Our morning started out by reflecting on what it means to be content. Today opened our eyes on how people see contentment differently than the natives of Tanzania. We departed our lodge and headed to the village of Milwaleni that was about 30 minutes away. When we got there we learned that it was a Tanzanian holiday known as Zanzibar Revolution Day. We talked briefly with the town’s priest who shared with us the history of the holiday. We learned…

In 1963 Zanzibar Island had been granted independence from Britain. In July of 1963 the Subnate government helps parliamentary elections which resulted in the Arab minority retaining power to an extent of making Zanzibar an overseas territory of Oman despite winning 54% of the votes. The incident provoked the African majority. To solve the problem, the Afro Shirazi Party (ASP) allied with Umma Party to join force. On January 12^th 1964 the ASP, lead by John Okello mobilized around 600 revolutionaries to Zanzibar town and overthrew the sultanate government.

As we arrived to a building known as a dispensary, we were amazed to see how limited their medical supplies were. About 6,000 people come from surrounding villages come to this dispensary to receive their care. In order to meet the needs of the poor population, Western Health Services structure (doctors, hospitals, pharmacies) has been replicated in Tanzania however the nation cannot support this structure. Because this type of structure is too expensive in Tanzania, it has fewer medical personal, a poor infrastructure, no roads, and a poor means of communication. Care that can be provided at these type of dispensaries are: consults, treatment of diseases, small surgeries, caring for pregnant women, mother-child clinic, taking care of those with leprosy, TB, HIV, uncomplicated deliveries, family planning, vaccination programs and distribution of meds. This dispensary alone provides all these cares and yet is only staffed by one doctor and two nurses.

It was humbling to see how low they were on supplies compared to the many stocked supplies rooms at hospitals and clinics where we are from. We had nurse practitioners and student seeing patients for needed treatment. Dr. Orvis again amazed us with her ability to provide visual acuity tests and dispersed many needed glasses. This is the first time that many of these villagers were able to see. It is hard to imagine going most of your life not being able to see and also not being able to afford correction. We reflected on how we easily take a lot of things for granted in the states.

We also provided them with water purifiers while educating them on how to set them up and use them for their village. At the same time, we were teaching them common basic hygiene practices to prevent disease and infection. To our surprise, something as simple as hand washing and brushing teeth needed to be explained and demonstrated.

Additionally, we were able to provide OB ultrasound and Fetal Echocardiography on child bearing mothers. The mothers were able see the fetus on the hand held ultrasound as we eagerly pointed out babies beating heart. Mothers in a village like this have never had the opportunity. The experience was emotional and uplifting and their reaction was something some of us will always remember.

While waiting for care we were able to make beaded bracelets and necklaces with the children which they were proud to show off to the rest of the village and group! The children played soccer for hours with some of the HWB members through rain and shine. Some of the children were even playing in bear feet on dirt and gravel but it didn’t seem to faze them as it seemed they were having the time of their lives.

An additional project Hope without Borders is very passionate about is the Red Elephant Project (hwb-intl.org) The red elephant project provides sanitary pads to women who can not afford this necessity. Here a sanitary napkin can cost about $1.00, the same price as a kilogram of sugar or maze. Many times the family does not have a bathroom, or running water and buying pads for women in the family is out the question. Because of this many girls stop attending school because they are both confused and embarrassed. These packs provide the necessary supplies to get women through her menstrual cycle and keep them in school.

Dr. Fraha was able to translate and demonstrate proper usage and care of the Red elephant bags. We also practiced the teach back method to insure proper usage and understanding.

As we reflect on our day we can all agree we can be content with much less. Many of us in America may be guilty of relying heavily on materialistic items in our everyday life. After seeing today the pure joy they had after receiving simply just a tooth brush and the ability to purify their water, it has opened our eyes to different levels of contentment. Today just like every other day on our journey here has opened our eyes, touched our hearts, inspired us to continue to bring hope to those in need.

“sisi ni wale watu wenya tumanini kwa watu wale wenye shida”

“ We are the people who bring hope towards the needy/underprivileged/less fortunate”

Love from Tanzania,

Brittney and Jenna