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During the years 2015-2019, MSG conducted an annual Health Screening Campaign as a public service and a way to monitor the impact of MSG’s WASH education. Approximately 25,000 participants were tested for amoebas, intestinal worms, schistosomiasis (bilharzia), and malaria – all common water-related diseases. In cooperation with the Rorya District Medical Office and practicum students from the US, MSG screened participants and provided them with appropriate medications and educational flyers. The health screenings helped patients keep track of their well-being and provided an incentive for community members to get involved in MSG’s programs. In addition, the health screening results enabled MSG to compare the disease rates of our program participants to those of community members who had not received our education.
Ree Pads is a supplier of reusable pads to support MSG's Menstrual Hygiene Health programs.
Afya Plus is a supplier of reusable pads to support MSG's Menstrual Hygiene Health programs.
ReliefPad supplies reusable pads to support MSG's Menstrual Hygiene Health programs.
Saalt is a global company that provides reusable solutions for menstruation. Their products are donated to MSG to support our Menstrual Hygiene Health programs.
AnuFlo is a Tanzania-based social enterprise that manufactures reusable menstrual products. MSG utilizes AnuFlo products in our Menstrual Hygiene Health programs.
Women’s Choice is a social enterprise that manufactures and distributes low cost, affordable menstrual hygiene products – especially, reusable Salama pads.
Street Business School (SBS) empowers women to become thriving entreprenuers, lifting themselves and their families to a more vibrant future by teaching them tools they need to successfully start and grow microbusinesses. Several of MSG's employees are certifies SBS trainers who work with cohorts of women in the Mara region.
MSG has been hosting midwifery students from the Bern University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland since 2021. The nurses come to learn and help at the Shirati KMT District Hospital’s maternity ward, while also supporting MSG’s Menstrual Hygiene Health program.
Touro University California is a non-profit institution of higher learning and professional education with programs in Public Health. In partnership with MSG, Touro is conducting research and mapping in the Rorya District to determine the prevalence of and need for increased services in non-communicable disease treatment and education.
The Shirati College of Health Science partners with MSG to provide field work and practicum experience to local nurses. Nurses work alongside MSG's Community Health Educators to provide community health education.
MSG was founded as a pilot program under the Shirati KMT District Hospital in 2012. Since then, the KMT has been a seminal partner with whom MSG continues to grow and share support. Today, the two organizations especially partner on running Disease Prevention Centers and providing nutrition education as well as schistosomiasis prevention and treatment.
Project C.U.R.E. is a US- based nonprofit dedicated to addressing the shortage of medical resources around the world. MSG and Project C.U.R.E. partner to provide critical medical supplies for clinics and hospitals in the Rorya District.
AllPeopleBeHappy is a US-based foundation which supports projects that address the root causes of poverty and increase prospects for happiness and better livelihoods. MSG partnered with AllPeopleBeHappy to extend female hygiene health education to the Butiama District in 2022.
mWater is a women-owned small business provider of data-driven project management. The MSG team uses the mWater platform to track project data collection, monitoring, and evaluation.
The Center for Affordable Water and Science Technology (CAWST) is a Canadian charity and professional engineering consultancy dedicated to teaching people how to bring safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene to their homes, schools, and clinics via simple, affordable technologies. CAWST supports MSG with capacity building in a training-of-trainers model. Together, we are increasing the capacity of MSG’s staff to provide critical WASH education and training across East Africa, including in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia.
Roddenberry is a global foundation that supports bold ideas. MSG is a proud recipient of the Roddenberry Catalyst grant.
Rotary International is a member-driven organization and network made up of over 1.4 million neighbors, friends, leaders, and problem solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change. MSG is fortunate to partner with two Rotary chapters: the Rotary Club of Denver Southeast (US-based) and the Rotary Club of Northwest Spirit (Canada-based). These two chapters have supported MSG's focus in Menstrual Hygiene Health and WASH in Health Care Facilities with multiple grants.
In 2009, Grow and Know launched the very successful Vipindi vya Maisha, a book about female puberty. The book received positive responses from girls, women, mothers, teachers – even fathers and male peers. MSG’s Community Health Educators use this book as a resource in our Female Hygiene Program.
The University of Colorado is the alma mater of co-founder Bruce Pelz and home to the Mortenson Center in Engineering for Developing Communities. MSG has participated in the Center’s annual WASH Symposium since 2015 and has hosted several CU students in Tanzania. In 2016, MSG hosted professor Beth Osnes; together, we conducted research on the vocal empowerment of women.
Since 2013, MSG has partnered with the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis by providing practicum opportunities for graduate students studying Social Work and/or Public Health. In 2017, MSG hosted Professor Carolyn Lesorogol and twelve graduate students focusing on participatory development tools.
MSG started collaborating with Heatherwood Elementary on read-a-thons in 2018. Participants spread awareness and raise contributions for MSG by recruiting sponsors for each book they read. This win-win grassroots partnership with Heatherwood promotes reading and teaches social responsibility and helping others through personal effort. The money raised has benefitted our Tanzanian youth projects and most recently the construction of a school latrine.
MSG is a member at the Posner Center in Denver, Colorado. The Posner Center convenes, connects and catalyzes the international development community to collaborate for greater impact. In 2018, MSG and the African School Assistance Project (ASAP) received an International Collaboration Grant from the Posner Center.
The Generous View Studio is a privately owned meeting space in Boulder, Colorado, dedicated to spreading awareness of global issues in general and MSG’s work in Tanzania in particular. Through professionally taught art classes and informal gatherings, the studio supports the creative community in Boulder and generates revenue for non-profits.
Paul Horton Visuals is a creative company focused on providing digital and print media solutions. They support MSG with video and media content.
REACH Shirati runs Tina’s Education Center (TEC) for primary school students in Shirati. When MSG started, REACH Shirati was our parent organization. Together, we have made TEC a stronghold for students to learn and grow through our programs. Today, MSG and REACH Shirati collaborate on the Binti na Shule (Girls in School) program, a mentorship program to improve girls’ performance in schools.
Friends of Tanzania (FOT) is a non-profit charitable organization that has provided funding to grassroots organizations in Tanzania since 1991. FOT was started by former Peace Corps workers in Tanzania (or Tanganyika at the time). FOT has supported MSG since 2018 and has provided funds for multiple projects, including an Arborloo Toilet pilot project, SAFI toilet construction, and Menstrual Hygiene Health Labs.
Beyond Our Borders is a group-advised fund under The Women's Foundation of Colorado. Its mission is to strengthen families and communities, while advancing and amplifying opportunities for women to reach economic self-sufficiency. BOB has supported MSG’s Female Hygiene Program.
The LUSH Charity Pot offers grants to grassroots organizations that are in an optimal position to make a difference with limited resources. LUSH has been a committed partner of MSG since 2018, supporting a diversity of programs, including cholera prevention, home health visits, and WASH in health care facilities.
The Tanzanian Menstrual Hygiene Health Coalition is a network of Tanzanian governmental, non-governmental, and civil society organizations working to improve MHH in Tanzania. MSG was a seminal organizer of the original coalition in 2018. The mission is to increase knowledge sharing between MHH stakeholders and combine efforts to increase policies and services at the national level. Current collaborations include organizing the annual National Menstrual Hygiene Day celebration and increasing awareness of MHH issues.
TAWASANET is a network of Tanzanian civil society organizations in the water and sanitation sector. MSG has been a member of TAWASANET since 2014 and is the Zonal Coordinator for the Lake Zone. MSG participates in annual general meetings and provides advocacy and leadership in the network.
MSG started its School Health Club programming in 2013 with the mission to improve community health outcomes through hygiene and health education at the student level. To date, MSG partners with 39 schools in the Rorya, Butiama, and Bunda Districts.
MSG started its WASH in Health Care Facilities focus area in 2021 with the mission to improve community health outcomes through partnership with local health institutions (hospitals, clinics, and dispensaries). To date, MSG partners with 14 HCFs in the Rorya District.
MSG’s partnership with the Tanzania Rural Water and Sanitation Agency (RUWASA) is critical for implementing and growing rural water supply and access across the Rorya District. In 2024, MSG specifically launched a partnership with RUWASA, whereby the MSG WASH Hub supplies water to surrounding communities managed and operated by RUWASA.
MSG works closely with LGAs to provide services at the village and community level. LGAs are paramount to gaining community access, understanding community priorities, and providing valuable services. All programs are implemented hand-in-hand with community leadership and authorities.
MSG participates in nationwide update meetings with the Ministry of Health and other WASH stakeholders on a regular basis. These meetings focus on providing updates on progress related to various disease outbreaks and allow stakeholders to share their initiatives.
During the years 2015-2019, MSG conducted an annual Health Screening Campaign as a public service and a way to monitor the impact of MSG’s WASH education. Approximately 25,000 participants were tested for amoebas, intestinal worms, schistosomiasis (bilharzia), and malaria – all common water-related diseases. In cooperation with the Rorya District Medical Office and practicum students from the US, MSG screened participants and provided them with appropriate medications and educational flyers. The health screenings helped patients keep track of their well-being and provided an incentive for community members to get involved in MSG’s programs. In addition, the health screening results enabled MSG to compare the disease rates of our program participants to those of community members who had not received our education.
Over the years, MSG has used these dances, songs, and skits extensively to teach students and spectators how to:
MSG no longer runs a specific Singing and Dance Program, but this effective way of disseminating knowledge about WASH, behavioral change, Menstrual Hygiene Health, etc. is still widely used in our programming.
Song and dance are of great cultural importance in Tanzania. They are perhaps the most effective medium for communicating disease prevention to a community. In MSG’s Singing and Dance Group, students learned life-saving lessons in a fun and memorable manner, developed their talents, and became community leaders. Following WASH lessons, students worked together to create songs, dances, and skits to perform for their families, friends, and community members at MSG events.
For many years, the Singing and Dance Group held annual auditions for the Roya’s Got Talent competition.
Participants wrote songs and skits and performed choreographed dances to communicate their WASH knowledge to peers and members of the community.
Once the best 10 participants had been chosen, MSG hosted a semifinal event and then a final event, each attracting over 1,500 community members.
CHEs taught WASH and disease prevention lessons in a fun, nurturing environment. Art, games, puzzles, and other activities encouraged students to develop their creative and cognitive skills. This way, the things they needed to learn became things they wanted to learn! In addition, their knowledge trickled down to their families. Over the academic year, students learned about:
To enable proper WASH techniques, MSG provided schools with demonstration ceramic drinking water filters and handwashing stations. At the end of the program, our staff artist painted a large WASH-related mural to serve as a reminder of lessons learned and as an inspiration to future students.
The After School Program was one of MSG’s very first programs, started in 2013. Its purpose was to teach students about water-related disease prevention and proper WASH behaviors, so they could stay healthy and succeed in school. In 2015, the District Education Office approved MSG to teach in all 125 primary schools in the Rorya District.
Over time 6,000+ students attended this program.
Football (soccer) is a popular pastime in Tanzania. Organized tournaments are a common occurrence, and each game attracts hundreds of spectators. This community tradition affords a unique educational opportunity.
For several years, our CHEs would organize a month-long Maji Safi Cup on a biannual basis. These tournaments also included netball matches for women and girls. Before each football or netball game, teams must attend a one-hour lesson about WASH and disease prevention. Combining athletics and education promotes overall wellness and makes lessons more memorable and thus more effective.
The winners of a Maji Safi Cup were awarded school supplies and WASH products. Although only one team was crowned as champions, all tournament participants benefited from team-building and pre-game lessons!
Maji Safi Group’s unique learning tools have become the catalyst for healthy WASH lifestyles and disease prevention. From education on common water-related diseases and treatments to menstruation and proper handwashing, our learning tools are fun, engaging and specifically designed to accommodate the varying literacy levels among our participants.
The Male Hygiene Program began in 2016. It empowers boys and young men to respect themselves, girls, and women and lead a culture of change. The program also helps young men be part of the movement to break the stigma and silence around menstruation, help girls stay in school, and close the gender inequality gap.
Though all residents face WASH issues, it is necessary to look at the situation through the lens of gender in particular. In Tanzania, female hygiene has traditionally been a taboo subject, and most schools lack adequate facilities for young women. Without access to proper sanitary materials and fearing ridicule for bloodstains on their skirts, many girls miss school during menstruation. Lower attendance rates severely limit academic potential and contribute to a cycle of disempowerment. Maji Safi Group, through our work to promote public health, seeks to establish a more comprehensive approach to menstrual hygiene management in Tanzania. We lift the stigma around female hygiene to empower girls and help them reach their full academic potential and become strong leaders.
Together Women Rise is a powerful community of women and allies dedicated to achieving global gender equality. They have hundreds of local chapters across the U.S. where members learn about and advocate for gender equality issues, give grants to organizations that empower women and girls in low-income countries, and build a community to forge meaningful connections that increase strength and collective impact. Together Women Rise states that:
Every woman deserves the fundamental human right to live freely and pursue her dreams.
We believe that gender equality is achievable, and that determined women together in a community can achieve anything.
We know big changes are possible when we see the innovative, women-led work that’s making a difference in countries all over the world.
Together Women Rise has funded MSG’s Menstrual Hygiene Health initiatives, especially bringing menstrual cups to the Mara Region to give girls access to a convenient and environmentally friendly option and gauge community accept of this product.
Young women, ages 11-18, meet with CHEs in after-school groups to learn about female hygiene, health, and puberty. All groups, as well as girls from surrounding communities, are also invited to attend Saturday meetings at MSG’s office. The girls:
Participants also receive reusable sanitary products to promote proper hygiene and prevent absences from school. MSG strives to offer several different options, such as reusable pads, period panties, and menstrual cups.
Group leaders and participants in our Female Hygiene Program host an annual Decent Girl competition. The entire community is invited to attend to learn about female health issues via songs, dances, and skits. Prominent community members judge the event and select a winner based on her ability to teach peers and the community about:
The winner of the Decent Girl competition is honored and awarded school supplies and feminine hygiene products. The Decent Girl competition, dinners, and group meetings instill confidence in young women and promote understanding throughout the community. Topics of female health have become much less stigmatized in the Rorya District, and girls are realizing their full potential as students and young leaders.
Participating in one’s community is crucial to bringing about positive change. To be heard, one must first be seen.
CHEs organize and host activity days to establish a presence and promote change in their community.
CHEs train restaurant owners and employees in the WASH behaviors needed to keep food and customers safe from disease. They periodically inspect the restaurants and certify those that meet sanitary and hygienic standards, enabling restaurants to market themselves as serving safe food and community members with the information to judge the condition of a restaurant.
People of the Mara Region gather on market days to trade goods. CHEs take advantage of the large crowds by setting up Disease Prevention Awareness booths and selling crucial WASH materials, such as WaterGuard chlorine tablets for water treatment.
MSG works closely with the Tanzanian government at all levels: district, regional, and national. Relevant offices include Community Development Offices (district and regional), Medical Office (district and regional), Education Office (district and regional), Health Office (district and regional), Ministry of Health (national), Ministry of Education (national), and Ministry of Community Development Gender, Women, and Special Groups (national).
For these reasons, CHEs meet with primarily female heads of households to assess their family’s WASH situation. Lessons are tailored to the specific needs of each family, but general topics include:
the economic benefits of preventing diseases,
water treatment and storage,
toilet use,
handwashing,
fecal-oral disease cycle,
food preparation and storage,
personal hygiene,
bilharzia, and
other neglected tropical diseases.
In Tanzania, women are typically in charge of WASH-related activities such as, water fetching, cooking, cleaning, and bathing. This makes them the most crucial stakeholders in disease prevention. Educating women empowers them to become change makers in their homes and leaders in their communities. Our CHEs visit individual families to inspire action and transform communities—one home at a time.
Visits to a home are prioritized based on:
Based on initial assessments and rates of progress, CHEs meet with families three to five times over six to 10 weeks. Within the following year, CHEs will revisit families to ensure that good habits are sustained. Home Visits provide each household with equal attention and access to life-saving information. They also foster personal relationships between CHEs and participants. If residents have any questions following the visits, they know there is a friendly face or hotline ready to help. Building trust, confidence, and community is the way to stop disease from continuing.