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March 2025, Manyara, Tanzania — In a dedicated effort to raise awareness about Group A Strep throat, rheumatic fever, and rheumatic heart disease (RHD), a team of health and education professionals led a successful four-day health education campaign across primary schools in the Manyara region.

Dr. Sebastian Marwa and Dr. Jackson Mlay from Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), together with Dr. Elizabeth Chang'endo from the Babati District Council and Madam Glory Shilly from the District Education Office, conducted the outreach, visiting 15 schools located in hotspot areas for RHD. The team engaged over 6,171 pupils and their teachers, delivering vital heart health education in a fun and interactive format. 

Students were split into smaller groups for a structured 90-minute session, which included going through the Colours to Save Hearts colouring booklet together and an interactive lesson using Reach’s RHD Community Awareness Flipchart. The tools used – including flyers, flipcharts, and colouring books – made complex health information accessible and engaging for young learners. Teachers and students alike were highly engaged and enthusiastic throughout the campaign. To ensure the education continues, flipcharts were left with school staff for ongoing use in the classroom, reinforcing Strep A, rheumatic fever, and RHD education at the grassroots level.

This campaign is part of an ongoing collaboration between MUHAS (Prof Pilly Chillo, local PI), Reach (Jessica Abrams, programme manager), and the University of Cape Town (Prof Liesl Zühlke, Prof Mark Engel), and marks the first community sensitisation and early prevention of RHD in the region.

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