Open Architecture Network

Dear all,
We are pleased to write this first of several updates regarding the Ipuli Rural Center of Excellence (IRCE). As a recap, the Ipuli Rural Center of Excellence is a community-oriented, community-driven project that aims to create new participatory and collaborative methods to promote health, education and community development in marginalized and rural regions in Tanzania . Due to this commitment, IRCE works closely with the community and puts them at the center of all activities. We have so far been successful to achieve our goals and plans are in set up to replicate this project in other parts of Africa .

So what have been some of the activities taking place in Ipuli in the past year?

1. Izumi Foundation provided a $79,000 grant in July 2008 to build and operate a maternity center in Ipuli Village . A representative from Izumi will visit the project site on September 20 to see the beginning of the construction of the maternity center.

2. A documentary was made by Poptech! and Haley and Aldrich from their trip to Ipuli in September 2007. The final documentaries are available for viewing on their websites. During this trip, a cheque from Haley and Aldrich was presented to the IRCE that has gone towards the completion of the IRCE hospital in September 2007. The hospital will be open by Fall of next year.

3. The medical dispensary that was build adjacent to the Ipuli Medical Training Center will be fully operational in November 2008, with medical staff coming from a local NGO who specializes in rural medical care.

4. Two volunteers from Canada will begin to work with the project the end of this year, with one person conducting a health assessment of Ipuli residents and another designing a rural health information system.

5. The 4-tonne truck purchased in 2007 to facilitate all construction efforts as well as serve as a source of income by transporting products to and from the market between Singida and Dar es Salaam is now profitable and able to recover construction expenses.

6. Dr. Charles Mgana will attend the 2008 Poptech! conference in October in Portland , Maine .

From 2 October to 3 November, Dr. Charles and Mrs. Hellena Mgana of the IRCE will be in the United States to meet with supporters and partners. They will present updates of the IRCE, and raise awareness of the importance in working directly with rural communities in Tanzania (and in other African countries). They also plan to raise $10,000 for the purchase and operation of a van to be used as a mobile medical unit whose primary mission will be to reach out to people in Singida region with identified health risks who may not have access to regular health care.
Below are the dates and locations of where Charles and Hellena will be in the States. If you are interested to meet with them and get more exciting updates of the IRCE project, please do let us know before September 17 by emailing nmgana@yahoo.com.

29 September-2 October: Montreal , Canada
2-7 October: California ( Stanford University , Mountain View , and Loma Linda University of Health Sciences)
7-10 October: Denver , Colorado
10-12 October: Herington, Kansas
12-14 October: Chicago , Illinois
14-16 October: Hiram, Ohio (Hiram College )
17-26 October: Portland, Maine (Poptech! conference)
26-29 October: Boston , Massachusetts
29 October-3 November: Washington , DC

Dear all,

I am pleased to announce that the Ipuli project will receive 79,000 USD from Izumi Foundation for the construction and operation of a maternity center in Ipuli Village. This is a 12-month funding whereby the first check will be sent on July 7, 2008.

Details of the funding is described below. This funding is meant to supplement current activities in Ipuli by providing care and services for women and children.

The Ipuli Rural Center of Excellence wishes to thank each and every one of its partners and supporters in realizing this project from a dream to reality.

Thank you,
Charles, Hellena and Neema

Maternity Center:

Early Health Intervention- activities: ($10,000)

• Carrying out a health assessment to inform future activities of the project;

• Identifying entry points and focal areas for health education/disease prevention;
• Develop a strategy for health education into early project activities;
• Carrying out a series of health interventions seminars for community leaders, government officials, and NGO and community-based workers;
• Building the capacity of community committees and organizations in the area to carry out interventions that empower women;
• Procurement and distribution of delivery kits, supplies and drugs; and
• Monitoring and reporting on the progress of health considerations.

Health Intervention (maternal and child)- activities: ($21,000)

• Promoting approaches to preventing postpartum hemorrhage, mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS and malaria in pregnancy;

• Establishing systems for training and educating maternal and newborn care providers;
• Developing national guidelines to improve maternal and child health;
• Strengthening maternal and newborn health care services; and
• Mobilizing community participation in safe motherhood and child health.

Sustainable Development- activities: ($6,000)

There is need to build capacity to construct an information system involving data collection from the community level and aggregating at the district level.

• Procurement of bicycle ambulances, radio communications equipment and village phones;

• Establishing Information Management Structures;
• Training of established committees;
• Retooling local committees by providing equipment and data collection tools;
• Data collection and small area profiling;
• Advocacy for community-based information management systems;
• Technical support for planning and service delivery monitoring and evaluation; and
• Production and distribution of guidelines and client cards.

Construction- activities: ($42,000)

The construction and outsourcing of a maternal wing located adjacent to the Mother-Child Medical Center is a central part of the RCE’s commitment to women and child health. The maternity wing would comprise of a maternity suite that with delivery and postnatal facilities. A small theatre would allow on site for women who need emergency health services.