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Evaluation of SWASH: Has it addressed menstrual health and management challenges facing school girls in Muheza district?
(Mzumbe University, 2019) Mwaisengela, Mwantimwa S
Introduction: Many countries especially in Africa and Asia lack menstrual hygienic facilities in public places especially in schools where it is needed the most. At least 500 million” females, both women and young girls, do not have access to adequate facilities as part of managing menstrual hygiene (World Bank, 2018). This goes in hand to low level of MHHM understanding among both girls and boys. Hence this evaluation study aimed at ascertaining MHHM awareness among girls, schools’ adherence to SWASH MHHM guidelines, school boys peer support, availability of funds for implementation, implementers’ commitment and responsiveness to challenges and socio demographic and geographic factors affecting MHHM knowledge among school girls.
Methodology: The study was a concurrent mixed method with analytical cross sectional study design where a formative evaluation approach was employed to ascertain contribution of SWASH project in addressing MHHM related challenges facing school girls in Muheza district. 8 private and government secondary schools were purposely selected where 503 respondents were involved out of which, 458 girls were used as quantitative sample while 42 girls students were selected for in depth interviews out of quantitative sample, 5 FGD’s each comprised 8 girls’ students, 3 FGD’s for boys each comprised 8 students, 16 teachers and 5 District Managers were used in this study as a part of qualitative sample. Data were quantitatively analyzed with the help of Stata 13, Python and QGIS for geospatial analyses. Qualitative analysis involved content analysis technique with the help of Atlas ti.
Results: it was found that none of 8 schools has met 100% MHHM requirements as envisaged, mean students ratio per pit hole were observed to be 52 with the worst situation in government schools (>100 for some schools). Operations and maintenance was another challenge where non availability of soaps, emergency pads, water and dilapidated infrastructure were prevalent in government schools. Age were observed to have a weak positive relationship to students’ performance (r=0.35) while menstrual experience years modrate (r=0.52). “Form II”, “Form III” and “Form IV” are 1.04, 1.36 and 1.39 respectively times likely to have desirable awareness level (>= 50%) compared to “Form I” (p>0.05). primary and secondary level educated mothers are 10% and 6% less likely to have desirable MHHM understanding compared to university educated mothers (p=0.732 and 0.33 respectively) whereas Mothers who have not gone to school are 80% less likely to have a good understanding level than University/College mothers (p=0.033).
Conclusion: Unreliable funds, lack of awareness on SWASH project, poor sectorial coordination and non-consideration of MHHM issues as vital are major challenges impinging smooth implementation of SWASH project. Considerable measures are to viii be taken by government and project designers in areas of scale up, implementation and progress monitoring so as to ensure achievement of envisioned outcomes. recording and data reporting tools in the health facilities, despite that tools are available but still the quality of data remained doubtful due to data disparities observed in the documentary review across different level of response. Family planning data quality assessment is only performed at the District and in the Region level but rarely and improperly conducted at facility levels due to some observed challenges like inadequate knowledge for FP DQA, lack of skilled team, lack of standardized data quality assessment tools, mistrust of data collectors at different levels, data manipulation to fulfil donors requirements, parallel reporting and report overburden at the health facilities.
Outcome evaluation of differentiated HIV testing services in improving linkage of newly diagnosed clients to care and treatment in selected health facilities in Morogoro Region
(Mzumbe University, 2025) Centa,Boniface G.
Background: Linkage to HIV care and treatment following diagnosis is essential for the prompt initiation of antiretroviral therapy and for effective epidemic control. The NASHCoP 2022-2026 Strategic Plan aims to achieve 100% linkage rate. This evaluation assessed the effectiveness of Differentiated HIV Testing Services and contextual factors influencing linkage to care and treatment among newly HIV clients in Morogoro region from January 2024 to February 2025. Methods: A sequential explanatory mixed-methods was used. Quantitatively, a multistage sample of 392 newly diagnosed clients was drawn from facility records. Data on the linkage proportion, timeliness, and associated factors were analysed using descriptive statistics and a logistic regression in STATA v17.0. Qualitatively purposively selected 6 healthcare providers who provide HTS at various testing points were interviewed in-depth; transcripts underwent phenomenological analysis in ATLAS.ti v9 to identify facilitators and barriers of linkage to care.
Results: Of the newly diagnosed clients, 90.05% were successfully linked to care, with 95% of those linked being enrolled on the same day of diagnosis. Higher odds of successful linkage were observed among females (AOR=7.19; P=0.014), and those diagnosed at dispensaries (AOR=2.10; P=0.017). Qualitative findings identified key facilitators including high quality pre and post-test counseling, positive provider-client relationships, active phone follow-up, support from expert clients and mentor mothers, and weekly departmental meetings. Major barriers included cultural denial among Maasai pastoralist communities, religious beliefs, unavailability of CTC services on weekends, stigma and distance to CTC.
Conclusion: Linkage to HIV care was high but below universal targets, with same day enrolment common. Success was influenced by gender, marital status, distance, and contact availability, proper counseling, and peer support. Persistent cultural, religious, and stigma-related barriers require targeted interventions
Determinants of youth participation in sports betting: A case study of Mzumbe Ward, Mvomero District, Morogoro, Tanzania
(Mzumbe University, 2025) Wilson, Elinami
The growing involvement of youth in sports betting activities presents serious social and economic challenges, especially in developing countries like Tanzania, where unemployment and limited recreational options are common. This study aimed to examine the determinants of youth participation in sports betting in Mzumbe Ward, Mvomero District, Tanzania. Guided by three specific objectives, the research explored youth perceptions of the risks and benefits of sports betting and analyzed the economic and social determinants contributing to their engagement. A cross sectional design was adopted, employing a mixed-methods approach that combined quantitative data from 362 survey respondents with qualitative insights from interviews and focus group discussions. Descriptive statistics, content analysis, and binary logistic regression (using SPSS v25) were utilized for data analysis. The results showed that while some youth view sports betting as a source of entertainment and potential income, the majority (74.6%) believe that risks such as strained relationships, financial loss, addiction, and mental health issues outweigh the benefits. Economic determinants, including financial pressure (p = 0.016), income levels (p = 0.024), and employment status (p = 0.030), were found to significantly influence betting behavior. Youth under financial stress were more likely to participate, whereas employed individuals were less likely to engage. Furthermore, social determinants such as peer influence (p = 0.001), family background (p = 0.002), gender (p = 0.006), and education level (p = 0.011) also had significant effects. In conclusion, both economic and social determinants have a significant impact on youth involvement in sports betting. The study recommends multi-sectoral measures for the Gaming Board of Tanzania (GBT), social service organizations, and educational institutions, including public awareness campaigns, economic empowerment initiatives, stricter gambling regulations, and the provision of alternative recreational activities to foster positive youth development.
Healthcare services delivery to elders in Tanzania: Analysis of challenges and enablers in Songea Municipal Council, Tanzania
(Mzumbe University, 2025) Mtega, Victoria
Quality health care service delivery to elders is important for social economic development of any country. Despite this recognition, the provision of quality healthcare services to elders in Tanzania, particularly in upgraded health centers, remains a significant challenge despite improvements in infrastructure and service availability. This study examined enablers and challenges of healthcare delivery to elderly patients. The mixed research approach with explanatory sequential research design was employed. The study began with a survey questionnaire which was administered to 220 healthcare providers selected through simple random sampling. This was followed with 20 -depth interviews with geriatrics selected purposively from the upgraded health center in Songea Municipal Council. SPSS version 23 was employed to perform descriptive statistics, logistic regression and variable of p-value of less than 0.05 was statistically significant. Results showed that 69.5% of healthcare provider delivered sub-optimal healthcare services to elders. Factors like leadership support, staff training, and effective policies were important enablers while, challenges were shortages of resources and staff, as well as poor coordination between service units, hindered effective service delivery. Qualitative insights from elders highlighted both strengths and weaknesses, including challenges like drug stock-outs, long waiting times, and delays in emergency care, alongside positive experiences with trained providers offering proper diagnosis and treatment. The study concluded that heath care service delivery to elders in some areas, remain largely inadequate. The study recommends strengthening facility leadership, providing ongoing geriatric training, developing and implementing elder-specific policies, ensuring adequate staffing and medical supplies, and enhancing coordination through clear referral systems and integrated health records. Collaboration among government, healthcare providers, and communities is vital for sustainable improvement. Policy implications include prioritizing leadership development, standardized geriatric training, equitable staffing, and integrated service delivery models. Establishing shared care plans and efficient referral systems will promote continuity and quality of elder care. These measures are essential for creating a responsive, inclusive healthcare system to meet Tanzania’s growing elderly population’s needs
Kileo, J.A., .
(High Court of Appeal Dodoma - Tanzania, 2013) Andrea Kitungu Appelant Vs The Republic Respondent Criminal Appeal No. 185 Of 2010
The appellant was arraigned for rape in the District Court of Iramba contrary to section 130 (2) (e) and 131 (1) of the Penal Code, Cap 16 R.E.
2002. When the charge was read over to him he replied: "It is true I had carnal knowledge of the said Suzana roneh" following which a plea of
guilty was accordingly entered. It was alleged that the appellant had carnal knowledge of a child of three years of age. Subsequently the facts were
read over to him to which he also admitted. The trial magistrate however, on the basis of the PF3 which did not show that rape had been committed
convicted the appellant of attempted rape and upon the conviction he was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment and twelve strokes of corporal
punishment. The High Court upheld his conviction and sentence except for the corporal punishment which was set aside.