The FAME COVID-19 outreach team getting ready to leave for the villages.

Since receiving the COVID-19 vaccines from the Tanzanian government in October of 2021, FAME has been on the frontlines conducting COVID-19 vaccine outreach for the people and communities in our catchment area. 

The FAME team has drummed up support for this program by going to local markets and businesses to give out vaccines, putting together a radio program for vaccine education, making a vaccine educational video aired at FAME reception, and giving out “I’m COVID-19 vaccinated” buttons to encourage vaccine uptake. The team has now added another activity to the outreach program, door-to-door vaccinations.

One month ago, FAME expanded our COVID-19 outreach program to include a door-to-door COVID-19 vaccination campaign. This initiative is aimed at addressing the vaccine hesitancy among underserved groups and improving vaccination rates among hard-to-reach populations.

Every day at 8am, including weekends, the FAME team sets off to the most remote parts of our catchment area. Some of these areas are more than 20 miles from FAME. When they arrive in these villages, they meet with the area chief and present a letter of permission from the District Medical Officer to conduct outreach in their village. This is a crucial part of our multi-pronged strategy to ensure community acceptance.

The FAME COVID-19 outreach team consists of a driver, one medical recorder, five nurses, and one social worker. They are working to increase trust in the COVID-19 vaccine, provide access to the vaccine and vaccine boosters and deliver education about COVID-19, including how it is transmitted and how to keep children safe. 

Vaccinating one of the villagers.

FAME’s COVID-19 vaccination outreach coordinator, Siana, gives last minute instructions to FAME driver, Omari.

FAME’s Social Worker, Kitashu Nganana leaving for the outreach.

Siana Nkya, FAME’s COVID-19 vaccination outreach coordinator, explains:

“I have a team of eight FAME employees who volunteer for this outreach on their days off. Since the outreach is done on their days off, it does not affect the quality of their work at the hospital. I am so grateful to them for giving up their free time to do this. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to reach these villages that would otherwise not have access to the vaccine.”

— Siana Nkya

At the villages, FAME’s Social Worker, Kitashu, translates from Maa to Swahili for the team, and in cases where the household speaks a different language, they enlist the help of neighbors to translate.

However, this has not been without challenges. The team encounters a lot of misinformation, which leads to vaccine hesitancy. 

“On top of the vaccines, we are providing COVID-19 education to these groups. We have encountered misinformation that we try to correct. For Instance, we have met many women who refuse to get the COVID-19 vaccine because they’re afraid it will make them infertile.”

— Social Worker Kitashu Nganana.

When the team is met with misinformation, they spend time sitting with the people to share the facts, in this case that theCenter for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has long stated that there is no evidence that any vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, cause fertility problems in women or men.

Sometimes, the villagers will ask the team if they’ve been vaccinated before. Noting that 98% of FAME staff is vaccinated against COVID-19, the team explains that they have received the COVID-19 vaccination, which creates a trusting relationship with the community members. Oftentimes, the villagers will seek repeated confirmations that the vaccine is free, and that they will not be charged afterwards.

“The case that sticks with me is the case of the woman who suffered from TB, thus making her more susceptible to catching the coronavirus. We talked to her and answered her questions, and slowly by slowly we could see that she understood the facts presented, and she accepted to receive the vaccine.” -Kitashu Nganana

Since FAME started the COVID-19 vaccination program in October 2021, we have vaccinated 456 people, at the hospital and in the field. This includes 305 individuals from the door-to-door vaccination outreach activity, and 34 booster shots. In the beginning of the door-to-door vaccination drive, the team would vaccinate four people a day, sometimes even less. Slowly, these numbers started to pick up and in two weeks, they had vaccinated 86 people. We can now say that the door-to-door vaccination efforts have yielded the most vaccines administered since the start of FAME’s COVID-19 outreach program.

FAME’s Pharmacy team model their “I am COVID-19 vaccinated” buttons

PART 1:

meet THE TANZANIAN USAIN BOLT

Proud father, Benjamin.

Benjamin* was at work on a Tuesday evening, having been called in for a night shift. His 27-year-old wife was heavily pregnant with their second child. She had already missed her two due dates, one two weeks ago and the other four days ago. They joked often that the baby, who they already knew was their second boy, would never leave his mother’s tummy. 

On this particular evening, he had insisted that she go stay with her mother, as he was worried about leaving her alone in case she went into labor. His wife had assured him that this being her second pregnancy, she would know in good time if the baby was ready to come. However, he insisted, and off she went to spend the night with her mother. 

“At around 10:00 pm, I got a call from my mother-in-law. She sounded panicked and was hysterical on the phone. She said my wife had gone into labor and that I needed to get her to a hospital immediately.”

Benjamin quickly left work and went to pick up his wife. He knew that he had to bring her to FAME, as that's where she had been coming for all her prenatal clinics. FAME was only 18 miles away, and since he had his own car, he was confident that he would make it in time.

When Benjamin turned into the dirt road, his wife was screaming for him to drive faster. She knew that the baby’s birth was imminent. In this rush and in the darkness, Benjamin saw one of the sharp bumps a bit too late and hit it violently. The car came to an abrupt halt and would not start again.

“I was panicked, confused. I was in tears. I had a screaming wife in the car and it wouldn’t start. Luckily, my headlights still worked and I could see a bajaji [Autorickshaw] parked outside one of the roadside houses. I ran there and knocked on the door, and asked for the driver to come help get my wife to the hospital. Unfortunately, they told me the driver was not home and that nobody else in the home knew how to drive it.”

Confused and scared, Benjamin decided to carry his wife on his back and bring her to FAME.

“I knew that I had to get my wife to the hospital or something bad would happen. I told her I didn't get the bajaji driver, but that I was sure I could carry her to FAME as it wasn't so far. I lifted her from the car and tried to balance her on my arms.” 

But this was not going to work.

Now, if you have been lucky enough to visit FAME, you will be familiar with the 1.2-mile stretch of dirt road to our hospital, An unpaved road with a hard surface that includes gravel and sharp bumps.

“Immediately I lifted her into my arms, she shouted PUT ME DOWN! PUT ME DOWN! I THINK THE BABY IS ALREADY HERE! I looked down to see the baby crowning.”

Benjamin lay his wife on the road and screamed for help. He could see the baby’s head and felt helpless about what to do. His screams woke the villagers up, and some rushed to help. 

“I asked one of the women if she could look after my wife as I ran to FAME to get help. She said yes, so I left her there and sprinted to FAME. I’m proud to say I got there in less than four minutes!”

PART 2:

FAME’s Head Doctor, Gabriel Paul Kissima, who lives on FAME Campus

FAME’s Head Doctor Gabriel

“The way he sprinted to FAME to get help for his wife was incredible! I think he could give Usain Bolt, the greatest sprinter in the world, a run for his money! That’s why I call him the Tanzanian Usain Bolt!”

— Dr. Gabriel

“I was on my sofa enjoying a cup of hot chocolate before bed when I heard knocking and shouting at my door. I opened the door to see the guards. They told me that there was an emergency, a woman was in labor down the road and she needed help.” 

Without hesitation, Dr. Gabriel jumped into his car and asked the dad to join him, while the guards went to notify the nurses.

“We drove down the road. When we got to his wife, she had already given birth and the villagers had clamped the cord. But they were scared of cutting it, despite having a razor blade and a string ready. I have to give them credit though, they did a fantastic job.”

Shortly after, the two nurses arrived at the site from FAME’s maternity ward. They took charge of the situation, cut the umbilical cord, and they all came back to FAME. 

Once at FAME, they put the baby in the incubator to warm him up as it was a very cold night in Karatu. The mother’s placenta was removed and her vitals taken. She was stable and okay!

“I want to say Thank you to FAME. The help you provided is invaluable and I am forever indebted to you for the generous and professional help. Special thanks to Dr. Gabriel who took his own car to help me without a second thought, and to the nurses who came and helped my wife. FAME is truly a 24-hour hospital and the quality of care does not deteriorate at night!”

— Benjamin

Nurse Beatrice, posing with Dr. Frank

“It was all very sudden when we got the news of the roadside birth, but we are used to thinking on our feet and so we were not fazed. Our mission was to secure the health of mama and baby, and we succeeded! Kudos to the father for looking after his family, his efforts saved their lives.”

— Maternity Nurse Beatrice, posing with Dr. Frank

*While the patient’s name has been changed to protect privacy, permission was secured to share his photos and stories with FAME supporters, and to raise awareness of available medical care at FAME.

Day of the African Child is celebrated on the 16th of June every year, as an advocacy tool to encourage people around the world to celebrate the progress the African continent has made toward children’s rights, while also recognizing the improvements still needed to ensure that children across the continent lead happy and healthy lives.

For over 20 years, FAME has invested in reproductive, maternal, and child healthcare, and has established its reputation as an institution committed to the well-being of newborns, children, and families. FAME’s culture has helped create a child-friendly environment, and today we celebrate the children born here and the young people who come through our doors every day!

FAME firmly believes that children have a right to basic health care irrespective of their place of birth, and we are committed to providing quality patient-centered care for the children in our catchment area. 

Working with underserved populations in the most rural parts of Tanzania, FAME faces unique challenges serving children in these often vulnerable and fragile contexts. This year we have faced environmental challenges, such as drought, which can cause deteriorating physical health of growing children. We highlight some of these cases in our Journal story “The Many Faces and Cases of Child Malnutrition at FAME”.

FAME has supported children, in partnership with the Tanzanian Government, through our under-5 vaccination program. In 2021, we delivered 693 babies at FAME. We can’t wait to see these kids grow up and are committed to giving them a healthy start and remaining by their side as they grow. Additionally, in the first quarter of this year, FAME vaccinated 166 children through our under-5 vaccine program. Vaccines are provided to FAME by the Tanzanian Government and include BCG to protect against tuberculosis, polio vaccines, PCV to protect against pneumonia, rotavirus vaccine, and pentavalent vaccine to protect against life-threatening diseases such as diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B and Hib.

Additionally, FAME is on the frontlines performing lifesaving vaccinations and interventions as highlighted in our April newsletter story “A Rabies Diagnosis and a Race Against the Clock to Save Lives” as well as our recent partnership with the Government of Tanzania on its Wild Polio door-to-door nationwide vaccination drive for children under 5. 

Due to this growth in numbers and in programs, FAME seeks to further establish its competence in pediatric medicine in order to address the challenges that children, mothers, and families face. 

This year, FAME is planning to build on its child-friendly environment and establish dedicated rooms in our outpatient ward which are both equipped and decorated for children. Additionally, we are thrilled to announce that we will have a pediatrician with a specialty in infectious diseases joining FAME from the US to spend 12 months training FAME doctors, and help them further establish our pediatric program.

By 2027, FAME plans to have a dedicated pediatric team running pediatric programs around wellness and growth tracking, early intervention and prevention. FAME will conduct parent education in the Reproductive and Child Health clinic (RCH) as well as in the community through outreach programs at schools.

Today is a day to celebrate the wonderful children in our lives and our communities, and also reflect on what is needed to ensure that children around the world are able to lead happy and healthy lives.  If you are feeling inspired to support FAME and its work to strengthen pediatric care, visit this link to donate and get involved!

*While the patient’s name has been changed to protect privacy, permission was secured to share their photos and story with FAME supporters and to raise awareness of available medical care at FAME Medical

June 1 is the Global Day of Parents. It is a day to appreciate parents for their selfless commitment to children and their lifelong sacrifice towards nurturing this relationship.

FAME pays tribute to all parents around the world, especially in Northern Tanzania where we work. Rural populations, the primary populations in FAME’s catchment area, are underserved and vulnerable groups. Parenting in rural areas is especially challenging due to limited access to resources and disproportionately high rates of child needs: shelter, food, clothing, and medical care. 

Despite these challenges, the parents in FAME’s catchment area have shown great resilience, selfless commitment, and countless sacrifices to raise, love, protect and nurture their children. Every day at FAME, we meet concerned parents, some of whom have traveled a long way to ensure that their children get quality healthcare. 

We spoke to different parents who brought their kids to FAME to learn what parenthood means to them, and the role that FAME plays in supporting their children and them as parents.

Parenthood means commitment. It means humility in understanding your child’s needs and to us, bears a strong responsibility. Our daughter has epilepsy, and we’re so thankful that because of FAME, we don't have to travel far to access good healthcare for her. We believe that we are good parents because we bring her here! 

-Mr and Mrs Alwan*, with their 4-year-old daughter    

Parenthood is a desired challenge. I always wanted to have children. Parenthood is happiness! I am the happiest when my children are happy, that's why I’m sad today that my son is sick. I brought him to FAME as I trust them to heal him. I was here before when I brought my disabled father. He doesn't like hospitals much, as he has not received the best care before. FAME’s attitude towards him was positive, and they had the knowledge and skills to handle his condition. That’s why I’m here today. I am sure that my son will get the best care here, because I have seen them do it for my dad! 

-Mr. Abdul* with son aged 12 

Parenthood is a journey, and a peaceful one for me since I’m raising my child alone with no interference! Wait, that’s not entirely correct. I bring my child to the baby clinic and I rely on them for advice and information on how to take care of him. So you can say I’m not alone as I have this FAME team helping me along the way. And not just me but many other mothers too! Look how many mothers are here today! I don’t know what I would do without their support. So let me say parenthood is a journey with FAME!  

-Mama Baraka* with her 1-year-old son.

Parenthood means having a forever friend! This is my son. He’s been here everyday helping me even though he doesn't have to! I tell him the doctors and nurses here are taking very good care of me, and he can go back to his job, but he wants to stay. I have been here a long time [13 nights] and I have not one complaint! These are good people. 

-Mzee Mollel* with his 31-year- old son

Parenthood to us means responsibility that you cannot shift to somebody else. 

Since we became parents to our daughters, we have acted together as a team, as parenting means supporting each other. However, it’s not a team of two, but a team of three because FAME has been with us since the beginning. When my wife was pregnant she came here for prenatal care. Then she delivered here. And now we’re bringing the girls to the baby clinic. We like to joke that FAME is the third parent!  

-Mr and Mrs Maayan* with their daughters, Ages 1 and 3. 

*While the patients’ names have been changed to protect privacy, permission was secured to share their photos and stories with FAME supporters, and to raise awareness of available medical care at FAME.

“I am so happy. My suffering is over now. Already, I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Thank you FAME. Your love, care and compassion has seen me through the darkest moment of my life. I came here alone, but once I arrived I was not alone. I had friends, brothers and sisters looking out for me. Thank You!”

— Emma

Emma* is a 23-year-old woman from Zanzibar, an island off the coast of Tanzania. For three years, Emma had been suffering from stomach problems including, intermittent pain which had recently become worse, heavy menstrual bleeding, abdominal and lower back pain and frequent urination.

Emma visited a lot of hospitals in Zanzibar, and with her condition not improving, opted to come to Arusha where her mother lives to seek treatment. In Arusha, the cost of treatment was too expensive and she was starting to lose hope for a pain free life. 

“One of the hospitals I visited in Arusha asked me to pay $13 for laboratory tests. I had just arrived from Zanzibar and I could not afford this, having spent a lot of money on my journey. I explained this to the doctor, who advised me to go to Karatu and look for a hospital called FAME. He said that they were very good, and that it was more affordable than most of the hospitals he knew in Arusha”

— Emma

Emma began researching any information she could find about FAME, and came across FAME’s Facebook page. She saw that one of her friends had “liked” the page! She couldn't believe it. This friend lived in Zanzibar as well! 

“It was 10:00pm but I didn't care! I called her immediately and asked her if she knew anything about this FAME or she was just liking random Facebook pages. She laughed and told me that she knew FAME very well, that she had given birth here and that it was a good hospital. She advised me to come here straight away.”

Confident in her friend’s recommendation, Emma boarded the next bus to Karatu from Arusha, a journey of 90 miles. Once at Karatu town, she boarded a bajaji (auto rickshaw) to FAME. 

“I arrived and was directed to the reception. I introduced myself and told them that I had come from Zanzibar to seek medical attention, and that I was alone. They were so good to me! I think about it now and I smile. God’s hand guided me here.” 

FAME conducted lab tests and admitted Emma to the inpatient ward  with uterine fibroids, which needed to be removed urgently. Emma needed surgery. 

“I quickly thought that this meant they would remove my uterus and I would never be able to have children. However, the doctors explained to me in great detail what they were going to do. After this talk I felt peace and a calmness come over me. I knew I was in good hands.”

The surgery was a success, and after five days Emma is well enough to go home. She will stay with her mother in Arusha until she is ready to travel back to Zanzibar. 

FAME is happy to not only serve the 2.9 million Tanzanians living in our catchment area but also people from far and wide, who travel miles and miles to get to us. Thank you for trusting us and for sharing your stories of FAME so that we can continue to provide much-needed healthcare to people in need.

*While the patient’s name has been changed to protect privacy, permission was secured to share her photos and story with FAME supporters, and to raise awareness of available medical care at FAME Medical