In West Tanzania, the Biharamulo project led by PALES, a local NGO, has come to an end. Enthousiasm was great, and some midwives, nurses community health workers and expectant mothers became very keen on using the app. But smartphones are not yet widely spread and those around often change ownership. As JamboMama! is not just about going digital, it is also about looking at the system and the services from the expectant mom’s perspective. And that is what PALES did. They found the women in labour had to lie in smelly rooms, found the cause, and managed to improve the hygiene and comfort conditions in the labour ward of that facility.
In the second phase a JamboMama! shop will be opened where women can buy what they need for the birth of their child at affordable prices and get help with their app: sometimes a little press of the button in the right place gets a user going again. There will also be opportunity for giving plenty of advice on healthy nutrition, importance of vaccination and keeping fit with enough rest but also physical activity.
