FAME celebrates International Volunteer Day! As an organization dedicated to learning, education and capacity building, FAME’s volunteer program is crucial to our mission. Built on a foundation of collaboration, volunteers work hand in hand with the FAME team to gain local knowledge while also providing new ideas and approaches.

As part of our new strategic plan, FAME is now looking to its volunteer program more than ever to build the capacity of our team to align with the most pressing needs of the patients and communities we serve.

During the pandemic, FAME’s in-person volunteer program was put on hold. Instead, we connected with volunteer specialists from around the world via zoom. With travel resuming in 2021, FAME was able to host 22 volunteers last year across various specialties, including infectious diseases, internal medicine, nursing, neurology, OBGYN, pediatrics, radiology and surgery. In 2022, this number has continued to rise, and so far, we have hosted XX volunteers this year. 

Here are the stories of three volunteers who are at FAME right now.

FAME’s Volunteer Voices 

Dr. Gary Nichols, MD, Pediatrics Specialist

Dr. Gary conducting a training for the doctors.

While volunteering with a disaster response team following Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Dr. Gary met FAME volunteer Dr. Carolyn Apple. They had been assigned to work in the same response team in Texas. Dr. Gary mentioned to Dr. Apple that he had previously volunteered at a hospital in northern Ghana and was hoping to return to Africa. She enthusiastically recommended FAME and six months later, Dr. Gary first arrived at FAME.

In 2022, Dr. Gary returned for his fifth trip to FAME. 

“Having worked at many medical sites around the world, I was very impressed with FAME. Everything: the housing, the volunteer coordinator, the different clinics, the hospital, the staff and the overall mission, was among the best I’d experienced. Everyone was so welcoming! The commitment to education and staff/patient welfare was exceptional. And, of course, the Ngorongoro district is so beautiful.”

— Dr. Gary

Dr. Gary describes working with the Tanzanian medical team as “a two-way street.”

 “I have learned as much from them as they have from me. They make volunteering at FAME a special thing. It's definitely one of the highlights of being here.”

Dr. Gary explains that the morning education meetings where he had to teach were initially slightly intimidating. However, that went away when he realized that everyone was genuinely interested in learning and was able to teach about common pediatric issues. 

“I’ve discussed various issues such as pediatric orthopedics, urinary tract infections and malnutrition. The malnutrition talk has led to the development of a FAME malnutrition project with young children in the Karatu and neighboring districts, championed by Dr. Ken Karanja. The project will be launched in January 2023”

— Dr. Gary

“Since my first visit, FAME has built the maternity and newborn building. This has provided much-needed space for new moms and their newborns. The staff has also grown steadily.  Seeing existing staff grow in their skills and the young doctors join the team has been exciting.  The new medical officers and doctors are so eager to learn! It’s a real privilege to contribute.”

Dr. Gary has advice for would-be volunteers: 

“Do it and here’s why! I frequently encourage friends to consider FAME as it's an excellent organization to begin or continue as a volunteer global medicine provider. Having a background of working with other NGOs and groups around the world gives me a perspective of why volunteering at FAME is such a positive thing. FAME’s volunteer program is well established, you’ll play an active daily part in patient care, the range of patient care is stimulating and everyone at FAME is so welcoming. You’ll come away learning as much as you contribute.”

“LOVE”

— Dr. Gary when asked to describe FAME in one word.

Nurse Kim Hall, Family Nurse Practitioner, Faculty at UMass Medical School, Graduate School of Nursing

Nurse Hall (right) consults with FAME’s Dr. Adam Likiliwike.

“I was told you may come to Tanzania for the animals, but you will return for the people, and that has been the case for me. I enjoy working with the FAME staff and seeing rural medicine in action”

— Nurse Hall

Nurse Hall first came to FAME in 2018. Four years before, she had met Dr. Frank on safari when she visited a local school in Karatu. Dr. Frank invited her to come back as a FAME volunteer and help with the diabetes clinic. She has been coming back almost twice a year since. 

Nurse Hall could not come as planned in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. She is back after a two-year hiatus and encountering significant changes, such as new buildings and programs, but the same warm and committed people. 

Nurse Hall (second left) consulting with FAME radiologists, Japhar Hassan (left) and Onaely Mullumba (right). She is joined by volunteer Emergency Medicine Doctors Jeffrey Dan and Natalie Strokes. 

“Working with the dedicated FAME staff is always an inspiration. They showed me the true meaning of teamwork every day, including on this trip, where they did some amazing work with premature babies. I have learned to be flexible and work with staff wherever needed and I am enjoying seeing the diabetes clinic get back up and running after two years. After working in a diabetes clinic in the US, I am always impressed by the work I see being done here. Anyone considering volunteer work could not find a better place to do it! Once I get here, I am never ready to leave!”

“AMAZING”

— Nurse Hall, when asked to decribe FAME in one word.

Nurse Leslie Kwiatkowski, Family Nurse Practitioner - Personal Reflection

Nurse Kwiatkowski pictured with Emergency Room nurse, Isdory Mboya.

Nurse Kwiatkowski training medical staff.Pictured: Drs Joselina Mumbee and Gabriel Kissima.

My name is Leslie Kwiatkowski, and I am a Family Nurse Practitioner in Washington, D.C. I work at a community health center in one of D.C.’s most under-resourced areas to provide healthcare to families and individuals often struggling with poverty and homelessness. I first became aware of FAME through Nurse Barb, a nurse practitioner and FAME board member, when she assisted me with an assignment for my doctoral program two years ago. I was to find a leader actively building community and making an impact nationally or globally; most importantly, they couldn’t be someone I already knew. The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) showcased Nurse Barb on their podcast. When she mentioned her work at FAME in Tanzania, I couldn’t type an introduction email fast enough. I was ecstatic to hear someone so passionate about the country I was lucky to have served in during my time in the Peace Corps from 2015-2017. Barb agreed to an interview and spent hours sharing her leadership style of staying open-minded and curious and how those tie into the important work of FAME hospital, a mission she is so proud to be a part of. I immediately knew that volunteering at FAME would provide me the perfect arena to blend many loves of my life: family medicine, travel and intercultural learning. I was initially nervous about volunteering, as I thought I didn’t know much about tropical medicine, but I had to let that go quickly. I told myself that if I made one friend or made one person’s life a little easier, my time at FAME would be a success. My anxiety waned significantly after numerous Zoom calls with board members, fellow volunteers and hospital staff to introduce me to key players and help me to set expectations for myself. My first impression was how intelligent and passionate the FAME staff was when I arrived. Being a Nurse Practitioner, I straddle the medical and nursing worlds and was grateful for the opportunity to spend time equally with doctors and nurses. Working alongside individual team members helped me learn from each patient interaction which sharpened my clinical skills. I then suggested improved methods such as efficient charting, appropriate lab ordering and updates to chronic disease management. I also had the opportunity to lead cervical cancer screening and diabetes management education sessions, complete with the educational and organizational resources I use in my practice.

I will come back to volunteer at FAME as often as they allow me!

“Connecting cultures by way of compassionate healthcare.”

— Nurse Kwiatkowski, describing FAME in one sentence.

MORE VOLUNTEER VOICES

November is diabetes awareness month. Every year, FAME uses this opportunity to highlight its efforts to strengthen the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diabetes in our catchment area. 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 80% of people with diabetes live in low and middle-income countries, where prevalence is increasing most rapidly. Tanzania’s rate of diabetes prevalence for adults ages 20-79 keeps rising, increasing by 300% in the last ten years (WorldBank). With FAME working in a resource-challenged area in rural Tanzania, we believe scaling up access to diabetes medications, care and education can minimize complications related to diabetes and reduce morbidity and mortality among people with diabetes. Whether an individual has had diabetes for years or is newly diagnosed, diabetes education programs lead to happier and healthier lifestyles. 

This November, FAME hosted its third World Diabetes Day Walk to raise awareness of the impact of diabetes and the importance of physical activity in managing diabetes. The walk also highlighted FAME as a center providing crucial diabetes care and treatment. First started in 2019, the FAME diabetes walk took a break in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resumed in 2021. 

This year's walk had 58 participants from the community, a 16% increase from last year. Starting from the Mazingira Bora grounds in Karatu, the group walked 2.1 miles to FAME, carrying a banner that read “Health Education for Better Tomorrow.” Once at FAME, participants received free diabetes and blood pressure screening. Ten people with diabetes were identified and enrolled in our diabetes clinic. 

The FAME diabetes clinic began in 2018 and is designed to provide patients with the necessary knowledge and skills to set a solid foundation for successful self-management. Understanding diabetes is the first step towards managing and preventing it. Lack of diabetes knowledge often causes patients to underestimate how serious diabetes is, and many people wait until they experience complications before seeking treatment.

The FAME diabetes clinic started with 95 patients; the following year, it grew to over 300 patients! That number has now stabilized at around 130 patients per year. The patients receive instruction on topics such as how medications and insulin work, blood glucose monitoring, diet and nutrition and possible complications. They return to the clinic every three months for their HbA1C (blood test showing your average blood sugar) test. Patients who manage their blood sugar can significantly reduce the onset and severity of complications.

FAME Diabetes Walk 2019

FAME Diabetes Walk 2021

FAME Diabetes Walk 2022

FAME deals not only with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes but also gestational diabetes, a type of diabetes that can develop in women during pregnancy. This condition may disappear spontaneously after delivery, but if misdiagnosed and mismanaged, it may lead to long-term health risks for the mother and the child.

At FAME’s prenatal clinic, blood sugar is one of the first tests a woman receives when she comes in for her prenatal check-up. If diagnosed with gestational diabetes, the woman is enrolled in FAME’s High-Risk Clinic.  

The High-Risk clinic offers special monitoring and care throughout a woman’s pregnancy, including blood sugar tests to monitor the health of the mother and fetus, lifestyle recommendations and medication, if necessary. So far, in 2022, FAME has cared for 14 women with gestational diabetes, all with positive outcomes.

William Mhapa (front) with FAME’s Co-Founders and Co-Directors, Dr. Frank Artress and Susan Gustafson.

“FAME hospital Management and our staff believe in the well-being of all our dear patients. On this day, we are happy to shine some light on the community highlighting the importance of education for better health. We will continue to invest in the health and wellness of our patients sustainably. Welcome to FAME and enjoy the services”

— William Mhapa, FAME’s Director of Operations, in his speech at the Diabetes Day Walk.

On World’s AIDS Day, FAME focuses on the work of its Reproductive Child Health (RCH) clinic and its work, in collaboration with the Tanzanian government, to prevent Mother-to-Child Transmission (MTCT).

With FAME providing prenatal care to more than 1,000 women this year, we must ensure that all pregnant mothers in our catchment area have equal access to HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care, free of stigma and discrimination. 

Most HIV-infected patients globally, particularly in resource-poor settings such as where we work, are unaware of their HIV status (UNAIDS). They are likely to be identified at advanced stages of immunosuppression when a therapeutic response may be too late. FAME provides voluntary counseling to pregnant women on their first prenatal visit as a critical entry point for engagement in treatment and care in MTCT prevention efforts. Employing a proactive and inclusive approach to testing by making HIV testing a routine part of general prenatal care has led to high patient acceptance. 

So far, in 2022, ten HIV-positive women have given birth naturally at FAME, an increase of 66 percent from 2021. FAME maintains a 0% rate of MTCT. Currently, FAME has five HIV-positive pregnant women who receive antiretroviral therapy (ARV) and are carefully monitored throughout their pregnancy, delivery and postnatal period.

A diagnosis of HIV does not mean you cannot have more than one child, a worry that newly diagnosed pregnant women often have. FAME’s RCH nurse, Kitangile Masheyo, explains: 

“Just this year alone, five women returned to FAME to have their second or third babies. One of the five women was first diagnosed with HIV at FAME in 2016. She was only 21 years old and pregnant with her first child. She has gone on to have more children and has just given birth to her third child, with no MTCT to any of her children. Success stories like this are why we are passionate about our work.”

— Kitangile Masheyo, FAME RCH Nurse

This week at FAME, we meet a 39-year-old woman diagnosed with HIV while pregnant with her second child at FAME. We also meet a father of four, age 45, in FAME’s Ward 1, where he is admitted after surgery to correct a condition caused by his HIV-positive status. These are stories of resilience in the face of HIV and a restoration of hope.

Mother of two, Aged 39

We meet a lovely 39-year-old mother of two at FAME’s Reproductive Child Health Clinic. She has been HIV-positive for two years and is here to pick up her antiretrovirals (ARVs) as she does every month. She was first diagnosed as HIV positive at FAME’s prenatal clinic when she was 23 weeks pregnant with her second child, who is now 18 months old. She delivered her baby naturally at FAME and continues to bring her daughter to the RCH baby clinic for vaccinations and well-child-care visits. 

“When I got pregnant with my second child, I needed a good hospital to support me as my first child was already grown! I had forgotten how it was to be pregnant and what I needed to do to ensure safe delivery. My friends recommended FAME, so I came here for my prenatal classes.”

“I was so shocked when they told me I was HIV positive—truly shocked. Then I started to cry as if someone had died. I guess I was mourning my pregnancy, as I thought this meant that my baby would be born sick and probably die soon after if we even got that far. The FAME staff was very kind and gentle with me. They allowed me to express my feelings while gently explaining that I could go on to have an HIV-negative child, give birth naturally and even breastfeed if I took medication. That provided me with great comfort.”

— Mother of Two

She had been in a long-term romantic relationship when she got pregnant with her second baby. He was the father of her baby, but things had soured between them after she got pregnant and he had left her. 

“I knew I could only have gotten it from the father of my baby. I had done an HIV test before I met him and it had been negative. Before we had sex, I asked him if we could both test for HIV, as I had seen some new couples do this, but he said he was healthy and took offense to my asking. He did look healthy, strong and handsome, so I believed there was no way he could have HIV. But here we are.”

FAME’s RCH started her on ARVs, and eventually, she gave birth to her daughter naturally and breastfed her for a year with no MTCT. 

“I’m so thankful to FAME. You have been my strength in all this. I have not told anybody about my diagnosis because I know too well the shame and stigma that comes with it. Where I work, I have seen how my colleagues and clients talk about people they suspect have HIV. They’re not kind. Many health facilities have no privacy when you pick ARVs; many have had their condition discovered this way. I am very thankful to FAME for honoring my privacy. They don’t treat me any different from the other moms and when I come for my medication, it’s always done in a private room with a lot of discretion, just as I like it!”

— Mother of Two

Over the last year, She has learned to take care of herself. She eats well and incorporates long walks as exercise. The ARVs she gets from FAME enable her to live her life normally, go to work every day and comfortably take care of her children. 

Father of FOUR, Aged 45

A father of 4 has been admitted to FAME’s inpatient ward for the last seven days. He came through our emergency room upon arriving at FAME  but is recovering well and looking forward to being discharged. He discovered he was HIV-positive 13 years ago. 

“I was shocked when I got my diagnosis. I couldn’t believe it. The doctor tried to explain that it was not a death sentence and that with medication, I would be able to lead a happy and healthy life. But I was terrified that people would discover my condition and ostracize me from my community. So I refused to take the medication. I could not risk the stigma.”

— Father of Four

“When I met a woman I wanted to marry, I had to tell her my condition. I knew I risked rejection, but she needed to know the truth if she was to marry me. Luckily she was very receptive but insisted I follow the doctor's orders. So that's when I started taking my medicine.”

The medicine improved his condition significantly, but he wasn't consistently taking it. 

“My work takes me to far-to-reach areas for months at a time, and I don't always have access to dispensaries that offer my medicine, so I would stop taking them for these periods.”

Only when he started getting ill is when he took his medicine religiously, accepting that the medication was the only way to manage his condition. 

“My family and I have been very blessed. My wife and children are HIV-negative and continue to get tested regularly. I get scared when I get opportunistic infections, such as what led me here, but I’m so lucky that FAME has been here to help me this time. I have been treated with respect and given good service that has exceeded what the staff is required to provide. At FAME, I’m just like every other patient; I’m not singled out because of my condition. FAME has dealt with all my issues and I have deep faith that I will be okay.”

— Father of Four

*These patients permitted FAME to share their stories with our supporters to raise awareness, encourage and bring attention to the needs of individuals and families affected by HIV/AIDS.

The Foundation for African Medicine and Education (FAME) is not only about medicine and healthcare. As our name suggests, education is in our DNA! Whether it is weekly training sessions for the nurses and doctors or our volunteer program, where western-trained medical professionals from overseas work alongside our Tanzanian medical team sharing knowledge and expertise, FAME is an institution committed to lifelong learning. 

A few weeks ago, FAME faced a unique situation. Rebecca*, a 13-year-old student, came in with severe appendicitis, just one day before her government-mandated national examinations. Missing this examination would mean she would have to repeat a year of school. 

FAME believes that the long-term benefits of quality secondary education for girls are indisputable and the benefits to a community are immeasurable. In rural Tanzania, there are many formidable barriers blocking girls from fully participating in or completing their education. With Tanzania having one of the lowest secondary education enrollment rates in Africa, at 32% (UNESCO), FAME did everything possible to ensure this girl did not miss her exams. 

This is Rebecca’s incredible story of resilience in times of great turmoil and FAME’s fight to ensure that no one should have to choose between their health and their education.

PART 1: PASTOR LEAH, REBECCA’S MOTHER

Pastor Leah sits in a reflective and prayerful mood beside her daughter Rebecca’s hospital bed. Rebecca was admitted to FAME the previous night, presenting with abdominal pain and vomiting, symptoms she had been suffering from for a week. Her local clinic had diagnosed her with stomach ulcers and prescribed antacids, but her condition worsened.

“Yesterday evening, after a week, Rebecca’s condition got worse. On top of the one-sided abdominal pain and vomiting, her eyes were turning yellow. I am a pastor, so I dropped to my knees and said a prayer. I asked God to save her life. Then, because God helps those who help themselves, I called a taxi and brought her to FAME.”

After receiving and ultrasound and CT scan at FAME, Rebecca was diagnosed with appendicitis; however, she also had a large abscess, which had to be drained and treated with antibiotics before surgery to remove the appendix would be possible. Rebecca was taken to the operating room for the procedure.

“The drainage of the abscess would typically be done under sedation. Rebecca didn't want that; she wanted to be alert for the exam in the morning. The doctors were very kind to her and told her they would use local anesthesia to ensure that she was alert and awake once medicine wore off.”

Rebecca planned to go to school for her exams the following morning, but sadly she was too weak. “The school is only four miles from FAME, so she thought it was doable. But when she got up, she was frail. The dirt road from FAME to the main road is full of potholes, so it would not be an easy drive either. She was in no condition to go.”

Rebecca was devastated. 

“The nurses were just as heartbroken as she was. The nurse supervisor said she would call the head doctor and see if the school could send the exams to the hospital."

PART 2: DR. GABRIEL PAUL KISSIMA, HEAD DOCTOR

“Nurse supervisor, Hosiana, called me and said that Rebecca was facing missing her national examinations and asked if I could help in any way. I immediately sprung into action and called her school to inform them of the situation and request that they send the examination to her at FAME. They declined.” 

Determined and undeterred, Dr. Gabriel reached out to the DEO, who turned out to be a former FAME patient. He confirmed that the government exempted students in extraordinary circumstances, and Rebecca’s case qualified. He was gong to send an officer to ascertain that Rebecca was strong enough to sit for her examination despite being ill. 

The DEO officers came to FAME, and after a meeting with Rebecca, her mother and the FAME medical team, they agreed to let her sit for her examinations at FAME. They assigned an exam officer to sit with her throughout the assessment and every morning the officer would bring the test, ensuring that the whole process was done by the book and adhered to strict government testing rules.

“We are all so happy that everything worked out. It was a group effort from the FAME staff, who took the initiative to go the extra mile for Rebecca. She is a bright and determined girl and I’m sure she will succeed.”

PART 3: REBECCA, PATIENT & STUDENT

Nurse Amana Amini walks Rebecca to the exam room, giving her a pep talk along the way!

“When I started getting sick a week before my examination, I thought it was because of stress. I had been studying very hard and staying up late most nights to get more study time."

"After the fourth day of being ill, I started to panic. There was a real possibility that I might be too sick to do the exam, which worried me. Missing it meant that I would have to repeat the class. All my friends would go to the next class and I would be left with the younger kids who would catch up with me, making me the oldest in the class! So I was determined to do it, come rain or shine.”

“As my mum was waiting for the taxi to take us to FAME, she was kneeling, praying fervently that I would be healed and that God would save my life, but I asked her to pray so that I could be able to do the exams instead! If any interventions were taking place, I wanted them geared towards me sitting for these tests I have been preparing for, for a long time.”

— Rebecca

“After my procedure at FAME, I woke up the next morning ready to go to school, but I was too weak and tired. I cried bitterly as I felt my mind was sharp and ready for the assessment, but my body was failing me!”

She had worked hard for half a year to prepare, late-night and early-morning studying, all of which now proved useless. Then she received the good news, that she would be doing her examinations at FAME and that a room in the ward had been converted into an exam room. The nurses helped Rebecca on the walk every day from her hospital bed to the examination room, giving her pep talks along the way. 

“I am so happy. And so thankful. I can't believe this is happening! From the bottom of my heart, I thank the FAME team for making this work.”

“The exams have been okay, nothing I haven't read before. I expect a passing grade! The exams are two and a half hours each, but I don't struggle sitting up and writing the exam, as there is no pain.”

“We couldn’t believe it. We were so happy! I asked one of the nurses why the team fought so hard for Rebecca to be able to do her exams. I said, ‘you don’t know her! She’s just another patient!’ And she said ‘education is part of FAME’s name and is just as important as healthcare.’ And I told her, ‘a place that cares about my daughter’s health AND education? What more can I ask for? What more could I pray for? You are who you say you are and for that, my family is eternally grateful.”

— Pastor Leah, Rebecca's Mother

This Thanksgiving, we at FAME are thankful for stories like Rebecca's, and we are grateful to our friends and supporters whose generosity and constant support are the reason we are able to provide patient-centered care in rural Tanzania. Despite the challenges facing the world today, your support has been unwavering. 

Thanks for always being with us.

Happy Thanksgiving from our FAME Family to Yours!

*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

This World Prematurity Day, FAME highlights its Special Care Nursery (SCN), which offers advanced care to premature babies and their families. FAME’s capacity in preterm care has expanded to enable admitting infants as young as the gestational age of 27 weeks with good health outcomes. In 2021, FAME treated 24 preemies; to date this year, we have already treated 33 preemies, a 37% increase from last year, and we expect that number to continue to increase as we come to the end of the year.

The burden and challenges of preterm birth in low-resource areas such as rural Tanzania are enormous because of the complexities of caring for these vulnerable infants and preventing complications. This is why we are excited that this year, FAME’s SCN was fortunate to receive a donation of phototherapy units used for treating neonatal jaundice, which has been instrumental in reducing the number of referrals of babies with newborn jaundice. In 2021 FAME referred at least two jaundiced babies every month to other hospitals but this year, we have successfully treated 40 children with jaundice at FAME, thanks to the new phototherapy units. 

The following are stories from mothers with preterm infants admitted to FAME’s SCN. At different stages of preterm birth, we meet Naserian, born extremely preterm at 27 weeks, George, very preterm at 28 weeks and Bernard, born moderate preterm at 32 weeks. These stories of resilience, hope and faith demonstrate how important FAME’s SCN is in our catchment area. 

Naserian: Extremely preterm (born at 27 weeks [estimated])

Naserian’s mother holds her little girl.

When Naserian’s* mother was five months pregnant, she began to feel ill. She thought it was normal abdominal pregnancy pains, but as the weeks went by, her condition became worse. She was six months pregnant when she went into labor. She had contractions, vomiting and her water broke. Her children ran to call the traditional birth attendant (TBA) who lived nearby, as Naserian had planned for home delivery. The TBA confirmed that she was in labor and that the baby was coming any minute.

“When the baby was born, she was abnormally small. I could see the birth attendant’s face was shocked and scared. She advised my husband and me to visit a local clinic. I had given birth to three healthy full-term babies at home, so this was all very confusing!”

— Naserian's Mother

At the local clinic, the doctor asked them to look for a bigger hospital, as the baby needed specialized care that he could not provide. Determined to save their child, the family got a neighbor to drive them to the hospital; he knew about FAME and that it was the closest “big” hospital, so he drove them 30 miles to get there. 

Once at FAME, they were received and the baby was rushed to the SCN. The mother did not know the child's gestational age, but the doctors estimated it to be 27 weeks. The baby weighed 2 lbs. 

Naserian

“I am so grateful that FAME helped me. By the time we got here, I was already preparing for the worst. But the doctors and nurses have been so good at caring for her and she’s getting better. I have been here 12 days already and I can see some improvement. She’s 2.5 lbs today. I’m very hopeful. FAME also takes great care of me. They bring me a lot of good food every day. I can’t finish it all and I wish my other kids were here to eat the rest!”

— Naserian's Mother

George: Very preterm (born at 28 weeks)

Leah holding her son, George.

George’s* mother, Leah, was only 28 weeks pregnant when she went into labor. She owned a busy restaurant and had no time to attend prenatal classes since she got pregnant. This was her fourth pregnancy and because the previous pregnancies were uneventful, resulting in healthy children born to term, she thought this would be the same. 

“I was in my restaurant when it happened. My water broke, and it was a lot of water! Then the blood came. One of my employees rushed home to call my husband, who brought me to FAME in his car. I was crying the whole way. I thought this would not have happened if I had just attended the prenatal classes. I felt very guilty. I felt like I had killed my child.”

— Leah

Leah’s son, George, was born naturally at 28 weeks, weighing 1.9 lbs.

George

“He was so small! The doctors encouraged me to be positive, and they took him to the special care nursery. We stayed at this hospital for 29 days before I could take him home.”

— Leah

George was 2.7 lbs when he went home. The doctors and nurses taught Leah how to feed and clean her son, who was still quite small. 

“When I came home, because of the support and information I had received at FAME, I was able to care for the baby. So far, he is doing well. He suffers from stomach issues sometimes, but we have made good progress; he's 3 lbs today! He is always on my chest feeding or sleeping, and I have had to close my restaurant to take care of him. I guess I could hire someone to run it on my behalf, but that would divide my attention and I want to give my son my full attention. I cannot let him down again.”

Bernard: Moderate Preterm (born at 32 weeks)

Bernard in a neonatal incubator with a phototherapy lamp at FAME’s SCN.

We meet Bernard's* mum, Linda, in the SCN at FAME’s maternity ward. She is 20 years old and this is her first child. Linda lives in Morogoro, 390 miles from FAME. Her mother, who lives in Karatu, fell ill and asked Linda to come to help her around the house until she was strong enough to do her daily chores. Linda took a bus and came to Karatu. When she arrived in Karatu 12 hours later, she felt extremely sick. She was 32 weeks pregnant.

“Immediately, I got to my mother's house; I knew something was wrong. My stomach hurt in a way it has never hurt before. My mother asked me to rest since I had been on a long bus journey. I went to bed, but that's when the bleeding started. Despite this being my first pregnancy, I knew something was wrong. I was worried since I had done all my prenatal classes in Morogoro and my doctor was there. I didn't know what to do. My mum got very scared and called my uncle, who works at a hospital and asked him if his hospital could help. The hospital turned out to be FAME.”

At this point, Linda was experiencing contractions. Her mother got a taxi that brought them to FAME. Once at FAME, she was taken to the labor ward, where she delivered her baby naturally and he was sent to the SCN. He was born prematurely at 32 weeks, weighing 3.5 lbs. 

“I cried a lot. I thought my baby was dead because he was so small! The doctors were nice to me and explained everything. They told me that some babies are born younger than my son and they survive! I couldn’t believe it!”

— Linda

After 16 days at FAME, Bernard is ready to go home with his mum. His weight has increased by 0.2 lbs and Linda is happy. Every little gain counts. 

“I’m very happy that FAME has saved my child’s life. Every day I hold him close to my chest for hours [kangaroo care]; other times, he’s in this box with the light [Neonatal incubator with phototherapy lamp] that you can see. Take a picture of him; I want to show him how small he was when he’s older because I know he won’t believe me when I tell him.”

— Linda

FAME staff at the neonatal conference. From Left: Jacob Ignatus, Nurse, Martha Jerome, Nurse, Dr. Joselina Mumbee, Catherine Duwe, Nurse and Dr. Ken Karanja.

On top of quality essential equipment, FAME continues to invest heavily in its staff and ensure they are up to date on any developments in the neonatal world. Last month, two doctors and three nurses from FAME participated in a neonatal conference called “Tiny Feet, Big Steps” in Arusha. The five-day conference was sponsored by Arusha Lutheran Medical Center (ALMC) and covered topics such as thermoregulation, neurodevelopment care in NICU and apnea of prematurity, among others. This training helped improve their knowledge, skills, motivation and capacity to care for the preterm infants that pass through our doors.

*While the patients’ names have 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.