Child’s health is a prerequisite for school retention and performance, SATF provides health support for all MVC under its education program. SATF Health interventions includes Improved Community health Fund Insurance scheme, National Insurance Health Fund and the Sexual and Reproduction Initiative, nutrition, provision of sanitary pads and psychosocial support.

Sexual and Reproductive Health

SATF introduced Adolescent and Reproductive Health project branded as “Binti Simama Imara (BSI) to complement SATF Education program in five piloting Secondary schools in Dodoma Municipality. The projects’ main objectives are;

  1. To reduce school dropout due to teenage pregnancies by empowering young girls on life skills and knowledge on Adolescent Sexual, menstrual hygiene management and reproductive health including HIV and AIDS.
  2. Establish School health clubs which will act as for school youth to meet and discuss on issues and concern related to SRH and HIV/AIDS dissemination of relevant Information Education and communication materials (IEC materials) and guardians’/parents’ involvement.

 Key interventions under this project included; Training to selected school teachers as TOTs who in turn facilitates peer education training to selected schools’ youth.

Using trained peer educators to reach their fellow students with key messages on ASRH and HIV and AIDS through health talks..

Twenty (20) Teachers were trained as Trainers of Trainee (TOTs) but also served as Matron and Patrons for school health clubs;

Eighty (80) selected students were trained as Peer Educators and 80 clubs were established in schools to act as the fora for students to meet and discuss freely their challenges related to Sexual and Reproductive Health.

Through peer education program; a total number of 3,231 out of 2,100 planned target were reached with key behavior change messages. This was done through one on one and group peer education sessions known as “health talks” and Inter school debates since the project inception.

Young people deserve access to accurate, comprehensive and age appropriate sexual health education and care.

  1. Binti Nadhifu (BN) Project

Binti Nadhifu (BN) Project is subsidiary support under SRH project that is geared towards providing an additional and vital support to female students who are under SATF Education program.

The Project aims to address the menstrual challenges facing Tanzanian girls who cannot get access to sanitary pads and advocating for health and cleanliness of young girls in schools. 

The projects’ main objectives are;

-Facilitate access to hygienic sanitary wears.

-Boost the girls’ morale and confidence thus be able to fully participate in schools.

-Facilitate girls to nurture habitual cleanliness that will mitigate any contamination that may result to diseases such as fungus, UTI or cervical cancer.

– Establish an entry point for breaking the silence and build awareness about the fundamental role that good menstrual hygiene Management (MHM) plays in enabling girls to reach their full potential.

Since the project establishment in 2018, BN project has supported a total of 1356 female beneficiaries under SATF Education program from primary to VTC level; that is   720 beneficiaries in 2018 and 636 beneficiaries in 2019.

For the year 2020 the Trust targets to support a total of 822 female beneficiaries across 16 regions of Tanzania. 

  1. Through this project the female beneficiaries are supported with pads –with- pants (PwP) package. Each beneficiary receives a package with 12 sanitary pad packs, 2 pants and a carrying bag.

2.Improved Community Health Fund (ICHF) and National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF)

 This support was introduced to enable the vulnerable groups to access primary health care services through Improved Community Health Fund (ICHF).  

The projects’ main objectives are;

  1. MVCs supported through CHF schemes except for those in Universities;
  2. MVCs in Universities supported through Institutional Health arrangements or NHIF;
  3. Referral procedure circulated to all IPs;
  4. MVCs attendance increase at 80% or above.

All SATF beneficiaries from Primary to Secondary school are covered by Improved Community health Fund; while other members of their households are covered as secondary beneficiaries. 

  1.  Nutrition Support

Food is essential human to live. Nutritious food is required to enable children to grow and physically develop to their full potential. Young children are more likely to succumb to illness and death when they are malnourished. There is a strong association of hunger and poverty as in hunger situation, adults cannot work to provide for children and children cannot learn if they are hungry.

SATF nutrition support focus on Responding to household hunger by providing short term food support to MVC households with critical shortage of food, supporting sustainable food access including providing families and communities with enhanced skills and agricultural inputs for household based agricultural production. Providing supplementary feeding for young (under 9 years) and children with nutrients deficiency diseases including those living positive with HIV and AIDS.