Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world.  As a result, Tanzanian women face many major health challenges—in particular, high levels of maternal and infant mortality, neonatal disorders, respiratory infections, HIV/AIDS, stroke, tuberculosis, heart disease, malaria, diarrheal diseases, congenital defects, and cirrhosis.

Since 2010, people who live in the remote Kondoa district of the Dodoma region in Tanzania have received health services at a centre in the village of Itololo operated by the Congregation of the Passionists.

The health centre has a hospital that has a post-natal ward, a men’s ward, a delivery room, a surgery room, and an outpatients’ facility.  Unfortunately, it has no dedicated women’s ward.  The centre therefore has no capacity to accommodate sick women or sick children who need the support of their mother.  Thus, these women and children are often severely disadvantaged in terms of the health outcomes that the medical staff can achieve.

Passionist Father Priscus Massawe, who studied English and Business Administration in Australia while living with the Passionist Community in Melbourne, is now the administrator of the Itololo health centre.

The Foundation is currently working with Father Priscus to raise funds to support the construction of a dedicated women’s ward at the Itololo health centre.  The people of the Kondoa district have little capacity to finance the construction of the ward.  The district has high levels of poverty, arising in part from drought, climate change, and soil degradation.