'Uzazi Bora Pamoja' Group Prenatal Care

Pregnancy and childbirth should be an intimate and positive experience for women of all backgrounds. However, not all women have the privilege to go through pregnancy and childbirth without complications. According to the WHO, most of the maternal deaths in Zanzibar occur during childbirth and the postpartum period. These complications are predominantly caused by haemorrhages, infections, hypertension, unsafe abortions and obstructed labour. Maternal health challenges in Zanzibar are a result of limited access to quality health care and the lack of effective antenatal care.

WAJAMAMA as a women’s wellness center has brought Centering-Based Group Prenatal Care (GPC) to Zanzibar to encourage women in accessing maternal healthcare services. We are going to mainly focus on working with women from Kizimkazi and our neighborhood (Chukwani, Mbweni, and Kiembe Samaki), with a goal to reach as many women as possible over time. 

GPC is a shared health care appointment that brings together women of the same gestational age for a series of group sessions that involve health assessments, interactive learning, and community gatherings. GPC is conducted through eight two-hour long sessions with a group of 8 – 12 women from the same community. These sessions seek to actively educate and support women through each stage of their pregnancy.

The healthcare system in Zanzibar remains overburdened with limited resources, making it nearly impossible for practitioners to provide individual healthcare assessments and educate women at the same time. Introducing GPC enables the provision of a more focused form of care, giving women the chance to not only learn but also address their concerns. The goal is to also educate women in understanding their own health and what measurements such as blood pressure and body weight indicate and how these can be improved. 

WAJAMAMA’s aim of introducing GPC is to provide a safe space for women to connect and share knowledge, allowing them to build relationships and a community. We are hoping to see reduced stress levels and healthier pregnancies. Sharing of life experiences provides the opportunity to learn from each other and encourages effective behaviour change. This provides comfort in knowing that most women  have similar concerns and challenges during their pregnancies. It can also reduce fear as they are not going through pregnancy by themselves and have a whole community supporting them. We are going to use GPC to create a collaborative relationship between the women and their healthcare providers, promoting trust and making it easier to share their thoughts and feelings.

WAJAMAMA has partnered with Group Care Global to bring GPC to Zanzibar through the funding of the Rotary Club Zanzibar and Trotula Fund. Group Care Global is a non-profit organisation that is committed to promoting group health care based on centering pregnant women and their infants to improve maternal and child health and well-being. The WAJAMAMA team has completed the facilitated training programme by Group Care Global as required to be able to conduct GPC for the Zanzibari women.

The Group Care Model has been used worldwide and proved to be very successful. Sharon Rising, the founder of Centering-based care group, stated that as a community “we are meant to be in conversation with each other”. This is what allows the model to be effective within the community as compared to one-to-one health care, which mainly focuses on health risk assessments. According to Group Care Global, there are over 200 published studies which state that there has been better health outcomes for mothers and their infants and increased satisfaction with the health care provided.

The programme will be known as “Uzazi Bora Pamoja”. Bringing GPC to Zanzibar will hopefully improve the quality of antenatal care on the island through an increase in outreach and as a result, decrease pregnancy complications whilst giving women the healthy pregnancy experience as they deserve. As stated by WHO “A woman’s experience of care is key to transforming antenatal care and creating thriving families and communities”. Our communities begin with women, and for them to grow, we must keep our women happy and healthy. 

Written & Published by Raiyan Nassor, WM intern.
Photos by Lulurayphotos