Professional Experience:
I am currently the Country Director of Americares Foundation Tanzania and a member of Americares Foundation Global Leadership Team. I oversee all aspects of the organization’s health programming in Tanzania, including its groundbreaking respectful care program and ongoing deliveries of medicine and medical supplies. I am responsible for leading the design, implementing and directing innovative health programs that strengthen health systems and expand access to care for people affected by poverty or disaster in the Kigoma, Mwanza and Shinyanga regions. Americares provides ongoing support for 15 hospitals and clinics throughout the country, delivering medicine, medical supplies, infrastructure improvement and training.
I oversee the Americares Community Partnerships for Respectful Care Program, which aims to increase the number of expectant mothers utilizing antenatal, delivery and family planning services with a goal of contributing to lower maternal and infant morbidity and mortality rates. Through the program, Americares has also supported nearly 300 health facilities across Tanzania to access critically needed COVID-19 vaccinations for their patients. I also oversee Americares fistula repair program at Bugando Hospital in Mwanza, its health worker safety , water, sanitation and hygiene interventions and overall leadership of the country team.
In addition, I serve as a member of Americares Global Leadership Team, supporting the President and CEO in implementing the strategy and achieving the mission of the health-focused relief and development organization.
I am an experienced leader in the maternal and child health field, with two decades of experience working in public health and medicine. Prior to joining Americares in 2020, I served as the executive director of Thamini Uhai, formerly known as World Lung Foundation, an organization that aims to improve women’s access to quality, comprehensive emergency obstetric care, particularly in rural areas of Tanzania. Under my leadership, Thamini Uhai won the 2019 Foundation for Civil Society’s CSO Excellence Award for its efforts to improve health for women and newborns in rural, marginalized communities in Kigoma, Morogoro and Pwani.
From 2013 to 2016, I served as country director for the World Lung Foundation in Tanzania, where I led a maternal and reproductive health program in three regions of the country. Prior to that, I served as the reproductive health director at Population Services International, overseeing a team that supported the programmatic work carried out by over 100 staff members.
I also served as a medical officer at Muhimbili National Hospital’s pediatric department, where I treated children with malnutrition and pediatric AIDS. Prior to that, I was the resident medical officer at Aga Khan Hospital Dar es Salaam. I also conducted tuberculosis and HIV immunological research while serving as a medical officer for the Mbeya Medical Research Program.
I served as board chair for the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood in Tanzania from 2019 to 2021 and I am a board member of Thamini Uhai’s Board of Directors