FOUR HUNDRED AND NINETY FOUR WOMEN from across Tanzania; 16 training sessions. These are the latest numbers for training Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) reported by Mission & Service partner Morogoro Women’s Training Centre in Tanzania. A collaborative effort of the training centre, the Tanzanian Ministry of Health, and The United Church of Canada, with financial support from United Church Women, TBA training is part of an overall strategy to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates. Identified as a priority by the Tanzanian government, these mortality rates have declined but remain high in comparison to other nations. Twenty three Tanzanian women and 228 Tanzanian infants die every day, according to statistics released by UNICEF. Morogoro Women’s Training Centre conducts training sessions in communities across Tanzania, helping women from remote areas, named by their community, to update their skills as Traditional Birth Attendants. A critical focus is pre- and post-natal care, including the diagnosis of risk factors that may put a woman and her baby in jeopardy. As important as the training is the sharing of a wealth of lived experience and practical learning. TBAs are a diverse group, ranging in age from early 20s to over 70. Many coming to the training had learned skills from
Wendy Gichuru, The United Church of Canada
More Birth Attendants Trained in Tanzania
A traditional birth attendant demonstrates how to conduct an abdominal exam on a pregnant woman.
mothers and grandmothers. Some had completed high school; others some grades in elementary school. A few had never attended school. Many began their work responding to a crisis with a neighbour or family member and moved on to play a role in the wider community. Molen Abdul has been delivering babies for 47 years. “This work is very important to me,” she says. “It is like it keeps the clock of life ticking.”
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Women's Training Centre in Tanzania. A collaborative. effort of the training centre, the Tanzanian Ministry of. Health, and The United Church of Canada, with ...
