Wazazi Nipendeni Safe Motherhood Campaign

Background
Although maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) has seen improvements in Tanzania in the last few decades, Tanzanian women still face an unacceptably high risk of preventable morbidity and mortality during their reproductive years. Tanzania’s maternal mortality ratio remains high at 454 deaths per 100,000 lives births, as does the neonatal mortality rate at 26 deaths per 1,000 live births, and the infant mortality rate, at 51 deaths per 1,000 live births.

Tanzania has committed to improving MNCH through the Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA), which recognizes the importance of social and behavior change communication in its efforts to save the lives of Tanzania’s women and children.

Campaign Overview
Wazazi Nipendeni (Love me, parents) aims to operationalize CARMMA by empowering pregnant women and their partners to take the steps necessary for a healthy pregnancy and safe delivery. The campaign integrates all safe motherhood health areas under one platform, including early and complete ANC attendance, malaria prevention, the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT), individual birth planning and safe delivery. Wazazi Nipendeni emphasizes the following key behaviors through a mix of mass media, community and interpersonal communication channels:

  • Attend ANC within the first 16 weeks of pregnancy
  • Attend ANC at least four times during pregnancy
  • Test for HIV together with their partner
  • Enroll in PMTCT services if HIV positive
  • Receive 2 doses of SP for the prevention of malaria in pregnancy
  • Sleep under a treated net every night
  • Make an individual birth plan
  • Deliver at a health facility with a skilled provider

Key channels include radio and TV spots and programs on national and regional stations, clinic posters, client materials, billboards and other outdoor and promotional materials. The Wazazi Nipendeni SMS platform allows pregnant women, birth supporters, and others interested in safe motherhood to receive information and reminders about healthy pregnancy by sending the word “mtoto” (child) to the number 15001 free of charge on all mobile networks.

Preceded by the commercial release of the campaign song on radio stations nationwide, Wazazi Nipendeni officially launched in Mwanza on November 20th, 2012.

Partnerships
Wazazi Nipendeni is a partnership led by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare Reproductive and Child Health Section in coordination with the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP), the National AIDS Control Program (NACP), the Health Promotion and Education Section, and the mHealth Tanzania Public Private Partnership. The campaign is funded by the United States Government through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the US President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The campaign was developed by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs (JHU∙CCP) and the SMS component by the mHealth Tanzania Public Private Partnership. Partners include Jhpiego, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF), Mwanzo Bora program, FHI360, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), CCBRT, Deloitte - Tunajali project, PLAN International, Aga Khan Health Services, and a number of projects on the ground.

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