Mount Meru Foundation

The Mount Meru Foundation is commited to improving mother and child care in Afrika.

Summary annuel report 2022

2022 was an eventful year for the foundation, we had to say goodbye to our dear chairman Margriet van der Weel – Roem in August.

In 2022, the Mount Meru Foundation (SMM) will conduct research into setting up new projects in addition to monitoring current projects.

Due to the illness of the chairman Margriet van der Weel-Roem, no working visit took place. Instead of a working visit with hands-on training from the Netherlands, Regina Namumba, who now works in Tabora, has given several sonographers extra hands-on training.

We have also been able to monitor and guide the progress of the “Mamabus” project in Lower Moshi in 2022.

In collaboration with SDN and following the example of the project in Lower Moshi, a second “Mamabus” project was started in 2019 in the Karatu region. After the progress of this project was delayed by the corona crisis in 2020 and 2021, we made significant progress in 2022. The bus is in the starting blocks to start driving in 2023. Mobile ultrasound device was purchased for this project.

In 2022, a mobile ultrasound machine went to Regina Namumba in Tabora. She uses this device, among other things, to give trainees extra hands-on training.

A new project will be added in 2022. Johanna Omar, German obstetrician in Zanzibar, will perform pregnancy checks including ultrasound at a number of outposts. The Foundation was able to provide a mobile ultrasound machine for this project. Regina trained Johanna for this project.

In 2022, the foundation was able to purchase 4 new mobile ultrasound devices, 2 of which are already operational in Tanzania.

Explanation Activities 2022

Project Lower Moshi- Northern Tanzania

The Driving Nurses Foundation and SMM are still working together on the Mamabus in the Lower Moshi region, also known as the Mamabus 2.0. The TPC Hospital in Moshi, with whom there are good contacts, also provides a qualified nurse/midwife for the mamabus. Part of the antenatal care can be financed by the Tanzanian government and is universally offered to all pregnant women in Tanzania. In 2019, SMM was able to offer Veronika Tarimo, a nurse from the TPC Hospital, the opportunity to follow the ultrasound training in Moshi. Veronika is now authorized and competent to perform the ultrasounds on the mamabus. The Philips Lumify (ultrasound machine) has been loaned for mother and child care for the mamabus. We are currently looking for a second sonographer to back up Veronika.

Project “Adopt an ultrasound technician”

In 2019 we started the project “Adopt an ultrasound technician”. We hope that in 2023 students can again be admitted to the renewed training in Dodoma.

Project: “Further training of already graduated sonographers”

Regina Namumba, an old acquaintance of the Foundation, a very experienced and well-trained sonographer with whom the Foundation worked fruitfully at Mount Meru Hospital in Arusha, has made herself available to act as a senior hands-on trainer for our sonographers.

Since Regina now lives in Tabora, on the other side of the country, the students have to travel a long way and stay in Tabora for 10 days. The travel, accommodation and training costs are financed by the foundation. In 2022, several sonographers went to Regina for hands-on training.

The Regina Foundation has also loaned a mobile ultrasound machine for hands-on training, but also for making emergency ultrasounds in the delivery rooms or during outreach.

Project Himo: “The mobile sonographer”

In Himo, in addition to training, we also work on setting up a mobile service. There is a need for this mobile service in the outlying areas around Himo. We want to set up this project in collaboration with the Driving Nurses Foundation. In 2018 we started ultrasound on the mamabus in Moshi. We also want to launch a similar concept in collaboration with the Himo Health Centre. The Driving Nurses Foundation will provide a mama bus, the Himo Health Center will take care of the staff on the bus and the Mount Meru Foundation will take care of the ultrasound (i.e. training and equipment) on the mama bus.

Project Karatu: “The mobile sonographer”

In Karatu, just like in Himo, we are also working on setting up mobile service in addition to training. We also want to set up this project in collaboration with the Driving Nurses Foundation. In Karatu, this project had already started in 2019. After the progress of this project was delayed by the corona crisis in 2020 and 2021, we made significant progress in 2022. The bus is in the starting blocks to start driving in 2023. Mobile ultrasound device was purchased for this project.

Project Zanzibar: “The mobile sonographer”

Margriet and Anna Lied provided hands-on training and material support to the German obstetrician Johanna Omar on Zanzibar in 2017 and 2018. Last year, Johanna again came to SMM with a request for help. She had set up a program for mobile pregnancy checks in the remote villages of Zanzibar and arranged the necessary permissions for this. All she lacked was a mobile ultrasound machine to be able to offer real full-fledged pregnancy checks. SMM has been able to loan Johanna a mobile ultrasound machine. With this we have been able to kick-start her project for mobile pregnancy checks in the outlying areas of the island.

Sponsorship

In 2019, SMM also started a packaging campaign at large supermarkets throughout the country. This promotion also yielded more than € 2000 in 2022. The action will continue in 2023. In addition, SMM was also allowed to receive other donations in 2022.