SEGA’s Journey with COVID-19
At this point, most of us are closely monitoring COVID-19 vaccination rates in our areas of the world. During the early stages of the pandemic, many eyes were fixed on continental Africa's response. Almost 2 years after the first case of COVID-19 was reported in February 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) finds that the continent can control the pandemic in 2022, if the current vaccination trend continues.
Blog written by Myranda James - Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management graduate student, and Nurturing Minds and SEGA Development and Communications Intern (2021/22)
Tanzania: COVID-19 Situation Report
Masks were distributed to SEGA students and Modern Girl Program participants in March 2020
Some of our supporters are aware of the beginning of the pandemic in Tanzania when the first case was reported in March 2020. The government introduced all of the necessary precautions and restrictive measures to combat the virus to keep the infection rate low and the population healthy. This included shutting down schools and colleges, and suspending all sports events and gatherings. The government also embarked on an awareness campaign which focused on preventive measures such as handwashing, mask wearing, social distancing, and the use of hand soaps and sanitizers. There was no lockdown instituted, and for a while the country was complying with all recommendations from WHO. Yet, after 6 months the government announced that COVID-19 was fully defeated. All restrictions were lifted, and Tanzanian life returned to “normal”.
Many in our Nurturing Minds community have reached out to SEGA to inquire about how Tanzania is addressing the pandemic, infection rates, testing availability, and vaccine access.
COVID-19 Situation in Tanzania
An update from the Tanzanian Ministry of Health shows us that the numbers being reported from February 18th, 2022 reveal that there have been a total of 33,620 confirmed COVID-19 cases since March, 14 2020 and 798 reported deaths. From the week of February 12 - 18, 2022 Tanzania reported 8,047 positive cases and 2 deaths. For this particular week there shows a 37.2% decrease in confirmed cases.
Vaccines
SEGA’s Communications Coordinator, Rhona, receiving her first vaccine dose at the SEGA vaccine clinic in January 2022.
Many developed countries began to receive COVID-19 vaccines in November 2020, however the vaccine did not become available in Tanzania until late July 2021. The cost of purchasing vaccines has put them out of reach of many developing countries, however when Samia Suluhu Hassan assumed the presidency of Tanzania in March 2021, sourcing vaccines and administering them to vulnerable Tanzanians became a priority.
President Hassan secured the initial donations of vaccines for Tanzanians with hopes for more to follow, and more did follow. Initially Tanzania received around 1 million Johnson and Johnson vaccines from the USA, through the COVAX program, and 500,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine from China. President Hassan went on national television to receive her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to assure Tanzanians that the vaccine was safe. She plans to purchase enough vaccines to cover 60% of the country's population. She urges all Tanzanians to get vaccinated.
President Hassan has increased the vaccination sites to 1,548 which is a significant increase from the initial 550. Tanzania has been administering the Johnson and Johnson, AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, BioNTech, Sinovac, and Modern vaccines since July 27, 2021.
Since the arrival of the vaccine Tanzania has had a supply of over 9 million. This is only enough vaccines; however, to cover a small fraction, 7.67%, of the total population of 58 million people. In the last 8 months, President Hassan, her government, and medical professionals have organized a massive vaccine rollout campaign. They have administered over 2 million COVID-19 vaccines as of February 18, 2022. According to the Africa CDC as of February 23, 2022 they have used 44.68% of their vaccine supply in order to fully vaccinate 2.76% of the population, and partially vaccinated 4.07%.
The vaccine remains free for Tanzanians.
Morogoro Vaccines
Morogoro, where SEGA is located, was not one of the 10 priority regions and districts that was hit the hardest by COVID-19 to be given priority to vaccine allocation. It is unclear when Morogoro region received its first vaccine allocation. Morogoro is a very populated district of 315 thousand as of 2012. It is also unclear how many residents in Morogoro region are fully or partially vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccines are freely given at the Aga Khan Hospital or TMJ Hospital in Morogoro.
Morogoro, according to the Tanzanian Ministry of Health, reported 1 new case of COVID-19 from February 12 - 18 and 0 deaths. There is no data reported for the total number of cases and deaths in the region.
Nurturing Minds & SEGA Immediate Action
SEGA staff preparing COVID-19 prevention and educational materials which were sent to all students during the government mandated school closure in March 2020.
Since March 2020, Nurturing Minds and SEGA have been monitoring the COVID-19 situation in Tanzania. Our goal was to partner with SEGA throughout this period to pursue a holistic approach to ensure students, graduates, staff, the girls in the Modern Girl community outreach program, and their families were informed of the COVID-19 pandemic. We wanted to ensure a stable connection with SEGA for support, students had education continuity, and all received masks and soap to help maintain good hygiene.
Tanzania closed all schools for 3.5 months, and SEGA reopened on June 29, 2020 under new safety and health guidelines.
While the students were away, Nurturing Minds and SEGA were quick to respond with essential support for our students to ensure their safety, well-being, and continued education while outside of SEGA’s campus. Together we developed tools to monitor and support the SEGA students, and girls participating in the Modern Girl's Program during the ongoing pandemic.
During their time off campus, we provided resources such as:
Mental health support
Career and educational counseling
Educational material on COVID-19 prevention and response in Swahili
Educational material covering 11 subjects in their April-May curriculum
Weekly phone calls by matrons and/or school counselors, or the local chairperson
3 cloth masks per family and soap
Funding support for food and medicine to avoid risky behavior; such as, trading food for sex
Education for Life pamphlet with information on women's health
We were quick with our response to support our girls, and the 1st package went out to all 260 SEGA students, 900 Modern Girl program participants, and 38 mentors by mid-April 2020. All together, we reached over 1,200 girls and several hundred more of their family members spread over 25 different communities in Tanzania. Our support ensured monetary, educational, and health-related sustainability to the SEGA community. We were very excited that all students had returned to SEGA!
Upon return to SEGA students were given 4 masks and personal toiletries. Temperatures of all students and staff were checked up entry to school daily for the first 4 weeks, and 23 hand washing stations with liquid soap were strategically installed around campus. A student quarantine room was prepared for students who showed COVID-19 symptoms, with 24/7 access to the school nurse. School class times were also extended, and modifications were made in our dining halls, dormitories, and classrooms to ensure social distancing was being practiced and maintained.
It has been two years since we started learning terminology like social distancing and N95 masks, and today we are still taking measures to ensure the health and safety of our community. As our campus begins to eagerly welcome visitors again Summer 2022 in our SEGA Lodge we have refocused our attention to not only ensuring the safety of our students and staff but our visitors as well.
SEGA Leadership has thought of and planned to ensure the continued safety of our community. Our mask mandates, which relaxed over the past 2 years will be reinstated when visitors are with us and during all interactions, masks and social distancing will be encouraged. Thanks to our 30-acre, open-air campus we have a lot of space to share together! The hand washing stations are going to be continued to be maintained, and temperature checks will resume at the gate for all visitor and staff arrivals.
SEGA’s Hospitality and Culture Coordinator, Isabella describes her experience:
“When we used to hear about COVID-19 cases it felt like the world was coming to an end. We closed school for 3 months. Tanzania had no lockdown, but we were advised to take precautions to prevent ourselves from the disease. There was no social distancing, regardless Tanzania was amongst the countries which was reported to have lower number of cases. I am excited to hear that visitors are coming this year. We are prepared to host them with all precautions. The whole SEGA community is excited we can not wait to see you. Karibuni sana (You are very welcome!)”
Our current and future focus is sustaining the healthy environment at the SEGA Lodge. Our Lodge sits on our campus and offers a unique opportunity for visitors to engage with life on SEGA’s campus. We took our time in ensuring our COVID-19 measures were adequate for providing an environment that would harvest trust, relaxation, adventure, and tranquility. Our SEGA Lodge staff are currently unvaccinated, so to ensure a proper healthy environment masks will be required to be worn by staff personnel during all interactions within the premises, along with glove washing, deep cleaning and sterilizing of all surfaces, and all staff will be limiting their interactions within visitors personal spaces.
Rhona, SEGA Communications Coordinator, is one of the first individuals at SEGA to welcome visitors to our campus! She reflects on her experience during the pandemic and working at SEGA:
“It was a shock when I first heard about the COVID-19 pandemic. I remember in my country we had a break where the schools were closed and most people in the town and the community were not running their businesses. But as days went on the pandemic stopped playing in our ears, and everything started to run smoothly again. Personally I have not seen anyone who has been sick with COVID, nor do I know anyone personally who has had COVID, but there are a few cases that I see on social media, local and international news. But I do think that Tanzania is one of the safests places in the world despite the first, second, third, and fourth waves because we still have visitors and tourists coming around to explore our beautiful country. Now that I'm here working at the school, though as I said we do not have pandemic cases, but we are continuing to take precautions against the disease such as practicing social distance and using the washing hand stations, which is helping to raise awareness about the disease.”
Our future plans will be to ensure the continuation of our visitor and volunteer program by fostering healthy habits within our community and encouraging strong and robust health practices among our staff and students.
SEGA VACCINE STATUS
One of SEGA’s Maasai guards receiving his first vaccine dose at the SEGA vaccine clinic in January 2022.
When it was found that SEGA staff wished to be vaccinated, SEGA’s Executive Director Laina was quick to organize 2 vaccine clinics at school for the convenience of all of our staff and personnel. In January and February 2022, SEGA hosted two vaccine clinics where 28 out of 63 staff (44%) are now fully vaccinated.
There was awareness raised about the importance of the vaccines, and a lot of the misinformation was dispelled. SEGA staff learned the science behind the vaccines, and they were given ample time to ask questions in regards to its safety and to seek understanding of its importance. Vaccination remains entirely optional for SEGA staff and Tanzanian citizens in general. SEGA students are not eligible to be vaccinated at this time.
It is inarguable that Tanzania’s vaccination rate is far lower than those of developed nations like the United States. However, under new leadership it is expected that vaccination rates will continue to increase as more vaccines become available to a wider population.
SEGA TODAY
SEGA students returning to school in January 2022 for the 2022 academic year.
SEGA is a school that is rich in fostering community relationships and strong in leadership and responsibility. Our community struggled to adjust under new protocols, restrictions, and the overall cost endured during the initial waves of the pandemic.
Jane, SEGA Assistant School Counselor, was integral in staying connected with the students during the initial wave of COVID-19. She considers life now in Tanzania:
“I remember the day I heard about the first case of COVID-19 in Tanzania. It was so terrifying, but I am so happy that despite the low precautions in my community we were still able to survive. Currently, I have not heard any cases in my country, and life is turning to be normal and we are starting to forget about the presence of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Our students who come from vulnerable situations, endured yet again another hardship. However, today the country and our SEGA community are slowly recovering, and there has been a growing vaccination rate which offers hope for the return to jobs, return of tourists, and most importantly, visitors to SEGA.