Blandina Raphael Chamsahama is a 40-year-old single parent to four children. She works as a community-based health services (CBHS) volunteer at the Levelosi Health Center in Arusha, Tanzania. Her passion for CBHS activities grew out of her empathy for other people challenged by disease, and her own lived experience.
"I decided to start volunteering after the death of my husband. I remember what my husband went through during his sickness, and I do not want to see other people going through the same. Linking people to education and care
Blandina and her fellow volunteers effectively carried out essential daily tasks with passion, but Blandina says that there was room for improvement. Each day, Blandina visited families, different groups in the community, and individuals, bringing with her all the books and forms she needed to extend services to these people.
"I usually visit households, women's salons, and vijiwe vya bodaboda (motorbike taxi stands). I provide education, screening for HIV risk factors and refer them to the facility. I teach them about HIV, TB, reproductive health, and the importance of early ANC [antenatal care] booking. But a challenge is when all these data get lost with the paper record."
In addition to gaps in data, the paper system posed a risk to clients' confidentiality and data security if bags were misplaced. Also, the records and materials were burdensome and conspicuous to carry around, and delays could occur in transferring data from the volunteer's paper records and the facility--resulting in a lack of timely data for decision making.
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A Phone App Transforms Community Health Care
With the introduction of a digital health intervention called the Unified Community System (UCS), Blandina's work has been transformed, and she can now deliver referrals and receive referral feedback on time. She does not need to carry the books and forms as before, only a smartphone with a digital health app.
"The system has simplified my work," Blandina says. "I'm not worried about my records being lost anymore, and it enables me to know that my referral has reached the facility almost instantly."
The UCS was introduced by the Tanzania Ministry of Health, and it is being implemented through the USAID Afya Yangu Northern program. The system aims to strengthen the implementation of community- and facility-based health services by ensuring timely data collection and reporting, enhanced referral, and overall improvement in community health service delivery.
In January 2023, Blandina referred 10 women to the health facility using the system where, after testing, four were identified as living with HIV and were enrolled into care and treatment.
"I didn't know about the system, I was just hearing about it, but now I also taught my fellow volunteers who did not receive training. I always feel touched by other people's problems and would like to provide the support that I can, which is why I chose to volunteer."
The dedication of community-based health service providers like Blandina, who empower and educate the community while facilitating access to quality health services, is making contributions to improving the healthy lives of thousands of Tanzanians through the USAID Afya Yangu program.
