New Milestone in U.S.-Tanzania Health Partnership as $250 million Afya Yangu (“My Health”) Program Launches in Dodoma

Dodoma – Today, The United States Ambassador to Tanzania, Dr. Donald Wright, Prime Minister, Hon. Kassim Majaliwa, Minister of Health, Hon. Ummy Mwalimu, Minister of PORALG, Hon. Innocent Bashungwa, Hon. Dr Dorothy Gwajima, Minister for Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director V. Kate Somvongsiri attended the launch of USAID’s Afya Yangu activities, a $260 million flagship health services delivery program at the Treasury Square, Kambarage Hall in Dodoma.

 

USAID Afya Yangu is a five-year program, comprising three activities that will address issues around HIV, tuberculosis (TB), family planning (FP), and reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health (RMNCAH).

Statistics show that Tanzania has around 1.7 million HIV-positive people, faces persistent challenges in reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health, and continues to have cases of COVID-19 which have disproportionately affected high-risk groups like pregnant women and those living with HIV.

The U.S. government is committed to partnering with the Government of Tanzania’s Ministry of Health and the President’s Office-Regional Administration and Local Government at the central and regional levels to deliver high-quality integrated HIV, TB, and RMNCAH prevention, care, and treatment services that will improve health outcomes, particularly for youth, women, and children.

The project will also improve Tanzanian households’ nutrition and health outcomes by making quality health care services more readily accessible by continuing to build the capacity of local stakeholders for long-term, country-led programs.

 

The Afya Yangu program being launched today directly contributes to these goals. Through this program, USAID Tanzania will increase the identification of people living with HIV and ensure they start–and stay on–antiretroviral treatment; and improve people’s ability to protect themselves against HIV infection. Afya Yangu will also strengthen community-led health systems to ensure Tanzanians in target regions receive the quality health services they need and increase childbirth services to improve pregnancy and newborn outcomes.

 

Healthy children are the future leaders of Tanzania who can only achieve their full potential with adequate access to healthcare and education. The US government is committed to partnering with the Government of Tanzania to advance the goal of ensuring that Tanzania’s youth are healthy, well-nourished, well-educated, and possess the right skills.

Speaking at the event, Ambassador Wright remarked, “With nearly two-thirds of Tanzania’s population under the age of 25, we must strengthen local health systems to improve the health outcomes for generations of young Tanzanians that will guide the country towards a more viable and stable future.”

USAID’s Afya Yangu program will be implemented in 21 regions of mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health, PO-RALG, regional and local government authorities, civil society organizations, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF), Jhpiego, Deloitte and consortium partners.