Travelling to a few places so far, I discovered that the Tanzanian passport can change the way one is treated at airports and international borders. While my looks and haircut have a few times suggested that I come from a different angle of Africa, showing my passport changed ‘the atmospheric pressure’ of those moments.
A few times, my luggage was shallowly searched, and I was told, “We know Tanzanians, they don’t get in trouble here.” On one occasion a young immigration officer at Charles de Gaulle Airport in France said: “I’m done with the checks, but I must tell you, I love this passport, it is colourful.” He admitted it was his first time laying hands on a Tanzanian passport. He particularly found the tourist attractions advertised on the passport pages stunning and unique.
Many people out there hold us Tanzanians, collectively, in high regard. We are respected and loved as people with integrity. There is the extant historical aspect of this, especially with citizens of countries Tanzania helped in the past. But there are also present-time experiences of other people with Tanzanians across the world. The subjective experiences can be different from one individual to another, and there is as well some room for error. However, the overall picture of Tanzania and Tanzanians is objectively leaning strongly on the positive. Certainly, those who travelled years back laid the foundation for the reputation we have abroad and overseas today.
In these days of the internet, I have concluded that our good name has long gone before us. Our fame has reached far more than we can think. A quick question on Google “What are Tanzanians like?” comes with answers like: “Tanzanians are extremely friendly, welcoming and laid back, with very few specific rules to follow”; “The majority of Tanzanians are very friendly”, “Tanzanians are polite and considerate”; and “Tanzanians have a strong sense of national pride.” It is the last one that today’s discussion centres on.
Globally today, ideologies thrive by infusing them in young people. In countries where young people have a global audience at their disposal, they grow up expressing any ideas that have been given to them. It is not uncommon to see Chinese children shedding tears while singing their national anthem, or hearing American children expressing strongly their passion for their country. That is exactly how strongly such has been communicated to them.
While for Tanzanians, this sense of patriotism and national pride has probably developed naturally over the years, there is a need for strategic investment into it in order to march at pace with the circumstances of this time, lest we are overtaken. Today countries and different organisations in the world work to make young people develop loyalty to what they offer. It is more like how celebrities build their fanbase.
There are two aspects to undertaking this. Firstly, young people as soon as they start learning, need to be taught our national values and our patriotic practices. They should not only be taught to memorize them. But rather, to understand them, experience them, feel them, and cherish them dearly.
In the same regard, young Tanzanians should be progressively informed that we as a nation despite our not being the richest, are ‘outstanding’ in our values, and do not linger in mediocrity, we are ‘different’, we are ‘contented’, we are ‘beyond price tags,’ and we have goals and dreams to achieve.
Quick action is needed to rescue those who grow up in the country but do not hold Tanzania dear. Many young people are proud of popular cultures or even other countries, languages, etc. because of the exposure they have had through films, music, the internet, etc. which do not necessarily portray the real life of people in those countries.
There are chances that they will gradually cherish the values of those countries which are sometimes different to what we cherish as Tanzanian people. As such, investing strategically in infusing patriotism and national pride will go a long way to remedy such situations.
Nonetheless, the perception of adults massively influences how young people grow up thinking about their countries. If adults are only heard saying negative things about the country, that is what children internalize. They may not say it like the adults, but that shapes their thought and perception as well.
Living in Nigeria during my adolescence, I so often heard people saying, as if with regret: “You cannot make it in this country!” There was truly a high unemployment level then, and there were graduates who did jobs no one will expect them to. This influenced how my contemporaries and myself thought about the future. It kept ringing in our heads. Whenever I just sat to think about my future, I heard this imaginary whisper again and again: “You cannot make it in this country!” We can prevent situations similar to this by speaking positive things about our country.
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Inside Tanzania’s Life-Saving Birthcare Model
Tanzania is winning the battle against maternal and newborn deaths, as the latest numbers reveal a significant decline.
“Tanzania is committed to reducing maternal and newborn mortality and ensuring safe deliveries as part of the national development plan. The Safer Births Bundle of Care is one of the key strategies supporting this effort,” said Dr. Benjamin Kamala, the Senior Research Scientist at Haydom Lutheran Hospital and Principal Investigator for the program, leading its implementation across five regions in Tanzania.
A groundbreaking study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that the innovative health program in Tanzania – centered on regular, on-the-job training for healthcare workers – reduced maternal deaths by 75% and early newborn deaths by 40%. The three-year study, conducted across 30 high-burden healthcare facilities in Tanzania, tracked approximately 300,000 mother-baby pairs under the Safer Births Bundle of Care (SBBC) programme. The programme focuses on improving care for mothers and babies during the day of birth, the critical time when a woman goes into labor and delivers her baby.
Maternal health is a key focus of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Target 3.1, which aims to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to fewer than 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030.
Tanzania’s program combines continuous, simulation-based training for frontline healthcare workers alongside innovative clinical tools to improve labour monitoring (fetal heart rate monitoring) and newborn resuscitation.It also uses data to drive ongoing improvements, ensuring that healthcare workers have the skills, confidence, and competence to manage birth-related complications for both mothers and newborns.
“We work closely with healthcare workers, equipping them with the necessary tools to improve the quality of care, ensuring they can effectively manage both mothers and babies during and after childbirth,” Dr. Kamala said, which helps them build on over a decade of innovative research and collaboration to improve care during childbirth.
“To give you a sense of the scale of the burden of maternal and newborn mortality in Tanzania when the Safer Births Bundles of Care program was in early development in 2015/16, there were around 556 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births and 25 neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births,” he said.
The published study demonstrates the “transformative impact” of the Safer Births Bundle of Care program conducted across 30 hospitals in five high-burden regions of Tanzania, where there were about 300,000 mother-baby pairs.
Maternal deaths at the start of the program were recorded at 240 per 100,000 live births, with postpartum hemorrhage and hypertensive disorders being the leading causes of death, he said. Over the 24-month study period, this number dropped to approximately 60 per 100,000 live births, representing a 75% reduction. The number of newborn deaths – which are primarily due to breathing difficulties and complications related to prematurity – declined by 40% – from 7 deaths per 1,000 live births to 4 deaths per 1,000 live births.
“These results are remarkable,” Dr. Kamala said.
According to Dr. Kamala, the 75% reduction in maternal deaths was not expected, and a key lesson was the important role of the in-situ team simulations – including for postpartum bleeding – with reflective debriefings that trained facilitators led.
“This seems to be a major part of the success of the program,” he said. “We are delighted by these results and hope that other countries adopt and scale the Safer Births Bundle of Care program… Beyond the numbers, the Safer Births Bundle of Care program has fostered a dramatic culture shift in our healthcare system,” he said. “Healthcare workers are now more confident and better equipped to handle birth-related complications for both mothers and babies.”
Maternal death drop
Dr. Kamala attributed the 60-70% reduction in newborn deaths in Geita and Manyara to several factors.
“Firstly, Manyara was the first site for implementation, giving the region more time to adapt and experience the impact of the program. Most importantly, both regions had a high burden of stillbirths and neonatal deaths, making them ideal targets for focused intervention. As a result, newborn deaths decreased by 60-70%, showcasing a clear positive impact on newborn survival,” he said.
Dr. Kamala said another possible explanation is the differences in the culture of practices, where some health facilities reported inaccurate data due to the fear of blame and shame. However, with the project’s implementation, reporting became more accurate after mplementation. Some regions, such as Tabora, reported an increase in the number of referrals to the study hospitals from other care centers after the program was implemented. These were more likely to be late admissions, which increase the likelihood of poor health outcomes, he said.
After the implementation of the program, there was a 40% decrease in newborn deaths within the first 24 hours after birth, according to the study.
Dr. Kamala said Tanzania’s remarkable progress in reducing maternal mortality by 80% is driven by strategic investments and innovative programs focused on improving maternal and child survival rates.
“Over 2,000 new healthcare facilities have been developed, free health services are being provided to expectant mothers and children under the age of five, and emergency obstetric care – including better transport to hospitals in rural areas are helping to ensure timely, life-saving interventions.
“Most importantly, the Ministry of Health works in collaboration with healthcare workers, hospitals, and development partners to strengthen the skills of frontline healthcare workers, which has been a key factor in driving this progress.
“Political leadership, alongside strategic partnerships and financing, has been crucial in driving progress in maternal and newborn health,” he said.
The program was made possible by the support of the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children, and Adolescents, Norad, UNICEF, and Laerdal Global Health, as well as the Ministry of Health and Haydom Lutheran Hospital. Their partnership and investment enabled the scaling of the Safer Births Bundle of Care to 30 hospitals and supported the research. “The government has now scaled the program to over 150 sites, and there are plans for further expansion to three regions this year and then nationally,” he said.
Dr. Kamala outlined key policy recommendations for other governments can adopt to prioritize maternal health.
“Firstly, it focuses on cost-effective and relatively simple interventions that are essential to preventing maternal and newborn deaths. For example, stronger primary healthcare that is delivered in the community and a well-trained healthcare workforce are also critical. Additionally, working in close collaboration with national, regional, and local health authorities is key.”
He said Tanzania’s approach, where the Safer Births Bundle of Care program was successfully scaled and sustained by aligning the initiative with national guidelines for obstetrical and newborn care. In addition, the creation of mentorship programs and regular supervision has helped to sustain the results.
Looking ahead
Tanzania now plans to expand to three new regions in 2025, followed by a nationwide rollout.
The success of the program has attracted interest from other countries, with Botswana, Ethiopia, Lesotho, and Namibia expressing interest in adapting the program to their healthcare system. In Nigeria, the program has already been launched in two states, Gombe and Borno, marking a significant step in its scaling.
Source: allafrica.com
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