TRIP UPDATES

MEDICAL MISSION

Thursday, January 12, 2006

We have worked solid days getting hospital in Singida clean and organized for the Doctors. 

We have moved over a 40' container load of supplies, repaired windows, replaced window screens, and much more.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Greetings to all from Tanzania!

It is mid summer here and very hot.

The drought continues and the condition is very serious. 

We are told that it had not rained since our last visit which was in October.  We have received two good rains in the last three days which has lifted the people’s spirits, but does not make a crop.

The Kids Against Hunger meals (570,000 +) shipped by Outreach in November and December will truly save lives.  Those meals will arrive here in TZ in the next two or three weeks, if all goes as planned.

Outreach Medical Mission:

Eight members of the mission team arrived last Friday without incident.  They will make all of the preparations for the rest of the team.

It is difficult to explain the joy and relief, to look out from the customs entry and see the faces of Dr. Rwezaura and Mike Kitwaka there to greet and assist us.  It seems that there are always questions and delays that need their help.  We were only missing two bags, so it was an additional delay in filling out all the forms.  We collected the two missing bags on Friday when we met the rest of the medical team (47 people) on Friday the 13th.

Dr. Rwezaura, Mike, Sharon Kramer and I traveled back to Arusha on Thursday to meet the team on Friday evening.  Having 47 people and all the baggage was a challenge for Dr. Rwezaura and Mike, but all went smoothly.  Amazingly all the team members and baggage arrived together.

We had two buses to transport the 47 members and the 150+ bags of meds and personal items.  The team overnighted in Arusha and departed by the same buses early Saturday morning for Singida Town.  This was a 12 hour journey and very difficult, as only 60 of the 200 miles was on surfaced road and one of the buses was very old and slow.  The 200 miles of dirt road tested the character of the team members.  Most thought it was a great adventure.  There was surly plenty of time to see the countryside and people along the way.

The team arrived in Singida after dark and got settled into their quarters for the next 12 days at the Catholic Social Training Center.  This is a very nice location and the team is very comfortable here. 

Sunday was the day to get all the supplies and personnel organized to begin the real medical work on Monday morning.

Tanzania just completed election of a new President.  President Jakaya Kikwete. 

President Kikwete was in Singida on Saturday and early team members. 

The medical mission team was invited as guests for the consecration of the newly elected Bishop of Singida Region.  Pastor E. Sima became the Bishop of the region in which Outreach programs are conducted. 

Bishop Sima, as Assistant Bishop, has always supported the Outreach programs and we look forward to our continued good work with him.

The consecration of Bishop Sima was held on Sunday and the Outreach Team was once again recognized.  Dr Paul Milloy was given the opportunity to address the audience on behalf of the Team. 

It was truly an honor for the Outreach Team to be recognized by the President of the Country. 

It is now Wednesday and the Team is working from 6:30 AM, well into the night these first two nights.  There is so much to do and so many to see.  Many hundreds of people have been seen and treated over the past two days.  Surgery, OB, Dentistry, and Clinic are nearly overwhelmed with patients.  As a non medical observer, it is amazing to see the hard work and dedication of these wonderful professionals.  If you could only be here to see the conditions the people of TZ live with on a daily basis to receive any medical treatment, you would never complain about having to wait for an hour to see you medical professionals. 

During our October trip to survey the villages of Ilunda Ward it was very evident that water was the number one priority of all the villages.  Because of a very generous donation from our Outreach friends in Oregon, we will purchase much needed repair parts.  

We met with Member of Parliament Msandia yesterday and he agreed that the TZ Government will match the funds received from the Oregon donor, so we will have funds to work on many of the wells in the Ward.  We have ordered repairs for the first ten wells.  The parts should be delivered here in Singida on Thursday.  Alan Stricklin who is an Engineer from Texas, traveled with the advance medical team last week.  Alan began work on locating, mapping, evaluating and repair of as many of the 57 wells, as is possible over the next 3 weeks.   

There is so much to share and the Internet time is very limited.

We wish to thank all of you for your continued support and encouragement.

Do not forget we have lots of very good TZ coffee and thousands of beautiful baskets in Iowa. 

Thanks to all for the support of the Outreach Program.

Gods blessings to all,

The Outreach Medical Mission Team

&

Floyd and Kathy