Little is known about bone fractures in remote areas like Shirati. Data on the incidence of fractures only come from hospitals. However, that’s precisely the issue: many patients do not go to the hospital at all, but rather seek treatment from traditional bonesetters. The frequency of such visits is also unknown. That is why the Shirati Foundation, as part of the Bonesetter project, is helping to set up a household survey, which will reach 507 households and between 1000 and 1500 individuals.

These households will be visited in their villages by a survey team consisting of 16 local Tanzanian women. By providing training in new skills and employment opportunities, the project aim to support their personal development. This week, they successfully completed their training in conducting questionnaires. These questionnaires inquire whether a family member had a fracture in the past year, how the fracture occurred, where it was treated, why there, and the physical and financial impact experienced as a result.

The Shirati Foundation is supported in this endeavor by Delft Imaging B.V., which has generously provided a portable X-ray machine for this research. With this device, we can confirm, at the participants’ homes, whether it is indeed a fracture and not just a contusion, saving them time and effort. This ensures the highest quality of research data!