Action in Africa supports the remote community of Nyaishozi, northwest Tanzania through education sponsorship and development projects.
Action in Africa was founded in 1997 by a Surrey resident when he began sponsoring the education of two little girls in the remote community of Nyaishozi, northwest Tanzania.
As Nyaishozi is situated at the furthest point from the capital, many of the government initiatives do not reach this isolated area. Because this community is difficult to reach, Action in Africa is one of the few charities working there.
Recognising that support was desperately needed in the region, the charity established a committee in Nyaishozi consisting of teachers and medical staff and chaired by the parish priest. These trustees identify local need, regardless of faith, gender and ethnicity and it is the role of the Surrey committee, made up of volunteers, to approve funding. Action in Africa tries to absorb all costs so that every penny raised in the UK goes to work in Nyaishozi.
Over the years they have expanded their remit of education sponsorship to include development projects such as motorbikes to mobilise nursing staff, a rolling feminine hygiene programme for female students and most recently a rainwater harvest tank for one of Nyaishozi’s secondary schools.
In 2022 the charity launched their most ambitious appeal yet – to raise funds to purchase incubators for Nyaishozi dispensaries.
Nyaishozi has the highest infant mortality rate in a country that already has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world. This is due to babies being born premature. Expectant mothers work hard to look after their families – often fetching water and working in the fields right up until they go into labour.
Currently, they are walking many miles to have their babies in the village dispensary, believing that the facilities are there should something go wrong. Up to a third of babies born each year need intensive care that currently is not available for them. None of the charity’s Nyaishozi dispensaries has an incubator. If babies are born early, they are put under a light bulb and covered in blankets or placed on the mother for warmth.
One of Nyaishozi’s most remote dispensaries is in the village of Kibogoizi. The medical staff there are highly trained and there is a resident midwife. But they did not have the lifesaving equipment to save premature babies’ lives. The Randal Charitable Foundation changed this by funding the purchase of an incubator for this clinic.
For more information about Action in Africa please visit here