A Brief Introduction to Community Engagement |
A Brief Introduction to Malaria Diagnostics |
The NeedTanzania has the second youngest population in East Africa, the median age of the population is 18 years. [1] By the age of 18, 2 in 5 girls are already married and over 50% are pregnant or already mothers. [2] There are a number of factors which have been linked to a high number of unplanned pregnancies. These are a legislative environment which permits girls to be married from the age of 15, 27.4% of contraceptive prevalence among females aged 15-19 [3] and when surveyed, less than 1 in 2 men aged 15-24 had used a condom in their last sexual encounter. [4] Females are often the greatest affected by sexual and reproductive health issues as early pregnancy leads to a lower proportion of females making it beyond secondary school education and HIV/AIDS statistics indicate that of the total population infected, 61% are female (2014). [5]
It has been shown that knowledge about sexual and reproductive health is generally high among the urban population who have attained secondary school level education but that other factors including stigma reduce the rates of people seeking sexual and reproductive health interventions [6]. Our WorkWorkshops
In 2019, the Health team put together a series of workshops targeting secondary school students aimed at addressing the issues within sexual and reproductive health. Over 80 students were reached through the workshops. The topics covered were sexually transmitted infections, early pregnancy, menstrual health management and sexual harassment. The content was produced by medical students volunteering on the project, the content was approved by qualified Tanzanian health professionals and community outreach nurses were present in the seminars to answer questions that the students had. Our workshops also incorporated 3D animations supplied by Tai Tanzania. The aim of the sessions was to destigmatise discussions around sexual and reproductive health. Given that one of the leading sources of sexual reproductive health in Tanzania, particularly among marginalised youth has been identified as peer educators, this was an element that we brought to our project. At the end of the summer, we launched Health clubs in the schools that hosted the workshops. These clubs have been provided with content, constitutions and were launched in the presence of organisations with a vested interest in the success of adolescent sexual reproductive health education. We aim for the clubs to run independently of CDI over the course of the year. Media Campaign Alongside the workshops in secondary schools, a sexual and reproductive health campaign was launched called “Tell-2-tell” again the aim was to destigmatise conversations around sexual and reproductive health. The campaign featured a website, social media pages including Facebook and WhatsApp group discussions and weekly appearances on radio and you run television station Mlimani TV. |
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2020
The CDI Health team is currently working on two major focuses for 2020. We will be prioritizing mental health work, in addition to the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) work of past years.
First, we will be looking toward the beginnings of a partnership with the Mental Health Association of Tanzania to pilot mental health workshops for secondary school and university students in Dar es Salaam. We will additionally be looking to create faculty ‘access points’ for students experiencing mental health issues that will direct the individuals to resources that currently exist in the community that they might not have had access to otherwise.
With SRH, we will look to expand upon the work undertaken in past years. CDI is exploring opportunities to help broaden the scope of workshops offered; here, both in terms of individuals able to access the workshops and content of the workshops, partnering with organizations to offer 3D animations in addition to previous content.
First, we will be looking toward the beginnings of a partnership with the Mental Health Association of Tanzania to pilot mental health workshops for secondary school and university students in Dar es Salaam. We will additionally be looking to create faculty ‘access points’ for students experiencing mental health issues that will direct the individuals to resources that currently exist in the community that they might not have had access to otherwise.
With SRH, we will look to expand upon the work undertaken in past years. CDI is exploring opportunities to help broaden the scope of workshops offered; here, both in terms of individuals able to access the workshops and content of the workshops, partnering with organizations to offer 3D animations in addition to previous content.
Our Vision
Workshops
To facilitate a model of peer educators, time will need to be invested to formalise a training programme for interested students, this can be done with the support of existing NGOs. There is scope for the workshops to be expanded to more secondary schools and potential to increase engagement in this way.
Multimedia campaigns
The use of multimedia to disseminate health information, is something that the Health project has been doing for its second year now (with the first year having concentrated on non-communicable diseases). The effective monitoring and evaluation of multimedia is a challenge that will need to be overcome in future work with this method of education. This will be needed in particular to determine which forms of media are more effective at engaging different population groups.
Overall vision
Through the project we have been able to strengthen ties to Tanzanian health care professionals, NGOs, media and other stakeholders interested in effective health interventions. This will prove important for future work.
To facilitate a model of peer educators, time will need to be invested to formalise a training programme for interested students, this can be done with the support of existing NGOs. There is scope for the workshops to be expanded to more secondary schools and potential to increase engagement in this way.
Multimedia campaigns
The use of multimedia to disseminate health information, is something that the Health project has been doing for its second year now (with the first year having concentrated on non-communicable diseases). The effective monitoring and evaluation of multimedia is a challenge that will need to be overcome in future work with this method of education. This will be needed in particular to determine which forms of media are more effective at engaging different population groups.
Overall vision
Through the project we have been able to strengthen ties to Tanzanian health care professionals, NGOs, media and other stakeholders interested in effective health interventions. This will prove important for future work.
Our Impact
For the full version of the Health Project's Impact Report, please see our Publications Page.
[1] National Bureau of Statistics. The 2012 Population and Housing Census (PHC) for the United Republic of Tanzania. 2012.
[2] HEARD (2015) Country Factsheet: Tanzania, Durban: Health Economics and HIV/AIDS Research and Division/ University of Kwa
[3] Japhet, B. (2018). Is Tanzania’s Unmet Need For Contraceptives At Crisis Levels? PesaCheck.
[4] National Bureau of Statistics. Tanzania Demographic Health Survey 2010. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: 2011
[5] SADC (2014) Gender Protocol Barometer
[6] CCBRT (2018). Breaking Barriers: Disability-inclusive Family Planning. 2 September 2018. Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania.
[2] HEARD (2015) Country Factsheet: Tanzania, Durban: Health Economics and HIV/AIDS Research and Division/ University of Kwa
[3] Japhet, B. (2018). Is Tanzania’s Unmet Need For Contraceptives At Crisis Levels? PesaCheck.
[4] National Bureau of Statistics. Tanzania Demographic Health Survey 2010. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: 2011
[5] SADC (2014) Gender Protocol Barometer
[6] CCBRT (2018). Breaking Barriers: Disability-inclusive Family Planning. 2 September 2018. Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania.