Roche
Health Center
In 2008, the people of Roche Village identified the need for a permanent healthcare facility, and Roche Health Center remains the key achievement in the history of Village Life Outreach Project.
Many at the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning played a major role in the design and building of Roche Health Center. The doors of the center opened in 2011, providing more than 20,000 villagers with their first ever access to permanent healthcare. In 2014, we received an extremely generous grant of $1,050,000 from UC Health to expand our efforts at Roche, allowing us to enhance our healthcare programming and grow the facility
Creating Jobs
Since staff housing construction began, hundreds of men and women from Roche have been employed. While Village Life’s Building Committee oversees the project, the work on the ground is done completely by members of the community. The local Tanzanian government has been an essential part of the process as well, clearing roads and extending power lines to the clinic, clearly demonstrating their commitment to the project.
In addition to opportunities for the people of Roche, this process has also offered a unique, real world learning experience for students and faculty from the UC College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) who have been involved in the planning and construction process.
Since the center opened in 2011, we’ve already seen a tremendous impact on the community.
- Expectant mothers know that Roche is a safe place to receive prenatal and labor/delivery services
- The center is able to provide full labor and delivery services
- Working in collaboration with SHED and the Tanzanian government, thousands of local children have been vaccinated, protecting them against illnesses that kill millions of children across sub-Saharan Africa.
