AMBASSADOR HONORS DOCTOR FOR EFFORTS TO ADVANCE WOMEN'S

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DAR ES SALAAM 000122 DEPARTMENT FOR S/GWI: MARR, AF/E: JTREADWELL; INR/RAA: FEHERENRIECH, INR/MR, AF/PD STATE PASS TO USAID SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO KWMN PHUM KMDR SCUL KPAO SOCI TZ SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR HONORS DOCTOR FOR EFFORTS TO ADVANCE WOMEN'S ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE REF: 2009 Dar es Salaam 29 ¶1. SUMMARY: Ambassador Alfonso Lenhardt used the Mission's most prestigious annual award to extol the work of a woman doctor who fights for improved family planning, disease screening and treatment, and combating gender-based violence for Tanzanian women. The Ambassador's remarks in honor of Dr. Marina Njelekela as head of the Medical Women Association of Tanzania were carried and have continued to appear in all national media since January 27. The event elicited praise from Tanzanians from throughout society. The "Martin Luther King Drum Major for Justice" ceremony supported our Mission goals to strengthen health outcomes and advance women's leadership in the public arena. USAID programmed over 23 million USD in FY09 to reduce maternal mortality (family planning and emergency obstetric care) and gender based violence, in line with the Tanzanian Health Sector Strategic Plan. END SUMMARY. ¶2. The Ambassador awarded our annual "Martin Luther King Drum Major for Justice" Award to Dr. Marina Njelekela, Chairperson of the Medical Women Association of Tanzania (MEWATA) on January 27, for her efforts to improve maternal health and women's access to health care. Under her guidance, the women doctors of MEWATA have begun breast cancer and cervical cancer screening and awareness raising campaigns nationwide, have launched campaigns to reduce gender-based violence, and have worked to reduce Tanzania's maternal mortality rate, currently a staggering 578 per 100,000 live births, which is 44 times higher than the 2007 U.S. maternal mortality rate of 13 per 100,000 live births. Joining forces with national television station ITV, Njelekela has ensured that breast self-exam PSAs are aired on a daily basis, imparting previously unknown information to women throughout the country. These PSAs and MEWATA's campaign to provide free medical care have empowered Tanzanian women to discuss health issues more openly and to seek medical intervention earlier. The award also recognized Njelekela's advocacy for improved maternal health and family planning provisions in the national health agenda. ¶3. At the ceremony in honor of a Tanzanian who has waged a peaceful battle for equality and justice in the spirit of Martin Luther King, the Ambassador said to Dr. Njelekela, "It is my honor to present to you this... award for your successful efforts to advance equality in health care for all Tanzanians. Your focus on improving access to health care makes you a leader in the fight for women's equality. The people of the United States of America will continue to shine a light of support on your quest for a healthy Tanzanian population accessing affordable and sustainable health services." Media Coverage -------------- ¶4. In addition to television news coverage of the event run on all national stations, a full length program covering the ceremony has been rerun at least three times on ITV over the past week. In print media, "The Guardian" (independent, moderate, reliable English, 25,000 daily circulation) carried a front page photo on January 28, and the paper's January 29 editorial was entitled, "We salute you, Dr. Njelekela" (media reaction septel). More than a dozen additional stories have been carried almost daily over the past two weeks in print media including in "Nipashe" (independent, reliable Kiswahili, 80,000 daily circulation),"Mwananchi" (independent, reliable Kiswahili, 20,000 daily circulation),"Majira" (independent, radical/anti-government, Kiswahili 20,000 daily circulation),"Habari Leo" (Kiswahili, 10,000 daily circulation),a feature article in "Nipashe Jamii." English articles were carried in The Sunday Citizen Magazine (independent reliable, 6,500 weekly circulation) with a feature entitled "Honoring a benevolent Doctor," in "The Express" (independent, reliable 6,000 weekly circulation), and in "The Citizen," (independent, reliable, 6,000 daily circulation). English and Kiswahili radio stations carried news of the ceremony in their morning "newspaper review" programs and in ongoing stories. ¶5. Following the ceremony, the Ambassador received dozens of congratulatory comments within Dar es Salaam and during his trip to the Parliamentary session in Dodoma - an indication that the media coverage of the ceremony reached wide audiences and that our choice of an awardee and Ambassador's message at the ceremony resonated with Tanzanians of all walks of life, from the grassroots to the ministerial level. In a message to the Public Diplomacy Officer, Dr. Njelekela said that "the award has been taken very, very positively by the medical profession and the public in general. I have so far received hundreds of messages, emails, and phone calls congratulating me and MEWATA as a whole for this great achievement." During media interviews, Njelekela commented that receiving the award has challenged her to intensify her efforts to reach more Tanzanian women. Continued USG Support for Maternal Health Promotion DAR ES SAL 00000122 002 OF 002 -------------- -------------- ¶6. The Mission continues vigorous engagement to advance women's leadership and mobilize activists around policy initiatives of concern to women in all sectors. Njelekela's efforts to reaching rural Tanzanian women led the Public Affairs Section to commit a $1,000 grant to MEWATA to strengthen their outreach programs. USAID continues to engage with MEWATA and Dr. Njelekela to collaborate in a range of women's health programs including family planning, delivery and emergency obstetric care, and reducing gender based violence under USAID's $23 million women's health portfolio. In follow-up discussions February 3, Dr. Njelekela called the period since the award "an exciting week" that would be "remembered over a lifetime." LENHARDT