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 12th 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
No comments:
Post a Comment