Keeping Our Community Strong
As we kick off 2021, the health and wellness of our children and wider community in the rural mountains of Northern Tanzania remains a top priority. In the midst of COVID-19, it is critical that we equip our catchment area of 10,000 with the tools, medications and resources necessary to ensure their physical and mental well-being. In the past year, we have added more health professionals and expanded our programming to address evolving needs. Day in and day out, Tanzanian Children’s Fund’s (TCF) brave healthcare workers are providing health interventions to keep our community strong!
Like health facilities around the world during this time, TCF’s Rural Community Health Clinic is continuing its operations in full. Seeing an average of 20 patients per day, our Health Clinic treats and manages chronic diseases, provides over the counter medications, runs a growth and nutrition clinic for malnourished youth, and coordinates surgeries and special treatments with medical facilities across Tanzania. To reduce COVID-19 exposure, we are enforcing strict protocols such as mask wearing, temperature checks, handwashing stations and social distancing measures.
To ensure that the students in our community are at optimum health throughout their education, our Health Clinic provides interventions at TCF’s partner government schools, Gyetighi Primary School (GPS) and Oldeani Secondary School (OSS). We supply a daily multivitamin to the over 470 students at GPS and quarterly deworming medicine and toothbrushes to all primary and secondary students. By February, our medical team will complete health screenings for every student at GPS and OSS. At the screenings, which are usually the only interaction students have with a medical professional each year, we diagnose issues ranging from malnutrition and cardiac problems to fungal conditions and other illnesses. TCF Clinical Officer Africanus John explains, “the screenings help us catch medical problems early, before they reach life threatening stages. When the kids are young we can manage the disease.” In addition, beginning in February, Clinical Officer Africanus will lead health education workshops at Gyetighi Primary School covering safety, hygiene and general wellbeing.
At TCF, we are deeply committed to improving the health of our community, especially during times like these when they need it the most. With a continually evolving approach to healthcare, we will do whatever it takes to protect our community!