Since 2015, the Tanzania Rural Health Movement has been leading the implementation of a community-based emergency response program in Mwanza City. In partnership with firefighters, bodaboda drivers, and Trek Medics International (NY, USA), the initiative aims to enhance access to reliable prehospital emergency care and transport for all Mwanza residents. Our goal is to ensure that 90% of individuals requesting medical assistance receive attention from trained community responders within 10 minutes.

A study by Chalya et al. (2013) revealed that none of the 5,672 trauma patients received prehospital care before being admitted to Bugando Medical Centre. In response to this critical need, the Mwanza Community First Responder Project is focused on providing urgent interventions, supported by the Beacon platform. This text message-based emergency medical dispatching software is specifically designed for communities with limited access to reliable emergency care. By transmitting text messages from the scene of an emergency to trained responders throughout the community, the Beacon platform enables the nearest available emergency care providers to quickly locate, treat, and transport trauma victims to the nearest appropriate healthcare facility.