Hello from beautiful Tanzania,

We had our first full day of medical camps in a mountain village of Marangu caring for over 100 patients that were waiting for us when we arrived. We treated a variety of conditions from tinea capitis (ringworm, it is not an actually a worm just a fungus), burns, eye disorders, urinary tract infections, sprains, heart conditions, and so much more.  We had the privilege of having an optometrist and ultra sound tech on our team to do eye care, glasses, and ultrasound.  Thank you Dr. Sue, Aly, and Brittany for accommodating the need of our patients.  We also had the ability to do some labs which came in handy for diagnosing urinary problems and HIV testing.

Dr. Parve and NP students ready to provide care for patients.

 

Jena and Suzanne came early to setup the Pharmacy.

On a lighter note, all team members put in a 10 hour day and still managed to laugh, joke around, and even experience the infamous Tanzanian squatty potty without any casualties! J  At the end of the day, when we were all tired and ready to head home one more patient required our attention; OUR VAN NEEDED A PUSH TO START.  Thank you from left to right, nice neighbor, Slava, Suzanne, Joan, and Dr. Furaha: Oh let not forget Brittney’s lovely smile while supervising our efforts.

We had a beautiful start to the day while waiting for our driver to pick us up we were able to view the “shy mountain:, Kilimanjaro, as she revealed her snow topped peaks in the morning sun.

One thing one must remember in Africa is that things do not run on American time (which is not a bad thing), but we maintain our perseverance as we discussed in our devotion this morning, Romans 5:4, that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope and hope does not disappoint. For us at HWB we say Hakuna Matata which means no worries, but over time we have shorten it to TIA which translates to This is Africa!

Lala Salama (Good Night),

Joan and Suzanne