Tanzania Esilalei Maternity Unit

Thanks to the generosity of our foundation family, RAS Partner Hannah Strand and Caroline Peterson (co-founders of Mwandamo Women), in close partnership with the local government and the Esilalei community, transformed this crumbling building into a safe, clean, and fully equipped Maternity Unit.

The renovation covered four main areas: structural repairs and electrical upgrades for reliable lighting; medical equipment including delivery beds, a baby warmer, and sterilization tools; toilets, water and sanitation improvements; and staff training to ensure sustainable use of the new facilities.

The unit was handed over to the Monduli District Health Office and officially opened in May 2025, with Hannah and Caroline continuing to monitor progress and maintain close contact with the nursing team.

Within 48 hours of the unit officially opening its doors, the first baby was born, his name is Jerry. 10 months later, in March 2026, 258 more safe deliveries have taken place at a facility that, not that long ago, was an abandoned building.

The unit has transformed maternal care for the women of Esilalei, offering prenatal, delivery, postnatal, neonatal care, and health education, all under one roof, and close to home where they need it most.

Moreover, this unit is reducing the risks women previously faced from wildlife when needing to walk long distances to access maternal health care for themselves and their babies, thereby keeping both community members and wildlife safe.

This is a powerful example of what we can achieve together. Thank you to all those who made this possible.

Beyond the maternity unit, 2025 was a year of momentum for Mwandamo more broadly. They launched a text-based USSD mobile phone menstrual cycle tracking platform now used by 1,378 women, including many from Esilaleli. They also held 25 community health circles, reaching 385 people, and distributed 182 more reusable sanitary kits to women and girls in rural communities.

What’s next? 

Mwandamo’s next projects:

In the next year, the Mwandamo team plans to:

– Refurbish and equip another rural dispensary.

– Scale the Mwandamo mobile phone text-based USSD platform to reach 2,500+ subscribers. This platform currently offers menstrual tracking and health education in Swahili and English.

– Continue women’s, girls’, boys’, and men’s health circles across the Arusha Region with a target of 500 participants.

– Distribute 250 reusable sanitary towel kits and 1,000 menstrual cups, and maintain menstrual health support.

– Launch and distribute the Mwandamo Birth Kit containing gloves, a macintosh sheet, a baby hat, reusable maternity pads, cotton wool, and a cord tie.

– Complete a feasibility study in the next 24 months for a future Women’s Health Unit.

If you would like to make a donation to support this work to improve women’s health outcomes in northern Tanzania, please click the link below!

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Thanks to contributions from Royal African Safaris and Passage to Africa, which cover our overheads, 100% of your donation goes directly to project costs. 

We are a registered 501(c)(3) charity (ID #: 82-0537124) in the United States. Your donation is tax-deductible as provided for by law. If you have any questions please contact us.