20 years of impact!
Village Life is honored to have worked side-by-side with the communities in Roche, Nyambogo, and Burere for almost 20 years! Examples of collaboration in action are:
- 2004: First ever outreach clinic travels to Tanzania in October 2004.
- 2008: Initiation of Uji Nutrition Project that feeds 1,200 Tanzanian school children daily and teaches Cincinnati students about nutrition.
- 2011: Roche Health Center (RHC) opens, providing the first-ever access to permanent healthcare for over 20,000 residents.
- 2012: Groundbreaking for new primary schoolhouse in Burere Village.
- 2013: In partnership with Engineers Without Borders (EWB) – UC Chapter, Kingigoro Primary School opens in Burere Village. First classes taught in the new Burere schoolhouse.
- 2014: UC Health makes a generous $1,050,000 investment to expand our efforts at Roche Health Center.
- 2015: EWB – UC Chapter drilled a 100-meter borehole in Nyambogo in August 2014 offering over 7,000 people access to safe drinking water.
- 2017: The Uji Nutrition Project expands to all primary schools in Roche, Nyambogo, and Burere feeding over 2,500 Tanzanian school children each school day. Second phase of staff housing at Roche Health Center is complete and a Tanzanian clinical officer is hired to provide life saving medical care on a daily basis.
- 2018: Village Life joins industry giants such as Cincinnati Bell and P&G in the 1819 Innovation space, bringing a global perspective to the Uptown Innovation Corridor.
- 2019: In partnership with the EWB – UC Chapter, clean water systems are now in place in all three Village Life partner villages.
- 2021-2022: COVID-19 pandemic.
- 2023: Village Life Transformation. First medical trip in February 2023, post-COVID.
- May 2023: EWB – UC Chapter turns over maintenance of Roche water system to Roche Water Committee
Social Determinants of Health (SDOH)
Social Determinants of Health (SDOH): the non-medical factors in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that influence health outcomes and quality-of-life outcomes and risks
Village Life recognizes how influential SDOH are in communities’ daily lives. Therefore, we strive to help improve SDOH so those living in the Rorya District can live healthier, longer lives. We do this through partnership and data driven research to ensure long-term sustainability and impact.
Research Driven
Village Life Outreach Project – Oral Health Focus
The WHO Oral Health Status Report 2022 states that oral diseases are the most prevalent non-communicable diseases worldwide, affecting 3.5 billion people globally
Village Life Outreach Project’s Oral Health Program is rooted in the belief that oral health is integral to overall health.
Village Life Outreach Project’s Oral Health Program is expanding and aims to develop and strengthen dental care and oral health in the area. With the University of Cincinnati, community partners SHED, local dentists, and primary healthcare workers, the objective is to set up Dental Brigade for outreach through oral health education, screening, and treatment. Our goal is for the communities in the area to live free from oral diseases and improve their quality of life.
Future Needs Projects
- Village Life strives to be a changemaker and push access to services forward in rural Tanzania. Over the next several years Village Life hopes to be able to expand the services available at the Roche Health Center (RHC) and Reproductive and Child Health Center (RCHC). This expansion will need the following resources / buildings:
- Building of a morgue on-site
- Building of a surgical theatre on-site to be able to provide service to patients with more complex medical cases and women requiring C-sections during birth
- Building of duplex housing on-site for clinic healthcare workers and visiting healthcare staff
- Burere Pilot Program: Sunflower Seed and Plantain Farming
- Nyambogo Pilot Program: Chicken Farming
- Roche Health Center Pilot Program: Mama and Baby Malnutrition Program
- Roche Pilot Program: Sweet Potato and Bean Farming
