to be a part of this action to raise awareness and support for COHI's partnership in Tanzania. The week-long climb started with an inaugural blessing from the Executive Office of the First Lady of Tanzania bringing with it lots of excitement and enthusiasm. It set the tone for the five-day ascent, arriving at the summit just in time to catch the most breathtaking sunrise we've ever seen. More to come on all this when we've had time to reflect and upload the pictures, so stay tuned.

COHI and FLEMAFA leading a Family Planning training for rural health care workers, Tanzania. Photo by Sera Bonds

Before the climb, we had the good fortune of spending a week in the field with the dedicated rural health care workers in Kisarawe District. COHI's team provided equipment and training to the staff of three rural health facilities. The healthcare workers we met are inspirational in their efforts to provide quality services to the women needing them in spite of inadequate facilities, a dire lack of equipment, and desperate road conditions. As a side note, we were blessed to arrive at a rural clinic just in time for one of COHI's team members to assist in the delivery of a baby boy! He was named after the only male on our team for this trip, Ahmed. An experience we will carry with us for a long, long while.

We also attended a women's health conference hosted by COHI. The attendees included traditional birth attendants, nurses, midwives, doctors, district health officials, Ministry of Health officers, and representatives of the international NGO community. The day was spent with presentations on such topics as current women's health programming success and challenges in Tanzania, the affect of early marriage on women's health in Tanzania, and the relationship between Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), pregnancy/delivery, and how to effectively support women who are survivors of trauma through their deliveries. The day concluded with an action planning session where all parties were able to contribute their plans of action and commit to completing them. It was really insightful to see the process from rural health workers to Ministry officials of how services are planned for and provided. It takes an impressive amount of coordination and patience to provide the most basic of services, quite an eye opener.

Traditional Birth Attendant, Kisarawe District. Photo by Ahmed Martinez

Now that we've washed the dust of Mt. Kilimanjaro from our hair, had some long, hot showers, and filled our bellies full of the local cuisine, we are preparing later today to head to Dar El Salaam to begin the last week of COHI's activities here for this initiative. The week will consist of COHI's remaining team members providing technical training for FLEMAFA on the physiology of birth, grant and proposal development, and setting a plan for the remaining year of our COHI's work here. We'd just like to let you all know that COHI has one more week of activities here in Tanzania, as well as a year remaining in their partnership with FLEMAFA, the local women's organization working in Kisarawe District and your support for these efforts will are humble appreciated and essential to continue this impressive programming here.

Thank you to all of you who supported us, held us in your hearts and minds while we were climbing, and who've believed in COHI's work here and elsewhere. We are so proud to have had this opportunity, and we look forward to sharing our tales of success with you all in greater detail once we've settle in a bit on the next phase of the adventure.

Take care, and Asante Sana (thank you very much!)

Vanessa, Beni, and Sandy
COHI's proud climbers for women's health in Tanzania

Circle of Health International is a 501c3 nonprofit organization supporting the empowerment of conflict- and disaster-affected women through the provision of women's health initiatives. Learn more and get involved at www.cohintl.org.