Field Journal

From the Field

Dispatches, reflections and on-the-ground updates from our project teams. Follow our work as it unfolds — by project, by community, by season.

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Heshimu Bahari · Community Based 27 Jul 2024

Gender-inclusive co-management lands in Dar

A first-of-its-kind training brings women, men and officials to the same table to reshape how marine resources are managed.

HMHillary Mkai
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Heshimu Bahari · Community Based 24 Jul 2024

Climate change is reshaping the coast

Sea-level rise, bleaching and erosion are hitting Dar's seascape fast. Communities are training to adapt before the next tide.

HMHillary Mkai
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Heshimu Bahari · Community Based 21 Jul 2024

Inside Dar's marine reserve: who owns the coast?

A training programme unpacks the Dar Marine Reserve System — and the governance gaps it must close.

HMHillary Mkai
Read
Heshimu Bahari · Community Based 30 Jun 2024

Training the next coastal leaders

A leadership programme fills a gap flagged by Heshimu Bahari's gender assessment: too few women and youth at the BMU table.

HMHillary Mkai
Read
Heshimu Bahari · Community Based 18 Jun 2024

Tackling GBV inside the fisheries sector

A frank orientation in Dar names the harassment, exclusion and economic violence women face — and what to do about it.

HMHillary Mkai
Read
Heshimu Bahari · Community Based 15 Jun 2024

Women & youth at the fisheries table

A campaign in Dar pushes women and youth from informal labour into formal decision-making in fisheries.

HMHillary Mkai
Read
Heshimu Bahari · Community Based 14 May 2024

Heshimu Bahari launches in Dar — 74 voices in the room

The opening engagement meeting at Iddy Nyundo Hall brings regional, district, BMU and CFMA leaders into one conversation.

HMHillary Mkai
Read
Heshimu Bahari · Community Based 18 Apr 2026

When 84 BMUs sit at one table: a co-management story

How collaborative fisheries management areas are reshaping coastal governance — village by village.

SLSara Lupembe
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Heshimu Bahari · Community Based 06 Apr 2026

Gear transition: switching nets, changing livelihoods

Replacing destructive fishing gear is the easy part. Sustaining new income for fishers is where the real work begins.

AMAmani Mbeki
Read
Heshimu Bahari · BES Northern 12 Nov 2022

BES Northern kicks off: mapping Dar's seabed grid by grid

The first of three Heshimu Bahari awards begins with a benthic ecological survey across Kinondoni and Kigamboni — 2,156 grids planned below 50m depth.

JKJuma Kibaki
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Heshimu Bahari · BES Northern 18 Aug 2023

What 2,156 benthic images tell us about the Dar seascape

BES Northern closes its field phase. Early analysis points to coral patches worth protecting and sand flats already under pressure.

NMNeema Mwakalinga
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Heshimu Bahari · BES Southern 04 Mar 2023

BES Southern: extending the survey from Kibiti to Lindi

Award two of Heshimu Bahari widens the benthic survey across Kibiti, Kilwa, Mafia and Lindi — 6,737 grids targeted across four districts.

JKJuma Kibaki
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Heshimu Bahari · BES Southern 22 Feb 2024

Closing BES Southern: a 6,737-grid evidence base for the south coast

Field crews wrap the southern leg of the benthic survey. The dataset now feeds into CFMA planning and prepares the ground for the community-based component.

NMNeema Mwakalinga
Read
Afya Yangu25 Sep 2023

Integrated supportive supervision in Nsenkwa: educating youth on early pregnancy and substance abuse

SBCC group sessions across Inyonga and Utende wards engage adolescent girls, pregnant women and young men.

MLMusa Luchele
Read
Afya Yangu04 Sep 2023

Data Quality Assessment at Mlele: building the evidence base for RMNCAH

A systematic DQA at the ASUTA Mlele office validates accuracy and strengthens the project's data backbone.

YYYohana Yegela
Read
Afya Yangu31 Aug 2023

Strengthening partnerships: ASUTA Katavi reviews the community scorecard with LGAs

A follow-up session with LGAs evaluates progress against the Afya Yangu work plan and refines next steps.

BBBetty Basyagile
Read
Afya Yangu30 Aug 2023

Follow-up meeting: turning LGA feedback into the next round of RMNCAH delivery

A comprehensive feedback session in Katavi reviews the community scorecard initiative.

MAMenala Anthony
Read
SAUTI14 Apr 2016

SAUTI launches in Dar: HIV prevention reframed around adolescent girls and young women

ASUTA joins the Jhpiego-led SAUTI consortium across Temeke, Kinondoni and Kigamboni.

ASASUTA Team
Read
SAUTI27 Sep 2019

SAUTI closes: five years of WORTH+, hotspots and harm-reduction across Dar

ASUTA wraps up SAUTI with mature WORTH+ groups and a measurable shift in HIV outcomes for vAGYW.

ASASUTA Team
Read
RFE09 Sep 2012

RFE Round 9 launches in Bagamoyo: HIV prevention for the most at-risk

ASUTA's first major HIV/AIDS grant — TZS 299.9M — opens a four-year prevention programme.

ASASUTA Team
Read
RFE21 Nov 2015

Closing RFE: 22 income groups, 374 lives, and a Bagamoyo blueprint

ASUTA closes its first flagship HIV/AIDS grant with a model that shaped every project that followed.

ASASUTA Team
Read
AHADI12 Jan 2023

Opening AHADI: a one-year sprint for Temeke's hidden populations

ASUTA receives a 12-month PEPFAR sub-award to deliver HIV prevention, testing and OST linkage to sex workers, people who inject drugs and their partners across Tandika, Temeke and Azimio.

ATASUTA Team
Read
AHADI06 Feb 2023

Peer educator induction: 38 voices, one shared protocol

Three days at Temeke Municipal Council bring KVP peer educators through HIV prevention, GBV referral, drug-use harm reduction and the AHADI data flow.

ATASUTA Team
Read
AHADI18 May 2023

Mapping the unseen: needs assessment for KVPs in Temeke

ASUTA opens AHADI with a ward-by-ward mapping of KVPs across Tandika, Temeke and Azimio — guesthouses, stages, drug-use corners.

ATASUTA Team
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AHADI21 Jun 2023

HIVST in the guesthouses: first quarter outreach review

Three months into AHADI, the team reviews how oral HIV self-testing is landing with sex workers in Tandika and Azimio guesthouses.

ATASUTA Team
Read
AHADI14 Jul 2023

GBV response: standing up a one-stop referral pathway

A workshop with Temeke Municipal Hospital, the police gender desk and ASUTA's case managers locks in a 72-hour GBV referral protocol for KVP clients.

ATASUTA Team
Read
AHADI29 Aug 2023

Opioid substitution therapy: first cohort enrolled at Mbagala

ASUTA's outreach team escorts the first 64 AHADI clients into methadone induction at Mbagala MAT clinic.

ATASUTA Team
Read
AHADI12 Oct 2023

Community dialogue: stigma, policing and the right to test

Three community dialogues in Tandika, Azimio and Mbagala bring KVPs, ward leaders and police gender desk officers into a single room.

ATASUTA Team
Read
AHADI20 Nov 2023

Index testing among PWID: protecting partners without coercion

AHADI rolls out assisted partner notification for newly diagnosed PWID — built around consent, safety screening and peer-led offer.

ATASUTA Team
Read
AHADI08 Dec 2023

DREAMS-style economic strengthening for sex workers in Azimio

30 sex workers in Azimio start a 12-week financial literacy and savings cycle pegged to ASUTA's WORTH+ curriculum, adapted for short AHADI runway.

ATASUTA Team
Read
AHADI22 Feb 2024

Opioid substitution therapy in Temeke — six months in

Outreach to vulnerable populations in Tandika, Temeke and Azimio is changing how addiction care is delivered.

ATASUTA Team
Read
Afya Yangu04 Oct 2022

Afya Yangu launches in Katavi: RMNCAH meets community demand

ASUTA signs on as the regional implementer for USAID Afya Yangu in Katavi, taking on RMNCAH outreach across Mpanda, Mlele, Tanganyika and Nsimbo.

ATASUTA Team
Read
Afya Yangu21 Nov 2022

CHW refresher: 142 community health workers re-credentialed in three districts

A two-week regional refresher updates CHWs on the revised national RMNCAH job aids and the Afya Yangu reporting flow.

ATASUTA Team
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Afya Yangu27 Feb 2023

Adolescent SRH clubs open in Mlele secondary schools

ASUTA partners with four Mlele secondary schools to launch adolescent SRH clubs led by trained peer educators.

ATASUTA Team
Read
Afya Yangu19 May 2023

Family planning informed choice days at Mpanda DC

Three high-volume facilities in Mpanda DC run informed-choice FP days, with ASUTA peers managing demand-side flow and consent.

ATASUTA Team
Read
Afya Yangu31 Aug 2023

Strengthening partnerships: ASUTA Katavi reviews the community scorecard with LGAs

A follow-up session with LGAs evaluates progress against the Afya Yangu work plan and refines next steps.

ATASUTA Team
Read
Afya Yangu04 Sep 2023

Data Quality Assessment at Mlele: building the evidence base for RMNCAH

A systematic DQA at the ASUTA Mlele office validates accuracy and strengthens the project's data backbone.

ATASUTA Team
Read
Afya Yangu25 Sep 2023

Integrated supportive supervision in Nsenkwa

SBCC group sessions across Inyonga and Utende wards engage adolescent girls, pregnant women and young men on early pregnancy and substance abuse.

ATASUTA Team
Read
Afya Yangu30 Aug 2024

Follow-up meeting: turning LGA feedback into the next round of RMNCAH delivery

A comprehensive feedback session in Katavi reviews the community scorecard initiative.

ATASUTA Team
Read
Afya Yangu11 Feb 2025

Postpartum family planning: closing the 42-day gap

An ASUTA-led campaign across six facilities in Mpanda DC targets the 42-day postpartum window for FP counselling and uptake.

ATASUTA Team
Read
Afya Yangu26 Jun 2025

Afya Yangu closes in Katavi: handover, sustainability, what remains

The Katavi regional team marks the end of Afya Yangu implementation with a structured handover to the Regional Health Management Team.

ATASUTA Team
Read
SAUTI14 Apr 2016

SAUTI launches in Dar: HIV prevention reframed around AGYW

ASUTA joins the Jhpiego-led SAUTI consortium across Temeke, Kinondoni and Kigamboni — refocusing community prevention on adolescent girls and young women.

ATASUTA Team
Read
SAUTI02 Sep 2016

WORTH+ groups go live: first 18 savings circles in Temeke

ASUTA opens 18 WORTH+ groups across Temeke — combining literacy, financial inclusion and HIV prevention into a single weekly cycle for vAGYW.

ATASUTA Team
Read
SAUTI07 Feb 2017

Friendly health services at Sinza Hospital — first quarterly review

SAUTI's facility-side investment in adolescent- and FSW-friendly services gets its first hard look at Sinza.

ATASUTA Team
Read
SAUTI23 Jun 2017

Mobilising the mobilisers: peer educator coaching at scale

A regional refresher in Kinondoni brings 96 SAUTI peer educators back together for protocol updates and case-based coaching.

ATASUTA Team
Read
SAUTI11 Jan 2018

Cash-plus pilot: short-term transfers for vAGYW in Mbagala

SAUTI launches a small cash-plus pilot — modest monthly transfers paired with the WORTH+ curriculum for the highest-risk vAGYW.

ATASUTA Team
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SAUTI18 May 2018

HIV testing on the move: weekend outreach at Stereo and Magomeni

Weekend mobile testing at two of Dar's busiest entertainment corridors becomes a fixture of SAUTI delivery.

ATASUTA Team
Read
SAUTI09 Sep 2018

PrEP becomes part of the conversation

SAUTI integrates oral PrEP into the standard prevention package for FSW and high-risk vAGYW clients across Dar.

ATASUTA Team
Read
SAUTI12 Mar 2019

Police engagement: from harassment to referral

Quarterly engagement meetings between SAUTI peer educators and the Temeke gender desk start to shift the tone of frontline policing for FSW.

ATASUTA Team
Read
SAUTI17 Jun 2019

Closing the loop: index testing and partner notification

SAUTI rolls out assisted partner notification across all ASUTA delivery sites — consent-led, peer-supported, IPV-screened.

ATASUTA Team
Read
SAUTI27 Sep 2019

SAUTI closes: five years of WORTH+, hotspots and harm-reduction

ASUTA wraps up SAUTI with mature WORTH+ groups and a measurable shift in HIV outcomes for vAGYW across Dar.

ATASUTA Team
Read
RFE09 Sep 2012

RFE Round 9 launches in Bagamoyo: HIV prevention for the most at-risk

ASUTA's first major HIV/AIDS grant — TZS 299.9M from the Rapid Funding Envelope — opens a four-year prevention programme along the Bagamoyo coast.

ATASUTA Team
Read
RFE12 Nov 2012

Peer educator induction: 62 educators ready for outreach

ASUTA opens RFE delivery with a 5-day induction for 62 newly recruited peer health educators drawn from the populations they will serve.

ATASUTA Team
Read
RFE04 Mar 2013

Condom corner: 50,000 units enter distribution

ASUTA's first major condom procurement reaches Bagamoyo guesthouses, bars and trucking stages.

ATASUTA Team
Read
RFE22 Jul 2013

Sewing machines, carpentry tools and the first IGA cohort

The first Income Generating Activity cohort opens — sewing machines for women exiting sex work, carpentry tools for recovering drug users, seed capital for mama-ntilie food vendors.

ATASUTA Team
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RFE18 Nov 2013

Mobile HIV testing: bringing the lab to the truck stage

ASUTA partners with the Bagamoyo District AIDS Coordinator to run weekly mobile testing at Mbweni and Mlandizi truck stages.

ATASUTA Team
Read
RFE27 Mar 2014

Round 10 award: extending and deepening

DANIDA-led pool awards ASUTA the RFE Round 10 grant — extending the Bagamoyo work and expanding into the Coast Region.

ATASUTA Team
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RFE11 Aug 2014

Year-on-year DQA: independent review of the RFE evidence base

Deloitte commissions an independent Data Quality Assessment across the RFE Round 9 indicator set.

ATASUTA Team
Read
RFE19 Feb 2015

GBV referral: standing up the Bagamoyo pathway

RFE Round 10's GBV component opens with a formal MoU between ASUTA, the Bagamoyo District Hospital one-stop centre and the gender desk.

ATASUTA Team
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RFE07 Aug 2015

Graduation: IGA cohort one declares 18-month profitability

Eighteen months after seed disbursement, 22 of the first 31 mama-ntilie IGA enterprises are recording sustained net profit.

ATASUTA Team
Read
RFE21 Nov 2015

Closing RFE: 22 income groups, 374 lives, and a Bagamoyo blueprint

ASUTA closes its first flagship HIV/AIDS grant with a model that shaped every project that followed.

ATASUTA Team
Read
AHADI18 May 2023

Mapping the unseen: needs assessment for KVPs in Temeke

ASUTA opens the AHADI project with a ward-by-ward mapping of KVPs across Tandika, Temeke and Azimio.

ASASUTA Team
Read
EpiC 14 Oct 2026

Looking ahead: building a programme that lasts

EpiC closes 2026 by recommitting to community-led, government-anchored, integrated HIV programming across Lindi.

PMPaulina Mlinga
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EpiC 11 Jul 2026

Integrated outreach is the new normal

EpiC outreaches in 2026 carry HIV, TB, STI, GBV screening, FP information and biomedical prevention — in one visit, by default.

EKEsther Kileo
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EpiC 18 Apr 2026

JICHEKI mentorship: coaching that travels

A new wave of internal mentorship and coaching takes JICHEKI to facilities that have never had it.

PMPaulina Mlinga
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EpiC 02 Mar 2026

Chasing 95-95-95: progress, plateaus and what’s next

Notes from our EpiC team on advancing HIV epidemic control targets — and the populations still being missed.

EKEsther Kileo
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EpiC 09 Dec 2025

Community ownership: the quiet metric

A year-end review surfaces the metric we don’t usually track — how much of the work the community now owns.

PMPaulina Mlinga
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EpiC 14 Sep 2025

Gender desk officers anchor the response

Council gender desk officers become the spine of the EpiC violence prevention and response model.

EKEsther Kileo
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EpiC 27 Jun 2025

KVP forums become the planning room

Key and Vulnerable Population forums move from consultation to genuine co-planning of district HIV services.

HMHillary Mkai
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EpiC 19 Mar 2025

Chasing 95-95-95: where Lindi stands

A mid-year review benchmarks Lindi against national targets — and names the populations still being missed.

PMPaulina Mlinga
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EpiC 02 Dec 2024

HIVST in fishing communities: the man, the provider, the kit

A simple model — peer brings the man, provider supports the kit — keeps testing flowing in fishing camps.

PMPaulina Mlinga
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EpiC 14 Sep 2024

Strategic planning meetings sharpen the district response

EpiC, RHMT and CHMT planning meetings align targets, calendars and accountability for the year ahead.

HMHillary Mkai
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EpiC 17 Jun 2024

Songosongo: one outreach, four services

A single Songosongo outreach delivers HIV testing, family planning information, VPR education and biomedical prevention.

HMHillary Mkai
Read
EpiC 08 Mar 2024

Women Gala in Liwale puts health on the main stage

A community-wide Women’s Day event in Liwale anchors HIV prevention and gender-responsive services in public life.

PMPaulina Mlinga
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EpiC 05 Dec 2023

Peer educators go digital with online outreach training

Peers gain digital engagement skills to reach vulnerable populations through virtual platforms.

HKHamis Kasonso
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EpiC 22 Sep 2023

JICHEKI: UCS training raises the quality bar

ASUTA staff and healthcare providers from Dar and Lindi take part in JICHEKI UCS training and coaching.

PMPaulina Mlinga
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EpiC 29 Jul 2023

DQA travels to Lindi — and finds the gaps

A second DQA round in Lindi closes the loop with facility-level remediation plans.

PMPaulina Mlinga
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EpiC 07 Apr 2023

Data Quality Assessments in Dar es Salaam

Joint DQAs with health facility staff and district teams sharpen the accuracy of HIV programme reporting.

PMPaulina Mlinga
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EpiC 18 Dec 2022

VPR teams join the village table

Community Violence Prevention and Response teams are integrated into VMAC, WMAC and CMAC structures across Lindi.

HMHillary Mkai
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EpiC 21 Sep 2022

Biomedical HIV prevention reaches the field

Beyond condoms and counselling, EpiC brings biomedical HIV prevention to KVPs where they live and work.

RMRehema Mwakyusa
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EpiC 14 Jun 2022

Family planning, by informed choice

During outreach, beneficiaries get full information on family planning methods alongside HIV prevention — choice belongs to them.

HKHamis Kasonso
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EpiC 09 Mar 2022

Integrated service delivery: HIV, TB, STIs, GBV in one visit

EpiC bundles screening so beneficiaries don’t have to choose which part of their health to take care of today.

HMHillary Mkai
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EpiC 02 Dec 2021

Group counselling turns the corner for ABYM

Healthcare workers and peer educators run sessions that move adolescent boys and young men from avoidance to action.

HMHillary Mkai
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EpiC 20 Sep 2021

SBCC sessions deepen — from awareness to behaviour

Social and Behaviour Change Communication moves beyond information delivery to genuine, peer-led behaviour shifts.

EKEsther Kileo
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EpiC 12 Jul 2021

Mobile outreach reaches fishing camps with HIVST

Mobile health teams take HIV self-testing, counselling and linkage support to ABYM in hard-to-access fishing communities.

HKHamis Kasonso
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EpiC 04 Mar 2021

Songosongo: AGYW peers open doors to testing

On a small island off the Lindi coast, peer-led awareness sessions are translating directly into HIV testing uptake.

RMRehema Mwakyusa
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EpiC 15 Dec 2020

Year one in review: what Lindi taught us

A first joint review with district leadership lays the groundwork for a bolder 2021.

HKHamis Kasonso
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EpiC 21 Sep 2020

Keeping HIV services open during a pandemic

EpiC pivots to small-group SBCC, distanced outreach and HIV self-testing as COVID-19 reshapes the year.

RMRehema Mwakyusa
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EpiC 09 Jun 2020

Recruiting the first peer educator cohort

AGYW, ABYM and Other Priority Population peers step forward to lead community-based HIV prevention in Lindi.

RMRehema Mwakyusa
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EpiC 18 Feb 2020

EpiC launches in Lindi — anchoring HIV epidemic control

ASUTA opens the Meeting Targets & Maintaining Epidemic Control programme in Lindi, building the partnerships that will shape the next five years.

PMPaulina Mlinga
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AHADI 22 Feb 2026

Opioid substitution therapy in Temeke — six months in

Outreach to vulnerable populations in Tandika, Temeke and Azimio is changing how addiction care is delivered.

RMRehema Mwakyusa
Read
Capacity Development 25 Jan 2026

Training the trainers: 240 grassroots leaders, one cohort

Recap from our latest leadership cohort — what worked, what we'd change, and where this cohort goes next.

DMDavid Mwakatobe
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