Tanzania

Click here to download the advocacy pack for White Ribbon Day 2012 in English.

Click here to download the advocacy pack for White Ribbon Day 2012 in Kiswahili.

White Ribbon Alliance Tanzania Celebrates White Ribbon Day

‘’Saving The Lives of Mothers and Newborns is in your Hands - Be Accountable’’

15 March 2012 – White Ribbon Alliance (WRA) Tanzania celebrates National White Ribbon Day by bringing together members to advocate to politicians and policy-makers and to mobilize communities on safe motherhood issues, under the theme ‘’Saving The Lives of Mothers and Newborns is in your Hands - Be Accountable’.

Accountability is a topic which has gained great traction at the national level following the Government of Tanzania’s ambitious commitment to the UN Global Strategy on Women’s and Children’s Health. WRA has developed specific advocacy messages to raise awareness of this commitment and to urge stakeholders including the Prime minister, parliamentarians, health workers and communities to play their part in holding the Government accountable.  President Kikwete has played a global leadership role on this issue, most notably by co-chairing the Commission on Information and Accountability set up to track the recommendations from the Global Strategy.

WRA Tanzania was launched in March 2004 with 13 members and over the past 8 years has grown to 3600 individual members and 108 member organizations united by a common vision - for all women and newborns in Tanzania to enjoy essential, quality and life-saving safe motherhood services in a supportive environment.

Read about Tanzania's White Ribbon Day in the news, here.

Play Your Part Film Launch

The Role of WRATZ

By Rose Mlay, National Coordinator of WRA in Tanzania

“The White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood Tanzania (WRATZ) will continue advocating with policy/decision-makers and mobilizing communities to demand and seek life-saving safe motherhood services until all women's and newborns' lives are safe and dignity restored. Specifically, WRATZ is seeking adequate numbers of qualified health workers (doctors, midwives and nurses). Right now, Tanzania has only 32 percent of the qualified health workers it needs. WRATZ is also seeking a clearly-identified and adequate budget for maternal and newborn health. Right now, it is very difficult to point out budget lines in district budgets that will help a pregnant woman and a newborn to be safe during childbirth. The health budget per head is US $14 in Tanzania, while the World Health Organization says the minimum should be US $40. We use our National White Ribbon Days to advocate with politicians and policy-makers on these issues. WRATZ conducts community mobilizations so communities can know their right to life-saving safe motherhood services and demand such services. We also disseminate our yearly advocacy messages to district leaders who are the implementers on the ground. The WRATZ focal persons we have at almost every region help with follow-ups at the district-level.”

WRATZ Public Service Announcement