We are honoured and thrilled to share that Australia for Cedar Tanzania has been selected as a finalist for a 100Women grant with our newest initiative: the SMILE Project (Sustainable Maternal and Infant Lifesaving Endeavours).

This nomination is a deeply meaningful moment for us. It’s a recognition of not just our work, but the strength, resilience, and leadership of the women in rural Tanzania who inspire us every day. We are grateful to 100Women and their community for recognising the value of this project, and for believing in community-led, life-saving impact.

👉 Read about our project on the 100 Women site here:
https://100women.org.au/grant/australia-for-cedar-tanzania-ltd/

What is the SMILE Project?

SMILE is a community-based healthcare initiative that provides essential maternal and newborn care directly to women in their homes, especially in remote villages in rural Tanzania.

Delivered by a team of skilled midwives and community health workers, SMILE ensures that no mother is left behind. Through in-home postnatal visits, education on breastfeeding and nutrition, family planning counselling, and the early identification of complications, the project is a lifeline during the most vulnerable time in a mother’s and baby’s life.

What makes SMILE unique is its holistic, respectful approach to care—built on trust, community participation, and culturally aligned delivery. It’s not about charity. It’s about dignity, access, and lasting change.

Every 47 Minutes, a Mother Dies:

Every day in Tanzania, 30 women die from pregnancy or childbirth-related causes deaths that are overwhelmingly preventable. In rural areas in Tanzania, over 40% of women give birth at home, often without skilled support, and access to postnatal care is nearly nonexistent. For newborns, the risks are just as severe: 1 in 32 babies in Tanzania won’t survive their first month of life. These aren’t just numbers; they represent mothers without midwives, babies without follow-up care, and families without the support they need. The SMILE project exists to change that.

💚 Your Vote Can Save Lives

If you’re a 100 Women member, your vote can help bring this project to life.

By voting for the SMILE project, you’re voting for:

✅ Women to receive critical care in their own homes
✅ Babies to survive and thrive during the first fragile weeks
✅ Local health workers to be empowered and upskilled
✅ A healthcare model that reaches those most often forgotten

🌟 Voting is open until 10 October 2025. Please log into your 100Women account and cast your vote for the SMILE project.

Together, we can change maternal and infant health outcomes in one of Tanzania’s most underserved regions.

Thank you, 100Women. Thank you to our supporters. And thank you to every mother who trusts us to walk alongside her.

With gratitude,

Nina and the Cedar Team

Sources

World Health Organization (WHO), Global Health Observatory | 11,000 maternal deaths annually in Tanzania.
Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS) 2015–16 |rural delivery statistics.
UNICEF/World Bank – Neonatal mortality rate of | 31 per 1,000 live births in Tanzania.