Community Profile
Mtoni is an administrative ward in Temeke district in Dar es Salaam Region with an estimated population of 72,922 residents. The Mtoni community is a predominantly Muslim area with about 80% of the community members identifying as Muslim. The majority of the residents are living in extreme poverty, and there is a high rate of drug use and unemployment. The HIV infection rate in Mtoni is higher than the national average.
CENTER STAFF
health COUNSELOR: Martha Mhango
Martha joined the CARE for AIDS team at Mtoni in 2019. She grew up in Momba-Songwe with her parents, who were shopkeepers in the area. It was Martha’s dream to work with the HIV positive population in her area, so her work with CARE for AIDS is a perfect fit for her. Martha’s favorite part about her job as Mtoni’s Health Counselor is getting to know clients in their homes.
“I love helping people. There is something in me that wants to help solve people’s problems.”
SPIRITUAL COUNSELOR: Oscar Wissa
Oscar serves as the Spiritual Counselor for the Mtoni center in the Dar es Salaam region. He meets regularly with clients, digging into CARE for AIDS scripture-based curriculum and helping clients overcome the stigma and hopelessness often associated with HIV by leading them through the Word of God. He moved to Dar es Salaam in college to pursue a music career, but he had a transformative spiritual experience and decided to dedicate his life to helping others know God. His favorite scripture is I Corinthians 9:16.
Center History
Year graduates Faith-Decisions Orphans prevented
2018-2019 75 10 87
2019-2020* 75 5 155
2020-2021 75 1 151
*The cohort in the 2019-2020 class was impacted by delays in the CARE for AIDS program caused by COVID-19 lockdowns and health precautions. To learn more about how we responded to the pandemic, visit this page.
CLIENT Profiles
Mwanahawa Athuman was one of our youngest clients at Mtoni center in 2019—she was just 23 when she joined the program. When she first enrolled at CARE for AIDS, she had been completely bedridden for six months. Her mother was supporting her but life had become increasingly difficult for both of them as Mwanahawa's health continued to deteriorate.
During the first month of the program, Health and Spiritual Counselors took Mwanahawa to the hospital and found that she had spinal tuberculosis. The counselors immediately enrolled her in treatment and within a few months, she was able to stand again. Thanks to a spinal belt and many months of physical therapy after her first medical treatments, Mwanahawa was able to walk at her graduation ceremony in August 2019.