National Level Engagement

BMF is actively engaged in policy and advocacy work, including being the Chair and Secretariat of the Non- State Actors Health Group, Secretariat of the Non- State Actors Forum, Secretariat of HRH Alliance, and Co-chair of the HRH National Technical Working Group. BMF is also active in more than 5 Ministry of Health-led Technical Working Groups, including the COVID-19 Pillars Group.

Ports of Entry Responsiveness

In 26 of 46 official ports of entry in Tanzania, Mkapa Foundation has recruited and deployed 131 Health Care Workers to enhance early detection and screening of COVID-19 and other outbreak diseases. Moreover, 484 facility-based HCWs were deployed in health facilities to provide emergency response services.

Community & Facility Responsiveness

To combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus in communities, 3,992 Community Health care Workers (CHWs) have been deployed in villages and wards in 24 regions of Tanzania by Mkapa Foundation to provide health promotion initiatives at the community level.

In the course of creating a safe working environment for health care workers, BMF procured and distributed PPEs to all 46 ports of entry and 22 Regions which were given to frontline health care workers. Similarly, the institution supplied working gears to all CHWs, including mobile phones, for timely reporting and referrals for all clients presented with COVID- 19 symptoms from the community.

Furthermore, BMF renovated/ refurbished 7 isolation centers in five regions, namely Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Shinyanga, and Geita and Mara, to increase the ability of health facilities to respond to pandemics effectively.

In accelerating timely and quality health service provision, BMF coordinated and conducted capacity building to health care workers and community health workers with a key focus on essential health service provision, health promotion, and COVID – 19 prevention and management. The strengthening of community health structures amplified this to respond to COVID – 19 emergency outbreaks at the community level.

To sustain the quality of service provision at all levels, especially at the community and health facility level, BMF conducted jointly supportive supervision with LGAs in selected high-risk areas to provide on-site mentorship and coaching while addressing barriers for effective COVID – 19 emergency response.

Moreover, BMF has played a significant role in developing LGAs COVID-19 Micro plans to increase institutional support towards management of COVID – 19 at the sub-national level.