Mount Meru foundation

The Mount Meru Foundation is committed to improving mother and child care in Africa

In 2018, the Mount Meru Foundation (SMM) was able to follow up and expand the current projects in Arusha and
Zanzibar.

A partnership has been established with the Foundation Driving Nurses (SDN) to extend the mamabus project in Lower-Moshi set up by SDN with ultrasound.

A start has also been made on facilitating knowledge and expertise in the ultrasound for the Boma la Mama Project in North / East Tanzania (Arusha region) where a birth center will be opened in 2019.

In October 2018, the board members Margriet van der Weel and Anna Lied Poelstra of the Mount Meru Foundation - at their own expense - went for a working visit to Tanzania. During that visit they got
acquainted with the mamabus project with Suus Theuws (board member SDN) in Lower-Moshi and prepared for facilitating the ultrasound.

In addition, during this working visit, the training opportunities with regard to ultrasound in and around Moshi (among others at the KCMC teaching hospital) were inventoried and contacts were made to have
the students selected by SMM follow a registered ultrasound program.

Cooperation Foundation Mount Meru and the foundation Driving Nurses

The Foundation Mount Meru (SMM) and the Foundation Driving Nurses (SDN) have entered into a partnership in early 2018 to support and facilitate maternity care in the remote areas around LowerMoshi.

The "Mama Bus" of the SDN, which is now circulating, already provides a piece of information, education and maternity checks. Work has been done on the plan to also provide the bus with a mobile, wireless ultrasound device and staff trained in ultrasound.

There are agreements made that the SMM provides an ultrasound device and the training in the obstetric ultrasound. The SDN takes care of the maintenance of the "Mama Bus" and a part of the personnel costs.

Project Lower Moshi- North Tanzania

Together with the Foundation Driving Nursers, the SMM is working on the implementation of meternity checks and ultrasound on the Mamabus in het Lower Moshi region, also known as the mamabus 2.0.

The TPC Hospital in Moshi, where there are good contacts, also provides a qualified nurse / obstetrician for the mamabus. Part of the prenatal care is financed by the Tanzanian government that is offered universally to all pregnant women in Tanzania.

In the Lumify (echo device from Philips), the SMM has a compact, user-friendly, very easy to carry and can be found at any time / anywhere using an ultrasound device. An advantage of the Lumify is that it is easy to share images via a mobile network (with a supervisor, for example). This makes the device ideally suited for the rural areas. The Lumify has been purchased for this project

Project Mount Meru Hospital at Arusha

The ultrasound device (the Mindray Z6) that SMM donated to the Mount Meru hospital in Arusha in 2017 is widely used. Almost 7000 echoes were already made with the Mindray. During our visit in October 2018, we have seen how well the device meets and that diagnostically the possibilities in the hospital have increased and are being used.

The “MamaBus” in the region of Arusha

The SMM and the SDN work with Dr. Wonanji, the Regional Medical Officer in Arusha, to a business plan to roll out the mamabus project in the Arusha region. Here, too, it is the intention to reach those pregnant women in the remote areas where currently no care is available. The first steps for the launch of a mamabus in the Arusha district have already been made in collaboration with the RMO. Wonanji, Foundation Driving Nurses and the Mount Meru Foundation.

Project Zanzibar - Chukwani clinic

The German midwife Johanna has expanded her echo skills over the past year. Where previously no ultrasound was possible, now every pregnant woman receives standard ultrasounds. During the SMM visit in October 2018, Johanna was further trained and also started giving echo training to a second midwife, Halima, a local nurse / midwife.

Project  Boma la Mama - regio of Arusha

In mid-2019, a midwife-led birth center will be opened in Mto Wa Mbu, for example Leesha Mafuru. Leesha is a Canadian midwife who has been living and working in Tanzania for years. A local midwife, Haikael, has now been selected who will make echoes for the center and who will be trained by SMM.

Sponsoring

In 2018, the Tilburg women's dispute Alea Iacta held its annual benefit cabaret evening for the Mount Meru Foundation. The very successful evening yielded 3300 euros. The organization star-shl has made a financial contribution in 2018 for the purchase of the mobile ultrasound device, the Lumify. Also this year "Mount Meru-beer" was brewed, the sale of which yielded more than 300 euros. Anniversary funds and other gifts also provided a positive balance on our account at the close of 2018.

Management news

In mid-April, Saja Erens joined the Board of SMM to succeed Nancy Jongsma. Saja is a midwife ultrasound operator and has a great passion for maternal and childcare in the Sub Saharan Africa.