Success and Perspectives – Kigoma

In late January, Grounds for Health returned to Kigoma, Tanzania for our second provider training and screening campaign. Similar to our work in Mexico and Nicaragua, we continue to focus on implementing the Single Visit Approach to cervical cancer prevention. Our primary partners in Tanzania are the Kanyovu Coffee Cooperatives and the Jane Goodall Institute.

As we reported from the field, the Tanzanian Ministry of Health has designated our Kigoma collaboration as one of four “demonstration projects” for cervical cancer prevention in the entire country. By strengthening ties with the Jane Goodall Institute and the Kanyovu Coffee Cooperatives, and by exploring collaborations with the Tanzanian Ministry of Health, Jhpiego and ICAP, we are cultivating a program in Kigoma that will have the capacity to reach many more women.

Our focus of this trip was to collaborate with the same ten doctors and nurses whom we trained last June. All of them have been using their new skills in visual inspection with acetic acid to screen women for cervical cancer. Our goal was review core knowledge and build upon clinical skills in VIA and cryotherapy. Grounds for Health uses a training model that develops cervical cancer screening skills in a supportive “hands-on” learning environment. Medical volunteers and Grounds for Health staff work side by side with the local health care trainees and together we screen women for cervical cancer using visual inspection with acetic acid.

The demand for such screening is high, as this service has previously been unavailable to women in Tanzania. During our six days of clinical training and community screening, women arrived daily from the community, requesting cervical cancer screening. We saw almost 400 women for services and provided same day treatment for women needing cryotherapy. More importantly, our Tanzanian providers are now better equipped to provide high quality cervical cancer screening with VIA and treatment with cryotherapy. With the support of our partners, we predict that these talented and dedicated clinicians will move our unique collaboration and small “demonstration project” to the next level.

Stay tuned—as we’ll be returning to Kigoma in June for our next campaign and training of ten additional doctors and nurses.