Using community mapping methods to improve HIV services and access to public health facilities in Dar es Salaam and Mbeya.

Data Zetu is a coalition of Tanzanian and international organizations that aim to empower communities to make better, evidence-based decisions to improve their lives. An initiative of the Tanzania Data Lab (dLab), the coalition consists of Sahara Sparks (SS), Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT), and Tanzania Bora Initiative (TBI), with global expertise from SBC4D and IREX. It is funded by the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and administered by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) as part of the Data Collaboratives for Local Impact program (DCLI).

In partnership with Data Zetu, the HOT Tanzania team are collecting health data in Dar es Salaam and Mbeya region to improve public health services. Through community mapping initiatives, the team are training local people to better understand access to maternal health, childcare, HIV services and sexual reproductive facilities. This data will be used by community members, government officials and health initiatives to pinpoint areas in need of health facilities and resources.

So far, the project has surfaced data about hyperlocal “shina” boundaries, which offer local communities and leaders unprecedented information about the most granular level of community administration that exists in Tanzania. The maps produced from this data can help analyse and prioritize development work at a micro level and equips community members with visual representations of the issues they are facing.