A Decade of Impact: MC-Tanzania’s Journey to Transform Oral Health Care and Education
By Rabia Mkamba and Gresë Sermaxhaj
A decade ago, MC-Tanzania, an affiliate of MCW Global, began its journey to improve oral health and dental care in Tanzania.
Let’s first take a moment to understand why oral health is so crucial in Tanzania and then highlight some of the impactful community work being done in this field. MCW Global and MC-Tanzania share the firm belief that oral health is essential to an individual’s overall health and that when a community receives access to oral health care, education, and services, it is a healthier and happier place to live.
Tanzania, an East African country where MCW Global has been working in the field of oral health since 2001, has 1 dentist for every 120,000 people (the World Health Organization recommends a ratio of 1:75,000). To address this challenge, MCW Global’s oral health projects are rooted in a belief in the power of preventive oral health care services (education, screening, and treatment), as they offer the only realistic solution to relieving the oral health disease burden in the country.
“MC-Tanzania’s programs not only improve accessibility to dental care and education but also empower future dental health leaders who will drive advancements in community dentistry across the nation.”
Taking this into consideration, all of the work done by MCW Global and MC-Tanzania has been guided by the needs of the leadership in Tanzania, when, in 2007, re-establishing the country’s only dental school—the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences School of Dentistry (MUHAS)—was seen as crucial. Responsible for training dentists for a population of 55 million people, the school was on its last legs and desperately needed a plan to get it back on track. The school was not only saved but it was also established as a Regional Center of Excellence. MCW Global collaborated with leaders at the School of Dentistry and key global industry partners to develop a sustainability plan that outlined the necessary steps for its continued success
Years after its establishment, MUHAS continues to be a beacon of hope for Tanzania’s oral health future. The school has not only increased the number of trained dental professionals in the country but has improved access to specialized dental care across the region. Its graduates are now serving in both urban and rural areas, where they are making a direct impact by reducing the oral disease burden and improving the overall health of their communities. Nowadays, the MUHAS School of Dentistry is not only financially and operationally sustainable,but it also provides high-quality care with state-of-the-art equipment. It has become the most sought-after institution among all allied sciences, training dental students from across the African continent.
In addition to MUHAS, MC-Tanzania’s diverse portfolio includes: the Dental Therapists Outreach Training Program, Community Health Fellowship (CHF), Oral Health Awareness, and 3D Printing for Dentistry. Each initiative contributes uniquely to MC-Tanzania’s overarching vision: envisioning Tanzanian communities free from oral and dental diseases, which is achieved mainly through dental outreaches and alumni-led initiatives, targeting disadvantaged groups, These groups often lack regular access to dental services and preventive care.
Central to the program's approach is the development of leadership skills among dental therapists. A specialized curriculum places leadership at its core, preparing them to take initiative and drive the program's implementation effectively. This emphasis on leadership equips dental therapists not only with dental expertise but also with the ability to lead and innovate in community health initiatives.
MC-Tanzania not only provides theoretical and practical training in community dentistry but also emphasizes leadership development among its students. This dual focus equips future dental health professionals to effectively deliver preventative oral healthcare tailored to community needs throughout the country. Beyond its core training program, MC-Tanzania is a pivotal advocate for oral health awareness, actively participating in campaigns like World Oral Health Day.
In summary, MC-Tanzania’s programs not only improve accessibility to dental care and education but also empower future dental health leaders who will drive advancements in community dentistry across the nation.
About MCW Global
MCW Global is a non-profit organization with a vision for communities around the world to achieve greater levels of education, improved health, and increased economic security. Its mission is to address communities’ pressing needs by empowering current leaders and readying leaders of tomorrow. Founded in 1999, MCW Global is based in New York with affiliates in Africa (Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zambia). MCW Global offers Young Leaders and Africa Programs. Across all the programs, MCW Global seeks to act with integrity, compassion, accountability, responsibility, and excellence.
About MC-Tanzania
Established in 2014, MC-Tanzania’s projects focus on promoting good oral healthcare services within disadvantaged communities in and throughout Tanzania. The Dental Therapists’ Outreach Training is MC-Tanzania’s main project, a year-long project conducted twice a year in the Mbeya and Tanga regions in collaboration with the Colleges of Health and Allied Sciences. The goal is to develop and strengthen community dentistry by improving the ability of dental therapy students to set up and carry out Dental Outreach (i.e., education, screening, and treatment) for primary school students.
About the Authors
Rabia Mkamba is an experienced Accountant/Auditor based in Tanzania and has over 7 years of experience working with donor-funded organizations in the fields of accounting, finance, auditing, and compliance testing.
Rabia works as a Finance and Administration Officer at Miracle Corners Tanzania.
Before joining Miracle Corners, Rabia worked as an Accountant at GBP Tanzania Limited (an oil marketing company) and as an auditor at RSM Eastern Africa (a member of the RSM global network), based in Dar es Salaam.
Rabia’s experiences include financial reporting and management, project management, internal and external auditing, Donor reporting, fraud investigation, management accounting, and taxation.
Rabia Holds a Master's Degree in Accounting and Finance and a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance from the University of Dar es Salaam, she is also an Associate Certified Public Accountant (ACPA, T) and an active member of the National Board of Accountants and Auditors in Tanzania.
Gresë Sermaxhaj is an Honors graduate from the University of Prishtina, Republic of Kosovo, in the Department of Political Science, with a background in Public Relations and Communications.
For over three years, she worked as a Public Relations Coordinator at the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN), the country’s oldest women’s rights organization. She has also worked as a freelance writer for Youth Time, an international magazine based in Prague, Czech Republic.
In 2023, Gresë completed studies in Public Media Relations at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, IL, as a scholarship recipient from the U.S. Department of State through the Community College Initiative Program (CCI).
An MCW Global alumna, she currently serves as the MCW Global Communications Coordinator, where she highlights the activities of MCW Global and its Affiliates- MC-Rwanda, MC-Tanzania, and MC-Zambia through social media content, interviews, feature stories, and crafting communications strategies. Recently, she initiated and led the Transforming Communities for 25 Years: Looking Back, Moving Forward project, a series of exclusive articles celebrating the 25th Anniversary of MCW Global.