Ngaramtoni, like many communities globally, grapples with a complex interplay of challenges.
Excessive alcohol consumption among men has placed significant strain on families, often forcing women to take on high-interest business loans to support their households.
This economic pressure, coupled with the emotional toll of caregiving and limited support systems, has led to high levels of psychosocial stress.
The climate crisis has made the situation worse.
The community’s vulnerability to extreme weather events, such as the April 2024 devastating floods in northern Tanzania, has had a profound impact on mental well-being.
Since November 2023, Tanzania has experienced heavy rains caused by an intense El Niño and Indian Ocean dipole system.
The resulting floods and landslides have claimed many lives and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses.
To address these interconnected issues, our fieldwork aimed to provide comprehensive support to the Ngaramtoni community.
Forty-nine students from the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at the Aga Khan University School of Nursing and Midwifery, East Africa (SONAM EA), participated in this initiative.
SONAM EA remains committed to community mental health sensitization, as demonstrated by past student visits to Mirembe National Mental Hospital for clinical practice.
There, they worked with civil patients suffering from chronic mental illnesses requiring long-term hospitalization.
Additionally, the students rotated at the Isanga institution to study forensic psychiatry, focusing on patients who had committed offenses due to their mental illness and were undergoing psychosocial rehabilitation.
Over the past two years, SONAM EA and AKU’s Arusha Climate and Environmental Research Centre (AKU-ACER) have worked together to champion integration of mental and community health with climate change.
The two entities leveraged each other’s expertise to understand health trends influenced by climate change.
We implemented stress management workshops in an open-air market, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) sessions, and community outreach programmes to mitigate the effects of excessive alcohol consumption and its related mental health consequences.
Simultaneously, efforts were made to enhance community resilience to climate change through education, planning, and support.
By integrating mental health, community health, and climate change, we were able to gain a deeper understanding of the complex factors influencing the community’s well-being.
This holistic approach allowed us to develop more effective interventions and empower community members to build resilience.
The experience in Ngaramtoni highlights the urgent need for a comprehensive approach to addressing public health challenges.
By integrating mental health, community health, and climate change, we can better understand the root causes of suffering and develop effective interventions.
It is imperative that future healthcare professionals are equipped with the knowledge and skills to navigate these complex issues and create healthier, more resilient communities.
The author is a faculty member at the Aga Khan University School of Nursing and Midwifery, East Africa. Any opinions expressed are solely those of the writer
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Tanzania: Samia Hands Over NBC’s 354m/ – Crop Insurance Compensation to Farmers Affected By Hailstorms
President Samia Suluhu Hassan, has handed over a cheque of 354m/- from the National Bank of Commerce (NBC) as compensation to tobacco farmers, who were affected by hailstorms during the previous farming season in various regions across the country.
Handing over the cheque in Dodoma, the compensation is part of the crop insurance service provided by NBC in collaboration with the National Insurance Corporation (NIC).
Furthermore, President Samia has also handed over health insurance coverage to members of the Lindi Mwambao Cooperative Union based in Lindi Region, through the Farmers’ Health Insurance service provided by the bank in partnership with Assurance Insurance Company.
While visiting the bank’s pavilion at the Nanenane Agricultural Exhibition and being received and briefed by the bank’s Managing Director, Mr. Theobald Sabi, she said: “This crop insurance is one of the crucial solutions in ensuring farmers have a reliable income, without fear of challenges such as natural disasters, including hailstorms.
“I call upon all farmers in the country to make the best use of this important opportunity by accessing these kinds of insurance services. I also highly commend NBC and all the stakeholders participating in this programme.”
Elaborating further on the crop insurance service, the Minister of Agriculture, Hussein Bashe, stated that it will help to recover the loss farmers incurred, especially in various calamities beyond their control.
Citing them as floods, fires, and hailstorms, which have significantly affected the well-being of farmers and caused some to be reluctant to invest in the crucial sector, Mr Bashe added: “However, our President, this step by NBC is just the beginning, as this is the second year since they started offering this service, and the results are already visible.
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“As the government, we promise to continue supporting the wider implementation of this service, with the goal of ensuring that this crop insurance service reaches more farmers.”
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On his part, Mr Sabi said that the farmers who benefited from the compensations are from 23 primary cooperative unions in the regions of Shinyanga, Geita, Tabora, Mbeya, Katavi, and Kigoma.
He added: “In addition to these insurance services, as a bank, through this exhibition, we have continued with our programme of providing financial education and various banking opportunities to farmers, alongside offering them various loans, including loans for agricultural equipment, particularly tractors, to eligible farmers.:
At the NBC booth, President Samia also had the opportunity to be briefed on the various services offered by the bank to the farmers namely crop insurance and health insurance services.
There, the President had the chance to speak with some of the beneficiaries of the services, including the Vice-Chairman of the Lindi Mwambao Primary Cooperative Union, Mr. Hassan Mnumbe, whose union has been provided with a health insurance card from the bank.
Source: allafrica.com
