Tanzania

Since 2018, Wombs of the World has been working in the Karatu region of northern Tanzania — building long-term relationships with hospitals, clinics, and communities.

Today, the WotW Foundation is dedicated to supporting community-led initiatives that strengthen maternal healthcare, honor traditional midwifery, and create lasting impact for mothers and families.

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MATERNAL HEALTH IN TANZANIA:
KEY CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS

Maternal Mortality: As of 2019, Tanzania faces a high maternal mortality ratio of 556 deaths per 100,000 live births.

Global Context: The World Health Organization notes that 70% of global maternal deaths occur in Sub-Saharan Africa, with Tanzania being significantly impacted.

Geographical Challenges: The vast and rural geography of Tanzania makes accessing healthcare facilities difficult. Many expecting mothers must travel long distances for care, leading to delays and increased risk of complications.

Healthcare Facility Limitations: Even when care is reached timely, facilities often lack the necessary medical equipment, supplies, and infrastructure for emergency obstetric care.

Strategies for Improvement:

Infrastructure Investment: Enhance healthcare infrastructure to support emergency obstetric care effectively.
Professional Training: Invest in the training of healthcare professionals to improve the quality of maternal care.
Transportation Improvements: Develop better transportation systems to facilitate quicker access to healthcare facilities.
Prenatal Care Services: Strengthen prenatal care services to ensure expecting mothers receive consistent, quality care throughout their pregnancy.
Community Education: Promote education and awareness about the importance of maternal healthcare to encourage early and regular care- seeking behaviors.

Impact Timeline

2019

Partnered with Safe Water Now to distribute 50 water filters to local clinics, allowing mothers and nurses to bring clean water home. Partnered with Boma La Mama to provide reusable menstrual pads and soap to postpartum mothers. During this time, Karatu Health Center identified its most urgent need: an ultrasound machine. At the time, women with complications were being sent down rough rural roads to distant hospitals, often at great risk to themselves and their babies.

2025

Expanded neonatal support by supplying CPAP machines to clinics. Funded the construction of a preschool/kindergarten for the youngest Maasai children, recognizing that education is key to healthier birth outcomes in the long term. Partnered with the Red Tent Doula Collective (UK) to send three nurse-midwives and one OBGYN from Karatu to advanced doula training in Zanzibar, bridging skills, global solidarity, and respectful care practices.

2025

One of the greatest challenges in Tanzanian maternity wards is supporting newborns who struggle to breathe after birth. Until recently, many clinics in Karatu had no access to neonatal CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machines, a simple but critical technology that can mean the difference between life and death in the first fragile hours of a baby’s life.
In 2025, thanks to donor support, the WotW Foundation supplied CPAP machines to local clinics. These machines now allow medical staff to stabilize newborns in respiratory distress, buying precious time for recovery and dramatically improving survival rates.
For mothers, this means fewer tragic losses. For staff, it means having the right tools to do their jobs with confidence and care. And for the community, it means hope: every baby who survives represents a stronger, healthier future.

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CURRENT PROJECT:
The Karatu Gentle Birth Initiative

In 2026, the Wombs of the World Foundation will launch the Karatu Gentle Birth Initiative at Karatu Lutheran This pilot program introduces a vertical birth room, doula-informed staff training, and maternal care protocols rooted in dignity and respect.

By combining ancestral traditions with evidence-based medicine, we aim to create a replicable model for safer, more compassionate births across East Africa.

Ongoing Community Support for a Maasai Boma

Support the Maasai Community

Since 2020, we’ve also partnered with a Maasai community rooted in traditional midwifery practices. What began as women inviting us to sit in circle has grown into a deep, trusting relationship.

Their requests have always been modest: funding a bead collective, goats, mattresses for children at boarding school, even a community toilet. Each time, the resources have flowed directly back into the families.

In 2024, their biggest request yet emerged: a primary school. Until then, the nearest school was over 10 miles away. With grassroots fundraising, and doulas who carried the story home, we raised $10,000 to build a school on their land. The building is nearly complete — a living symbol of resilience, leadership, and possibility for the next generation.

This is what community-led initiatives look like: small, intentional investments rippling into lasting change.

Looking Ahead

Our vision in Tanzania is to continue strengthening maternal health through a blend of:

The Karatu Gentle Birth Initiative: building a vertical birth space, maternal showers, and doula-informed protocols at Lutheran Hospital.
The Clinical Immersion Program: bringing skilled OBGYNs, midwives, and L&D nurses into exchange with Tanzanian staff, modeling evidence-based care and expanding training in critical areas like infant resuscitation and shoulder dystocia.
Community-Led Projects: supporting Maasai midwives, families, and schools in ways that are defined by their own voices and needs.

This work is just beginning, and your support makes it possible.