University of Groningen
Improving access to quality maternal and newborn care in low-resource settings: the case of
Tanzania
Bishanga, Dunstan Raphael
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Publication date:
2019
Link to publication in University of Groningen/UMCG research database
Citation for published version (APA):
Bishanga, D. R. (2019). Improving access to quality maternal and newborn care in low-resource settings:
the case of Tanzania. University of Groningen.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Getting to this milestone in life has
prompted me to take a moment to
reflect on my journey, not only to
this doctoral degree but also the
broader educational endeavor. I
glorify the Heavenly Father for His
goodness and grace. Besides, I owe
a debt of gratitude to a number of
people and institutions that have
supported me in different ways
during the journey.
A CKNO WLEDGEMENT S 150 150
Acknowledgements
I am so grateful to Young-Mi Kim, whom I dare to say was the main reason my doctoral journey began. I remember it all started during our work-related col-laboration in designing studies and writing manuscripts. You introduced me to the opportunity of earning a PhD at a university in the Netherlands that had developed an academic collaboration with Jhpiego. Since this was already part of my plans, I grabbed the opportunity with excitement. Thereafter, I held conversations with two great Dutch professors, Prof. Jelle Stekelenburg and Prof. Jos van Roosmalen, who made me feel even more inspired. Young-Mi, you are more than a mentor to me. Your motherly heart and caring are contagious, and I always received the drive to keep going every time I talked to you.
I would like to offer my sincere gratitude to my promot-er, Prof. Jelle Stekelenburg, and co-promoters, Dr. Marcus J. Rijken and Dr. Young-Mi Kim. Throughout my PhD journey, I very much enjoyed your mentorship guiding my thinking, as well as your support and collaboration. The time we spent working together has completely transformed me as a scientist and changed the way I look at the world today in promoting public welfare. I learned so much from you, and that has elevated my career to a different level, both as a researcher and a public health expert.
I am humbled to have had my thesis examined by a team of accomplished and respected professors. Prof. Jos van Roosmalen, Prof. Maarten Postma, and Prof. Rick Grob-bee, thank you so much for dedicating your valuable time and expertise to serve on my assessment commit-tee. I also want to thank other members of the promo-tion committee who, at the time of printing this thesis, included Dr. Danielle Jansen, Dr. Jeremie Zoungrana, and Dr. Janine de Zeeuw.
I thank the Research Institute SHARE of the Groningen Graduate School of Medical Sciences at the Groningen University for financing part of my PhD program. I also appreciate receiving technical and professional support from the Dutch Working Party on International Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health.
The success of my PhD program was greatly supported by my employer, Jhpiego. My sincere appreciation goes to Jhpiego’s senior leadership for creating a learning environment within the organization. I was privileged to work with dedicated and smart colleagues at Jhpiego. The journey was made easier by meaningful collabo-ration and support from: my supervisor, Dr. Jeremie Zoungrana, the Jhpiego/Tanzania Country Director; members of the teams implementing safe motherhood projects; investigators and co-investigators of studies that informed this thesis; and my co-authors on all of the articles. Adrienne Kols, I am so grateful for your time to review my thesis and provide editorial support.
Studies contributing to the five publications in this thesis were made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the terms of: Cooperative Agreement 621-A-00-08-00023-00, Mothers and Infants, Safe Healthy Alive (MAISHA) pro-gram; Leader with Associates Cooperative Agreement GHS-A-00-08-00002-00, Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program (MCHIP); and Cooperative Agree-ment AID-OAA-A-14-00028, Maternal and Child Survival Program (MCSP). One of the studies included in this thesis was funded by the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF). The contents are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Jhpiego, CIFF, USAID, or the United States Government. I would like to extend my appreciation to the leadership and officers at Ministries responsible for health in Tan-zania, including the Ministry of Health, Community De-velopment, Gender, Elderly and Children (MoHCDGEC) and the President’s Office–Regional Administration and Local Government, and also to partner institutions that supported implementation of successful projects and the studies included in this thesis.
This accomplishment would have not been possible without a lifetime of support from members of my family and friends. My fondest gratitude goes to my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Raphael D. Bishanga. You made education an important value of our family in efforts to transform the world for the better, and you facilitated the school-ing of your children with countless sacrifices; Napenda kuwashukuru sana wazazi wangu kwa jitihada katika kunipatia elimu na malezi bora. Mungu azidi kuwabariki na kuwapa miaka mingi yenye heri. To all my siblings, family members, and friends who always supported me, please receive my heartfelt gratitude. Special thanks to my uncle, Mr. Ben K. Lwehumbiza, for his inspiration and guidance at some critical stages of my educational journey.
Very special thanks to my lovely wife, Diana, and our children: Hadriel, Decla, Bethel, and Bernice. I very much enjoyed your love, enthusiasm, confidence in me, sup-port, and encouragement throughout my studies. You never stopped praying for me, asking about my progress and pledging your support to your utmost. When it mat-tered, you offered me your time so that I could work on my thesis, which was the reason I was able to complete it on time. Understanding that very important people in my life were part of this journey gave me the motivation and courage to keep going. I should say this accomplish-ment is for all of us: you were an integral part of the journey, hence I want to congratulate you as well!
