Tanzania is using Text messaging (SMS) service to boost maternity care
The media campaign and text messaging service support the Government of Tanzania (GoT) and the United Nations (UN) Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Tanzania (CARMMA TZ), officially launched by President Kikwete in 2011. The Wazazi Nipendeni campaign takes steps in operationalizing CARMMA TZ as well as in directly supporting the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). It is the aim of the Tanzania governments Strategic Plan to accelerate reduction of maternal, newborn and child deaths in Tanzania (2008-2015). The Tanzania government aims to reduce the roughly 45,000 newborn deaths and 13,000 maternal deaths it registered in 2008 by three-quarters by 2015.
The mHealth Partnership Country Manager Emerson underlines that the text messages include comprehensive healthy pregnancy and safe motherhood topics: “The messages cover timed information concerning prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV/AIDS, antenatal care, family planning, malaria prevention, nutrition (for mother and baby), danger signs, individual birth plan, postpartum care and entertaining information such as fetal development milestones.”
Partners and donors The Wazazi Nipendeni text messaging component of the campaign is led by the Government of The United Republic of Tanzania and is supported by several key partners including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), CDC Foundation, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, the Joining Hands Initiative (JHI-Aga Khan Health Services), Text to Change and many others.
The Tanzania mHealth PPP is looking for corporate sector organisations to join and benefit from such collaboration; through relationship building, public relations as well as marketing opportunities etc. For more information please contact our team through info(at)mhealthtzppp(dot)net, You can also find us on Twitter as@mhealthtzppp.
