At the beginning of 2022, we piloted Zanzibar’s first Group Prenatal Care (GPC) model at seven locations in Zanzibar: 6 government’s Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) clinics in a remote fishing villages in the Southern District of Zanzibar and at our center in Mbweni. Through this initiative, we have been able to support more than 400 women from economically-marginalized communities throughout their pregnancy. The GPC participants benefit from comprehensive prenatal care, interactive learning, and community building.

The outcomes have been promising with 96% of the participants reporting optimal pregnancy, labor, and birth outcomes, including a 100% exclusively breastfeeding rate. Through the GPC model, we have seen a 95% prenatal care attendance and compliance rate when it comes to health recommendations, prescribed medications, and dietary guidelines. All of the participants have expressed feeling mentally supported throughout pregnancy and empowered and prepared at the time of labor and birth. Making the service accessible to women attending the Ministry of Health’s (MoH) RCH clinics has also helped strengthen our relationship with the MoH and Zanzibar government.

By the end of 2022, we collaborated with Group Care Global to train 10 new GPC facilitators in both Unguja and Pemba. The facilitators will be serving women at government RCH clinics across Zanzibar with the GPC model. This year, we will be training additional Nurse-Midwives who are already employed by the MoH to spearhead and further expand our evidence-based ‘Uzazi Bora Pamoja’ GPC model.

Our Well-Woman initiative aims to ensure that women are the healthiest versions of themselves: physically, mentally, and socially. This initiative aims to make our health promotion and disease prevention health care services accessible to women from underserved communities. Through this program, we have been raising awareness about reproductive health and wellbeing, and providing comprehensive consultations, physical exams, and cancer screenings.

Our Well-Woman initiative consists of our Cervical Cancer, Breast Cancer, and Cardiovascular Disease Prevention programs; comorbidities that are very prominent in our community. Through facilitated learning, women are taught about their bodies, how to prevent diseases, and the importance of routine screenings. In typical WAJAMAMA style, through our Women’s Fitness Program, women are also encouraged to make physical fitness and movement a part of their daily lives.

Our Well-Girl initiative aims to fight gender-inequality by equipping girls with knowledge about menstrual health and hygiene management (MHM) and their general wellbeing. Through facilitated discussions, in addition to a better understanding of their body, girls also learn how to maintain healthy well-balanced nutrition based on the available produce, as well as the importance of making physical fitness a part of their daily lives.

Our Well-Girl sessions help girls experience menstruation safely, hygienically, and with confidence, and help them gain a better understanding of their health. Each session offers the cohort a safe and welcoming setting to express themselves through creative exercises, healthy and mindful movement, and fun discussions. This program is delivered in collaboration with the Ministry of Education at local government schools located in economically-marginalized communities.

Approximately 300 nurses graduate into Zanzibar’s healthcare system each year. Ensuring that each one of these new graduates is equipped with life-saving handson and communication skills to deliver high-quality, dignified, and respectful care for all is a critical step towards reducing maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Insufficient pre-service education and preceptorship perpetuates a cycle of substandard, unsafe, and abusive care that impacts birthing people, their babies, and communities for generations to come.

We have partnered with Ariadne Labs, Georgetown University, and Laerdal Global Health to support the State University of Zanzibar’s (SUZA) School of Nursing (SON) establish a world-class simulation training center as well as preceptorship and mentorship programs. In addition to fundraising to upgrade SUZA’s simulation lab, we are also working to establish a bi-directional partnership between Georgetown University and SUZA; where students and faculty from both institutions can learn from each other.

Zubeda enrolled in Group Prenatal Care (GPC) program at 20 weeks gestation. Her previous pregnancy was marked by post partum hemorrhage (PPH) and the tragic death of her newborn just days after birth. Upon evaluation at her initial GPC visit, Zubeda’s blood pressure was elevated, her hemoglobin level was severely low and she had a urinary tract infection, increasing her risk for pre-eclampsia, PPH, intrauterine growth restriction, and preterm birth.

Zubeda engaged in 8 GPC sessions, where she gained invaluable knowledge on how to maintain a healthy pregnancy and joined an emotionally supportive community. By the time she was full-term, Zubeda’s blood pressure normalized and her hemoglobin level was even higher than average, reducing her risk for potentially fatal complications. She felt empowered and prepared for labor and birth.

On May 22nd, Zubeda had a beautiful and healthy baby girl, Karima, who now attends our clinic for well-baby check ups. Zubeda is thriving as a new mother and Karima continues to happily meet her growth and developmental milestones.