Support Tanzania

Since the beginning of the unrest in Burundi in April 2015. More than 269,000 people have fled to neighboring DR Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia. At present, there are over 140,000 refugees from Burundi living in the northwestern region of Tanzania. Camp Mtendele currently hosts more than 40,000 refugees.

The nearest hospital with surgical facilities is 36 kilometers away.

Burundi and Tanzania have amongst the highest birthrates in the world – six and 5.2 children per woman respectively, while the rate of maternal death in Tanzania is around 60 times higher than in most Western European countries.

Because of the distance of the nearest major medical facility, and the difficulty of reaching it on the region’s untarred roads, complications during childbirth, which may require a caesarian section for example, can have deadly consequences for expecting mothers in the camp. This difficult situation also applies to the local Tanzanians living in the region.

• Reduce the rate of maternal mortality amongst Burundian refugees and their host communities
• Reduce infections occurring before and during childbirth to a minimum.

• Construction and equipment of a maternity unit capable of providing caesarian births to Burundian refugees and locals living near to the Mtendele refugee camp in Tanzania
• Informing the local host community about the facility to increase their acceptance
• Installation of a rainwater collection system to provide water for clinical and personal hygiene
• Provision of equipment and material to prevent infection
• Treatment will be provided to both local people and refugees free of charge.