from Yona Maro

Across Africa, cell phones are rapidly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. From an isolated rural village, a business owner can make a bank deposit through her phone; a farmer can access current crop prices; and an expectant mother can learn about antenatal care. And now, in Tanzania, cell phones offer a chance of treatment for women living with obstetric fistula – a painful and often ostracizing condition that follows prolonged and obstructed childbirths and causes chronic incontinence and even paralysis.

At their hospital in Dar es Salaam, CCBRT provides fistula surgery free of charge, but the high cost of transportation and accommodation still prevented fistula survivors in remote villages from seeking treatment. So CCBRT came up with a solution. Using Vodafone’s mobile banking systemM-PESA (M for “mobile” and PESA for “money” in Swahili), the institution sends money to fistula survivors to cover travel costs to the hospital in Dar es Salaam for their repair surgery.

The money is sent via SMS to fistula volunteer ambassadors, who may be former patients, health workers, or staff of nongovernmental organizations, to identify and refer women suffering from fistula for treatment. The ambassadors retrieve the money at the local Vodafone M-PESA agent and buy bus tickets for the patients. When the patient arrives at the hospital, the ambassador receives a small incentive, again via M-PESA.

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