TRIP UPDATES

March-April-May 2008 Tanzania Trip

Hello to all,

On March 6th Floyd and I and Dr. Wendy Ringgenberg, from Des Moines University, flew from Des Moines for Tanzania. Alan Striklin joined us in Detroit. Sharon Kramer, Sharon Manion, and Chuck Pryzmus met us in Amsterdam. Dr. Yogesh Shaw joined us in Singida after he finished a teaching assignment. Halima & Richard Kasungu met us at Dar es Salaam airport and were our hosts while we were in Dar.

Dr. Robert Salim, Regional Medical Officer, from Singida Hospital arranged a meeting in Dar with Chief Medical Officer David Mytasiwa, from the Department of Health and Social Welfare. The Outreach Medical Mission was explained and the water chlorination system was demonstrated. The Chief Medical Officer would like to see a water chlorination system in every dispensary in the country of Tanzania. This would be a major undertaking for the country. We would hope that by having chlorinated water over all of Tanzania, Cholera and Typhoid would be dramatically reduced.

We visited the sites where the chlorination systems were installed in October, to make sure that the systems were still functioning properly. The system at Magugu is working and the village is collecting money. They have opened a bank account for the village water program and have deposited 300,000 tzs. It is sustainable! As a result of the villagers using the chlorinated water, in a 2 mile radius around the system, there is no cholera or Typhoid. The system at Fukyosi has a broken solar panel, but they are still using the system.

We visited the Oncology Clinic on Ocean Road. Oncologist Dr. Kombi gave us a tour of the Cancer Clinic. This is the only cancer treatment center in the country of Tanzania. They do the best they can with only 3 oncologists and with limited space, equipment, and medicine. It is normal to have two people per bed and people on mattresses on the floor.

Doctors Shaw and Ringgenberg were also taken to Singida Region to tour the hospitals there. Outreach is establishing a medical student, doctor exchange program with hospitals in Tanzania. The Singida Region Government Hospital would be one of the hospitals where the students and Doctors will be working. Doctors Ringgenberg and Shaw needed to see what areas are available for our students and doctors to work. Doctors at Singida Hospital are very anxious to have medical & dental students and doctors from America to work with them.

Next was to take everyone to Nkungi Village to tour the Iambi Hospital. While at Nkungi, Wendy spent a day with Medical Officer Naomi Madonandola making calls with the Porta-Doc to a remote village.

While in Nkungi Village, Alan Striklin and villagers install the wind turbine at the Gunda Secondary School well. Because of the high use of the chlorinated water by the school and the village, the water storage tank has been too low for irrigation at the farm project. The solar power alone was just not pumping long enough. With the wind turbine in place, water will also be pumped at night. There should be enough water in the tank to supply the school with water to irrigate when the rains stop.

On the way back to Singida, we stopped at Iambi village to check on the water collection tank, and at Singa village to show the first duplication of the Nkungi pilot project, started last June. The garden looked good, with vegetables and an orchard. A cook house also has been built to prepare the Kids Against Hunger meals for the children who need food.

In Singida we met with Regional Commissioner Kone in his office and discussed their up coming trip to the US, the possibility of the medical exchange program, and also discussed the Kids Feeding Center - which we all went to see the progress. It is progressing, not as fast as we had hoped, but it still is impressive. RC Kone wanted to know when it would be open. We now hope by July of this year.

The Sharons and Chuck Pryzmus made the necessary preparations for the September medical mission at Iguguno, taking supplies, working with the Sisters, and repairing the windmill.

Everyone met back in Arusha to fly home. Regional Commissioner Kone and Dr. Mushi, Doctor in charge of the Singida Regional Hospital, came with us back to America. We left warm Arusha and flew into a blizzard in Minnesota. We met with architects in Minnesota to discuss plans to build a new Regional Referral Hospital at Singida Town.

Traveling on to Iowa, Dr. Paul Malloy arranged meetings with the doctors and nurses at Blank Hospital in Des Moines to promote the medical mission to Singida in January of 2009. Chuck Pryzmus from North Dakota also attended this meeting.

Kelly Sargent, from Brainstorm Marketing, and Dan Rishavy, from Miami, Florida, arranged a meeting with President of Des Moines University, Terry Branstad, Governor Robert Ray, other dignitaries and DMU staff to promote the medical exchange program. Regional Commissioner Kone and Dr Mushi spoke and gave a presentation to raise awareness of the need of a new referral hospital at Singida Town, Tanzania. Following the meeting a reception and dinner for RC Kone and Dr. Mushi was in order, with Governor Ray in attendance as well as Bill Northey, Secretary of Agriculture, and Rotary District Governor, Diana Reed. Kelly had made an appointment for the next day, with Lt Governor Patty Judge at the Capital Building. Representative Polly Granzo toured RC Kone and Dr. Mushi through the House and Senate Chamber.

From here we traveled to Washington DC for meetings with the TZ Embassy and to meetings which the Embassy had arranged for RC Kone and Dr. Mushi. In the evening we enjoyed dinner with “Friends of Tanzania” in the home of Dennis and Candy Warner.

Then on to Florida and sunshine! Dan Rishavy had set up an interview and dinner for RC Kone with Lorna Owens, host of the radio show “And the Women Gather”. Lorna has promoted Outreach on her program and web site. She invited us to meet the Prime Minister of Jamaica in the evening.

Back to chilly Iowa, we had dinner with the Kevin Fiscus family who had met RC Kone on their recent trip to TZ. The next day, a tour of the Hospital at Iowa City was arranged by Nicole Alexander, a medical student who worked with Dr. Mushi in TZ last year. We met many Doctors, and nurses, saw the new ER, Oncology, helipad, and sat in on a Swahili class. Dr. Mushi was given medical books by Iowa City.

We picked up hospital items donated by Mary Greely Hospital in Ames, and items from Webster City Hospital. Dr. Mushi was given a tour of the new Grundy Center Hospital.

It was a busy three weeks raising awareness of the need for the new hospital at Singida Town, and the need for equipment. We are collecting hospital equipment which can be utilized in the new hospital. We would appreciate any donations which can be made. Thank you to everyone and to the hospital’s which are donating items!

After Regional Commissioner Kone returned to Tanzania, he was debriefed by their President Kikwete. President Kikwete decided to tour Singida Region to see all the great things happening in the area. RC Kone invited Floyd and me along with others working with Outreach to meet and have dinner with President Kikwete. With trying to get caught up here at home, we had declined the invitation. Dr. Rwezaura, whom many of you have met, called and told us the importance of the meeting. We left again May 2nd for TZ!

We were invited to RC Kones’ home for a private meeting with President Kikwete. He talked with us for about 25 minutes. Leaving RC Kones’ home, we showed President Kikwete the Porta-Doc.

He invited us to have lunch with him and to attend a public meeting with the people of Singida Region. During his speech he introduced us to the people (we were told there were 20,000 in attendance) and when he was leaving the podium he told us “now they know you”! President Kikwete is a very caring man. We were honored and enjoyed meeting with him.

In leaving TZ May 10th, the “State of Projects” report is as follows: - The roof was almost finished on the Kids Feeding Center. We have to buy a lot more concrete for the floors and prices have more than doubled since the project was started. If everyone would send $5 - $10, we could get the concrete and finish the center!

The 5 containers, which were backed up in Dar, finally arrived in Port of Tanga! Now we can get the Kids Against Hunger meals to the Hadzabi tribe and to others.

There are 9 teachers with 575 students attending the Gunda Secondary School, form 1 through form 4. 23 students need tuition of $70 each, some of these students would be “A” students if their math scores were better. Is there a math teacher out there who would like to teach at Gunda School?

The Gunda School girls’ dorm walls are to the lentil.

There are now two more baby goats.

The Amaranth at the school looks great! Thanks to Mrs. Kix, the teachers, and the students at Nevada Central Elementary Multi-age School and their purchase of the Amaranth seed!!

The wind generator is working great; the tank is now staying at half full. The rain has stopped and irrigation will start soon.

The hospital at Singida received Government funding and is being painted and extensive remodeling is being done. It will be nice for the next medical mission.

We returned home on Mothers Day evening! It is spring in Iowa and BEAUTIFUL!!

Thank you for all your support!
Love and Blessings to everyone!

Kathy