Tanza-neo

Newborn babies in Tanzania die at a rate of 40 per 1000, a shocking 4% of all births. Many of these babies could be saved with what we consider basic newborn care: supporting babies to breath when they are born, keeping them warm, treating jaundice and infection. These treatments are not expensive and lots can be done through education of local staff. We are working with the staff of Kilamanjaro hospital to try to help the survival of the smallest and sickest of babies. Intervention in the first few hours and days of life can dramatically change a child's life and prevent not just death, but lifelong disability. 

We are aiming to raise money to send experienced nurses and doctors from Cork University Hospital to spend time with the staff in Kilamanjaro and to work with them to provide basic equipment for newborn care. We are looking for donations, no matter how large or small to help us achieve this goal. We have already raised almost 45,000 euro for bubble CPAP machines, oxygen monitors, and resuscitation training for staff in Kilamanjaro. With your help we can raise money for phototherapy to treat jaundice and arrange further nursing staff to work with local midwives in helping to look after babies at birth.

Update: in February 2020, just before COVID-19 took over our lives, we visited Kilamanjaro hospital again, this time bringing phototherapy machines for treating jaundiced babies, oxygen monitors and oxygen tubing. Most importantly Marie Watson, our senior nurse spent the week teaching the nursing staff about how to monitor sick children, and to spot when they are becoming unwell. She introduced an early warning system on the paediatric wards. 

Now that the team there have basic equipment, the most important thing is a dedicated space for looking after the sickest of babies: a neonatal intensive care unit. We have committed to raising 10,000 euros over the coming months to allow them to build this: they are converting an office area, piping with oxygen and additional electricity, lights and hand-washing areas to give these babies the best chance of survival. 
The staff are so grateful for your help already and want to work with us to bring the perinatal death rate down from 4.5% to 2% in the next 5 years.