WHAT WE ARE DOING

Thanks to your support over the years our staff is prepared to help the community during this time of global pandemic. If you are able, we ask for your help so that we can continue to respond to this crisis.

PUBLIC HEALTH MESSAGING

In early April 2020, we addressed crucial public health messaging by distributing 50,000 flyers with accurate COVID-19 information to government offices, healthcare facilities, public markets, motorcycle taxi stands, bus stops, community organizations, churches, mosques, businesses, and other prominent locations throughout the Same District. They were distributed by our 33 Community Health Educators (who wore masks and practiced physical distancing and sanitation measures) in each of the 31 wards where they live so the documents could obtain widespread exposure to the population. This information was also distributed electronically on social media channels and via WhatsApp.

LOUDSPEAKER TRUCKS BROADCAST ESSENTIAL INFORMATION

Trucks equipped with loudspeakers to broadcast important information are often used in Tanzania to reach community members. Empower Tanzania developed a brief informational script, recorded it and used this public address approach to distribute COVID-19 information to the 1.7 million residents of Same District and other districts in Kilimanjaro Region in coordination with regional health departments.

HAND-WASHING & HYGIENE

Because of our completed water projects over the past decade—rehabilitating broken-down wells, digging new wells, training well mechanics, and empowering communities with WASH training and education—thousands of people in rural Tanzania have access clean water, which is essential to hygiene and health. We continue to promote hand-washing and crucial hygiene measures during this time.

FOOD SUPPORT FOR KIDS & FAMILIES

When schools in Tanzania were closed in 2020, we continued to feed the children who relied on Empower Tanzania for food support through their participation in the Same Learning Center and the Msindo Kids’ Club. Education Program Director, Yoeza Mnzava, and his team safely delivered several month’s worth of food and supplies to over one hundred families (5 kg of rice, 10 kg of corn, 5 kg of bean, 1 liter of cooking oil and soap.)

FEMALE FIRST-RESPONDERS

Because of past education and extensive training in matters of preventative health and basic heath care, we have a team of more than 60 Community Healthcare Workers, Community Health Educators, and Birth Attendants who are on the frontlines of our response to this virus. The women trained yesterday are first-responders today.

DISEASE DATA IN SWAHILI

Volunteers and staff in the U.S. and Tanzania worked together to create and send a Power Point presentation and succinct data on COVID-19 in Swahili to hundreds in government leadership, social workers, educators, healthcare providers, police, religious leaders, other NGOs, community leaders, Rotarians, and all other Tanzania contacts. The document included a description of the disease, modes of transmission, symptoms, and prevention and care measures. These items were also shared with radio, newspaper and television media.

COMMITTED TO THE LONG-TERM

Empower Tanzania is committed to maintaining the employment of our entire Tanzanian staff. All seven full-time and five part-time employees continue to be crucial in the on-the-ground response. Dozens of others will continue to receive stipends for the work that they do. The safety of our staff—both in Tanzania and our contractors and volunteers in the US—is a priority. When frontline staff is serving the community and working with district health officials to promote and facilitate vaccines, they are practicing strict social distancing and handwashing.