The Makunduchi Project is growing. We have now taken on a second hospital in Zanzibar. As a result we have a new name: Health Improvement Project Zanzibar (HIPZ).

Please visit our new web site: www.hipz.org.uk for the latest information.

This web site will remain in the short term for archive purposes.

Zanzibar is known as the ‘Spice Island’ and lies in the Indian Ocean, 6 degrees south of the equator. The white sandy beaches are magnificent and the coral reef creates stunning lagoons – there’s a sense of paradise.

Makunduchi sits at the southern tip of Zanzibar, a village famed for its riotous festivals and superstitions, its seaweed farmers and rope-makers. Most of the population live a self-sufficient lifestyle, growing their own vegetables and fruit.

Despite its seemingly perfect environment, life is tough. 1 in 12 infants die, often from preventable causes. One third of women still have home deliveries with no-one on hand to deal with complications. One in 220 Zanzibari women die in childbirth.

The Makunduchi Project is changing this and you can be a part of the solution. 

This year the Makunduchi Project is focusing its attention on maternal and child health. Our newly constructed maternity unit is delivering comprehensive emergency obstetric care free of charge and our ambulance retrieval service is collecting women in labour from remote communities to deliver safely in the unit. 

Having seen the benefits of a new operating theatre and primary care unit, redevelopment of the hospital remains a priority. Our next goal is to renovate the children's ward and accommodation for hospital staff. 

More about us and the project