KAMPENI YA mama Ye! NA RAIS JAKAYA KIKWETE, WANAVYOENDELEA KUHAKIKISHA MAMA NA WATOTO WACHANGA HAWAFI JWA UZEMBE

In this issue.... At Mama Ye!, we believe that improving access to information is the very foundation of accountability. We have been working hard to bring together resources that will be useful to those of you working to improve maternal and newborn health so that they can be accessed via one website. This is why we have refreshed our Mama Ye! evidence pages to make them more accessible. About the Mama Ye! website The Mama Ye! website functions as an important repository for evidence and information. In addition to country-specific evidence, our sites in Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and  Tanzania also act as channels for interactive communication with partners, supporters, the media, opinion-formers and decision-makers. They were built as a mechanism and platform for advocates to strengthen accountability. Our aim is to make basic evidence and essential core documents for planning, decision-making and advocacy easily accessible, quick to locate, well communicated, and packaged for both lay and expert audiences.  We welcome your thoughts on the site – we are always looking at ways to improve it. Is there an expert opinion you would like to add to our blog or some evidence you would like to share? Please do get in contact with us if you have any ideas.  The more people who have access to the evidence, the more likely we are to be able to make a difference to maternal and newborn survival. Please feel free to share this resource with your networks so that others can benefit. Recent Events in MNH Launch of the Sharpened One Plan and RMNCH Scorecard His Excellency, President Dr. JM Kikwete, the Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Steven Kebwe, local government leaders, representatives of UN agencies and partners, advocates and academic experts came together in Dar es Salaam for a landmark event for reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH) in Tanzania. The refocused country strategic roadmap for accelerated reduction of maternal and newborn deaths,  The Sharpened One Plan, was launched at this event (see section on Current Evidence). Also launched were: 1) the Tanzania RMNCH Scorecard, an innovative tool driven off the HMIS that has been developed to track progress and foster an environment of accountability at all levels; and 2) a Policy Brief: Women and Children First, that outlines the progress made, current equity and coverage gaps, where investment is most at need, who is being left behind, and the high-impact solutions to accelerate maternal and newborn survival before the end of 2015. Read more… Pre-Launch Meeting with Regional Leaderships The day before the launch of the Sharpened One Plan and RMNCH Scorecard regional administrations led by the regional commissioners from all regions of Tanzania came together for a pre-launch meeting to be familiarised with the national efforts for maternal and newborn survival, including presenting the evidence and the specific priorities. Representing an important initial activity to nurture mutual transparency and accountability, which is a key strategic area of the Sharpened One Plan, it is anticipated that regional leaderships will champion regional efforts to accelerate delivery of quality MNH services, in line with the national priorities. See more… White Ribbon Alliance Day - In Tanzania the 15 March is a special day to remember all our mothers who did not survive childbirth and to urge all of us to take action to prevent the needless deaths of thousands of others. This year's event was commemorated nationally in Rukwa region, with members of the White Ribbon Alliance Tanzania participating in a week full of activities held in Nkasi, Kalambo, and Sumbawanga Municipality, where hundreds of residents voluntarily donated blood for mothers and babies survival, culminating in a colourful national event held at Mtowisa community in Sumbawanga Rural where the Prime Minister was presented with thousands of signatures by residents from across Rukwa region urging the government to honour its promise to bring life-saving services closer to communities. See more.. MPs stand up for Safe Motherhood Only days after the Tanzanian President had launched the sharpened plan of action for accelerated reduction of maternal, newborn and child deaths in Tanzania, the White Ribbon Alliance Tanzania (WRATZ), in partnership with the Parliamentary Group of Safe Motherhood, conducted an advocacy meeting with honourable MPs in the Parliamentary Grounds in Dodoma and got them united across parties, for the survival of mothers. Read more.. International Day of the Midwife A special symposium, launch of a special comic for respectful care, a public march in Dar city centre, free services for the community and the presence of the First Lady Salma Kikwete to grace the occasion, are the highlights of this year's International Day of Midwives (May 5) coordinated by the Tanzania Registered Midwives Association (TAMA)... See photos and read about the respectful care comic World Blood Donor Day 2014 On 14th June Kigoma region hosted national celebrations of this year’s World Blood Donor Day, with a maternal theme of: ‘Safe Blood Saves Mothers Lives’. Residents across all of Kigoma’s districts - Buhigwe, Uvinza, Kakonko, Kibondo, Kasulu and Kigoma, turned out in unprecedented numbers to take action for maternal survival, with more than 3,000 blood units collected in only two weeks, more than half of the total blood units collected nationally in the same period. Mama Salma Kikwete graced the national day, with the resounding message that we can save the lives of thousands of mothers and children who die needlessly every year because of the chronic shortage of safe blood supplies across our health facilities. Read more… Current Evidence The Sharpened One Plan 2014-15 The plan, launched by the President of Tanzania in May-14, is the country strategic roadmap for accelerated reduction of maternal and newborn deaths. It has been formed from three key pieces of evidence - the Countdown to 2015 Country Case Study, and the Mid Term Reviews of the National Road Map Strategic Plan and the Health Sector Strategic Plan III. The Sharpened One Plan aims to: i) Address the unmet need for family planning; ii) Address the gaps for coverage and quality of care at birth; and iii) Continue the progress already achieved in child health. Launched at the same event was the: Tanzania RMNCH Scorecard, a tool developed to track progress and foster an environment of accountability at all levels. Women and Children First: Countdown to ending preventable maternal, newborn and child deaths in Tanzania This policy brief synthesises and summarises a number of important plans and analysis, including: i) The Countdown to 2015 Country Case Study analyses; ii) The MOHSW Mid Term reviews of The National Road Map Strategic Plan (The One Plan) 2008-2015, and iii) The Health Sector Strategic Plan III. It outlines the progress made, current equity and coverage gaps, where investment is most at need, who is being left behind, and the high-impact solutions to accelerate maternal and newborn survival before the end of 2015. The State of the World’s Midwifery 2014: Tanzania country brief This report describes the shortage of all health workers delivering care for women, mothers and babies in each of the 73 countries where progress in maternal and newborn survival is urgently needed. It describes whether these health workers are acceptable to the population, equitably distributed across the country, and educated, regulated and supported to provide high quality care. Lancet Every Newborn Series This series of articles, published in the Lancet, focuses on newborn babies, providing estimates of neonatal mortality and stillbirths and reporting on the slow progress in reducing newborn deaths. The series highlights the scale of under-reporting of newborn births and deaths, analyses data on newborn survival for 195 countries and outlines the interventions necessary to save lives. Maternal Mortality from 1990-2013 in Tanzania This profile of maternal mortality trends in Tanzania is published by United Nations agencies based on their latest estimates. The full report represents internationally comparable maternal mortality ratio (MMR) estimates, including trends from 1990 to 2013. Improving Newborn Survival in Southern Tanzania (INSIST) Trial This study, set up by Ifakara Health Institute, evaluates the impact and cost of an intervention seeking to both change behaviours at the community level, and also strengthen the local health system, to save the lives of newborn babies. Save the Children released a report and a call to Ending Newborn Deaths globally "This first day of a child's life is the most dangerous and too many mothers give birth alone on the floor of their home or in the bush without any life-saving help.  We hear horror stories of mothers walking for hours during labour to find trained help, all too often ending in tragedy." says Jasmine WhitBread, CEO of Save the Children. Mama Ye! Facts & Figures on the Link between Water, Sanitation and Hygiene and Maternal & Newborn Health This Facts & Figures flyer highlights the latest evidence on the link between water, sanitation and hygiene and maternal and newborn health. Mama Ye! Factsheet on Tanzania's blood services Mama Ye! has produced this factsheet to summarise the evidence on Tanzania’s blood services, including how much blood is collected and how much is needed. Additionally, this infographic describes how many lives of mothers could be saved if there was access to safe blood. Success Stories Mothers, wherever they live Read birthing stories from around the wold in a book launched on March 8 to mark International Women's Day. In the book you will also find contributions from Rose Mlay of WRATZ and Chiku Lweno-Aboud of E4A Tanzania. Journalists from all zones in Tanzania join Mama Ye! It is about information sharing, accountability, reporting and generally bridging communication gaps among many groups in the Tanzanian public. UTPC members are excited to start the new cooperation. Read more As we say good bye to John Tuppa, we celebrate him and the legacy he left behind We reported about what a difference six months made in Mara. Sadly just after a milestone leadership meeting we lost a champion. But the foundation he helped to build stands strong. He was recognised and received an award at the launch of the country's Sharpened One Plan and A Promise Renewed for our mothers and babies. MNH in the News Check out Mama Ye! in the News and find out what has hit the headlines nationally and internationally on maternal and newborn health. MNH Calendar On 9 June 2014 the World Lung Foundation and partners will be conducting a national dissemination of results and key findings to date of their exciting intervention to bring comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care services closer to the communities who are missing out most on these life-saving services. (This has been held and will be reported on in next MNH newsletter) From 17-20 June the MOHSW and RMNCH stakeholders from all over the country will meet up in Dodoma for the Annual Reproductive and Child Health Services Meeting to discuss RMNCH updates and priorities going forward. (This has been held and will be reported on in next MNH newsletter) The MOHSW is planning national dissemination and roll-out of the Sharpened One Plan across all Tanzania’s regions over the next two months, schedule and timings of this roll-out will be shared once finalised so that stakeholders can reach out to participate in respective regional roll-out processes. A country launch of the State of the World Midwifery 2014 Report - Tanzania Country Brief is anticipated to be conducted in the near future. What will you be doing in the coming weeks/month? You are welcome to share your planned activities here - and/or summaries of activities conducted with links to reports etc. - we really want this newsletter to serve a purpose as a platform for all. Tell us and we will share with the rest of MNH stakeholders. Please forward your information to be shared to c.lweno-aboud@evidence4action.net Please note if you have received this newsletter and don't want to be on the email list please advise and your contact will be removed.

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This message has been truncated

Chiku Lweno-Aboud

To Kalulunga2006@yahoo.com

Jun 28 at 11:19 AM

Dear Colleague,