Currently, we offer healthcare to mothers and children in the dispensary, however we are also at the planning stage of constructing a new centre within the grounds of the dispensary in order to provide increased specialist care to mothers and children and transform the concerning problem of maternal deaths and infant mortality. The centre will offer healthcare and neonatal support for pregnant women, mothers and children. This includes help with nutrition, dental care and an immunisation programme.
“We had an International architect work with a Tanzanian engineer to design us an affordable centre. The way the building is designed is such that it is like butterfly wings, allowing space to act as a sound barrier between the delivery ward and the waiting room.”
Both the delivery room and maternity wards will be tucked under an existing tree, offering shade and privacy to the women. The centre will provide a delivery ward, antenatal and postnatal care, vaccinations for children, dental treatments and diabetes specialist care. While we finalised all the designs, the community volunteered their time in August through to December to bring rubble and stone for us to lay the foundations. (Picture) This allowed us to keep the cost of labour down. We spoke with several of the volunteers to hear their stories about why they wanted to volunteer and learnt that they had all volunteered their time because they really believed in the need for the new centre and what it can provide. Construction of our new centre started in February and will continue through the year until winter 2018.