The HeART Project
A five-year international research project improving health and quality of life for older people in Tanzania — funded by Danida with DKK 10 million and hosted by the University of Southern Denmark.
Why HeART exists
More people in Tanzania are living longer, but the healthcare system has not kept pace with this trend. Many older people live with chronic illnesses and reduced functional ability without access to the treatment they need — particularly in rural areas. HeART was created to help change this.
Six objectives, one purpose
Generate new knowledge
Explore how older people in Tanzania experience ageing, illness and their interactions with the healthcare system.
Understand vulnerability
Examine how poverty, gender, disability and stigma affect older people's health and increase their vulnerability.
Build capacity
Give nurses, doctors and community health workers new competencies in geriatrics through training and mentorship.
Exchange expertise
Academic exchange between Tanzania and Denmark, including exchange visits to Danish best practice in care for older people.
Reach the most vulnerable
Home visits in vulnerable rural areas reach older citizens who otherwise have difficulty accessing health services.
Inform decision-making
The new HeART database collects knowledge on older people's health and social conditions for better planning.
Four methods working as one
Each method addresses a different part of the same problem: a health system that has not kept pace with longer lives.
1 · Research into ageing & illness
- How older people experience ageing, illness and the health system
- Analysis of poverty, gender, disability and stigma
- New knowledge for better, targeted interventions
- Builds on years of Tanzania–Denmark collaboration
2 · Skills development & exchange
- Training in geriatrics for nurses, doctors and community health workers
- Academic exchange between Tanzania and Denmark
- Exchange visits to Denmark for selected professionals
- Insight into best practice in care for older people
3 · Home visits in rural areas
- Home visits by healthcare workers in vulnerable rural areas
- Reaching citizens who have difficulty accessing health services
- Focus on vulnerable and overlooked groups
- Care brought to those furthest from the health system
4 · The HeART database
- Collects knowledge about older people's health and social conditions
- Improves the planning of health initiatives
- A stronger foundation for authorities and professionals
- Long-term ambition: a national database
Reaching older people where they live
Health services are limited in many rural areas, and older people who are frail or homebound often struggle to reach care. Through home visits, healthcare workers bring support to vulnerable communities directly.
Research and training take place with our partner institutions in Tanzania and Denmark — linking local realities with international experience.
The road to 2031
An indicative plan for the five-year programme, built around the project's core methods.
Launch & foundations
HeART launches with DKK 10 million in Danida funding; project leadership and the Tanzania–Denmark partnership confirmed.
Research & data
Studies into ageing, illness and interactions with the health system get under way; preparation of the HeART database.
Skills & exchange
Training in geriatrics for healthcare professionals, alongside academic exchange and visits to Denmark.
Reaching rural areas
Home visits in vulnerable rural areas bring care to older people who rarely reach health services.
Evidence for decisions
Data from the HeART database informs the planning of health initiatives by authorities and professionals.
Lasting impact
Final results shared — with long-term ambitions: a national database and gerontology education at diploma, master's and PhD level.
Curious about the expected impact?
See the outcomes HeART aims to achieve and how progress will be measured — updated as the project moves forward.