Jubilee Hope Medical Programme (Vine Trust)

Overall goals

Vine Trust is an international development charity which facilitates volunteers to provide medical, to communities living in severe poverty in Tanzania and Peru. We aim to empower communities; connecting enthusiastic volunteers with in-country partners and local people to create significant, sustainable development for vulnerable children and families.

Working with local partners to deliver primary health care services to remote islands communities in the Kagera Region, Muleba District of Tanzanian Lake Victoria through the use of a medical ship. Work run by Tanzanian professionals supported by overseas medical volunteers on short-term volunteering visits.

Achievement: Since 2014, the Jubilee Hope Medical Programme has delivered more than 200,000 consultations through 42 expeditions.
More than 150 volunteer health professionals have supported the work since it was established.
The programme has been given official HIV Care and Treatment Service registration by the Tanzania Government.
396 women enrolled in the Programme’s HIV Support Groups across the Kagera region islands.

Key UK Colleagues and Partners

University of St Andrews
Anglo Gold Ashanti
Around 60 overseas medical volunteers per year from a variety of countries.

International Partners

Kagera Regional Ministry of Health
Muleba Regional Ministry of Health
Africa Inland Church Tanzania – AICT
Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative (Tanzania)

Programme established in 2014.
Collaborative agreement with AICT and Kagera Region Ministry of Health

Sustainable development goals

• SDG 4 - Quality education

Funding source

Work is funded through donations received from Vine Trust supporters. Contributions from volunteers who visit the Programme. Since 2014, some gift-in-kind received from regional ministry of Health, currently covering one member of staff and contribution towards medical supplies.

Project origin

see above

Evidence of need

Partners AICT have had dispensaries on the islands for many years. They were able to highlight the serious lack of medical services to these communities. Governmental and other research documentation also reveal the high needs, particularly for the provision of HIV/AIDS services as the islands (fishing communities) are considered a HIV high-risk subsector within Tanzania.

Project areas

see above

Project activities

Visit by medical ships (13 expeditions per year) lasting 10 days to 5 different island groups. Visits to each community every 3 months approximately. A core team of 8 Tanzania health professionals supported by overseas medical volunteers.

Changes

see above

Next steps

Ongoing expansion of primary healthcare services in collaboration with regional government.
Plans to develop safe water and sanitation projects in the communities, working with local government and other NGOs.
Plans in place for training of community health workers to strengthen local response to minor and/or emergency health issues.

Challenges

Finding the right partners as well as the challenge of maintaining the ship. We have also had the challenge of engaging with regional and national government to secure additional funding support for the expansion of the work.

Mitigating challenges

...

Partnership principles

• strategic
• harmonised
• effective
• respectful
• organised
• responsible
• flexible

Project gains

• leadership
• teamwork
• clinical
• awareness
• patient
• resilience