150,000th m-mama emergency transportation takes place in Tanzania

Earlier this May, Mr Said Japhari Machemba, an m-mama emergency driver in Tanzania, collected 21-year-old Lucy Mafwele, a heavily pregnant mother from Misugusugu village in Kibaha, Pwani who was experiencing a potentially life-threatening anti-partum haemorrhage and needed urgent help.

Mr Machemba drove Lucy approximately 35km to the Tumbi Regional Hospital where she received emergency care that saved both her and her baby boy. A journey that quite literally made the difference between life, and death.

But as well as saving lives that day, the m-mama emergency driver also achieved another important milestone. Because Lucy’s journey was the 150,000th transportation of a patient in Tanzania since nationwide measurement began in 2016. An impressive figure for an impressive partnership.

Born from a shared determination between Vodafone and the Tanzanian government to address an alarming maternal mortality rate (recorded as 556 per 100,000 live births¹ in 2016/2017), m-mama's journey began, commencing with a pilot in the Sengerema and Shinyanga Districts of Tanzania.

In 2022, after comprehensive proof of the success, affordability, and potential for scale, the President of Tanzania mandated a rapid, nationwide roll out of the m-mama system. A commitment resulting in the highly successful operation that we see in place today.

The m-mama collaboration between Vodafone Foundation and the Tanzanian government has been identified as one of the factors significantly contributing to an impressive national decrease in maternal mortality rates of 80%, now sitting at around 104 per 100,000 live births (down from 554 per 100,000) ^2. Specifically, a national study by the National Institute for Medical Research, indicated that the m-mama service had reduced maternal deaths by 15%.

The m-mama partnership model was always created with government operation in mind. Vodafone Foundation supporting the design of the system, and national governments paying for the running costs. In Tanzania, the government’s commitment to strengthening maternal healthcare is evident in the successful nationwide scale-up and continuous funding of the m-mama initiative that today makes m-mama a fully government-owned national emergency transport system.

Speaking about this success, President of Tanzania Samia Suluhu Hassan said, “The government in collaboration with development partners, launched m-mama in early 2022, to ensure women and their babies had access to transport when in an emergency, so that their lives were not in danger. For this innovation to work with maximum efficiency, there must be specific partnerships between the government and the private sector. I would like to thank Vodafone Foundation and Vodacom Tanzania for their contribution in collaboration with our government to bring this most needed service.”

Explaining what the landmark figure represents to the Vodafone Foundation, Managing Director Lisa Felton, said, “We are delighted that m-mama has been able to provide emergency transport in Tanzania on more than 150,000 occasions, saving more than 6,300 lives. This illustrates Vodafone Foundation’s mission of connecting for good, and one way in which we use the power of technology to support individuals in times of crisis or in need of emergency response.”

She continues “Importantly, this incredible milestone is testament to Her Excellency's Samia Suluhu Hassan unwavering vision and the tireless dedication of government officials across every level in Tanzania. Like Her Excellency, we share the view that the achievement of 150,000 journeys is not the end of the story but the beginning. A milestone that proves that m-mama is working, is affordable and is sustainable, and provides further impetus for us to mirror this partnership model further, where we can.”

Building on the experience of m-mama in Tanzania and Lesotho where 10,000 further transportations have been made, the system is now widely recognized as a successful model for the implementation of nationwide of emergency transportation systems, with plans for adoption in Malawi and Kenya in the coming months.

¹ Demographic Health Survey 2016 / 2017
² Demographic Health Survey 2022 / 2023
https://www.vodafone.com/vodafone-foundation/focus-areas/m-mama