Ngorogoro Crater

We apologize for the late entry, but we were unable to have access to wifi for a couple of days because we went to Ngorongoro Crater! We were prepared to leave for the Crater Wednesday morning by 0800, but we did not set off until about 1100 (African time was a factor)! The purpose of this trip was to clean out the clinics that Green Hope Organization is planning on opening for the Maasai community. We were unsure of what to expect for our accommodations and food therefore, we had to pack easy lunch foods (bread, boiled eggs, oatmeal, etc). There were ten of us in the safari vehicle and although it was a spacious vehicle, by the time we packed our bags, food, cleaning supplies, and paint it was very full. It was a bumpy ride but well worth the drive as we got to see some breathtaking scenery and wildlife along the way (giraffes, baboons, gazelles, and zebras). We arrived at the clinics at about 1800 and got a quick tour before settling into our accommodations, which happened to be a very close walking distance behind the clinics. There was no power in our accommodations so we sat by candlelight and kerosene lamp and listened to the many wildlife outside our doors (some of us were getting a bit “jumpy” and scared of all the foreign sounds)!

The next morning we were up bright and early to get to work. We got a lot accomplished in a short amount of time with lots of help, including from those in the community! We washed walls, swept, and painted; which was a lot of work as it was a fairly large clinic. It was apparent that these clinics are imperative to this community’s well being as their health care was very limited. There was one nurse who used these clinics for care at times. The Maasai community were very eager to help us in any way that they could.

By the end of the day we were all exhausted from a long days work. Earlier in the day, the men had chosen a goat to be eaten for supper (it was in the back of the safari vehicle). The Maasai men cooked and prepared it for us over a fire for supper. We all tried it and agreed that it was quite good! The Maasai people do not waste any food and made a soup out of the goat intestines (although this was not a favourite of ours). We were interested to see that the Maasai would have a spear in one hand and a cell-phone in the other. It was also surprising to us that some spoke English quite well. Maasai are polygamist and usually have at least five wives. Therefore, we were prepared to have possible marriage proposals throughout our stay (we were lucky to not have any direct offers, although we were informed that a woman is worth 9 cows). It was an interesting cultural experience for us all!

The next day (Friday), we finished up with some more painting and then set off at around noon. It was another rainy day but we were able to see a lot of wildlife (we saw about 9 giraffes in a group, many zebras and baboons). We arrived back at the hostel at 1730 and were all eager to have showers and rest.

This will be our last blog post as our experience here has come to an end. It has been an eye-opening and once in a lifetime experience! We have a few days before we head back to Canada, some of us are going on safari others climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and the rest of us vacationing in Zanzibar. I can speak for all of us when I say that we can't wait to come back!

Our new Massai friends!

- Courtney, Raquel and Sam 

Future is Looking Bright

What an EPIC day today!  As you would have read from yesterday, there was free eye clinic being run in a very, rural community. A little boy from one of the orphanages needed his eyes checked and unfortunately, yesterday the line was already to long and we weren’t able to go. Today we made sure that we were there early so that we would be first in line for the registration. Our 6:00 am wake up call was worth it!  Once we arrived at the location safely (the road was quite a roller coaster ride) we had some time to kill so like monkeys, we found a very sturdy tree to climb with the two boys that came with us. It was a lot of fun!

Once the people that were running the clinic arrived, they invited us to help distribute eye glasses. We were helping in the  “glasses room” our duties involved setting up all the glasses in correct prescription piles so that it would be easy to find that right pair for the right person.  The organization partnered with an optometrist from the US and an ophthalmologist from Canada to test people’s eyes. The optometrist had grown up in Tanzania and was returning to start a clinic in another village. The other staff there were some local nurses, two Tanzanian optometrists who specialized in cataracts and severe eye issues, along with many support staff running the registration.  Once we got started there are very few words to describe how we felt when people tried on glasses. As a person who is visually impaired without glasses I know how it is to not see anything. To have been able to witness people being able to see for the first time in their life was amazing. The smiles on their faces were priceless. As for our little boys, the one did not need glasses (yay!), however, the other needs a more precise prescription then what they could do at the clinic (he needs two different prescriptions for either eye). Even though he could not get glasses for free, one of the Tanzanian optometrists pledged to donate a set of frames for him from her shop which makes it a lot of cheaper.  All in all it was an amazing day and it was nice to know the reason for his sight issues and hopefully we will be able to get the glasses he needs as soon as possible.

-Alix and Stefany

Sad, but True

For my post today I am going to talk about events of yesterday and today. This past weekend we had some visitors. They kindly invited a head organizer of Green Hope and us to go see what their company was up too in Arusha. The company that the visitors are with is a huge company with many assets in education, research and health among others. They first brought us to their clinic. It was amazing, they had every piece of equipment and it was all brand new. I felt upset. Only the very rich of Arusha could access the clinic as even health insurance is 180 000 Tanzanian Shillings a month. That is over a hundred dollars American. The average annual income in Tanzania is only about 500USD. It seemed like the people that need help are being forgotten.  The visitors then brought us to some land they had acquired from the government for a project. It was over 3000 acres. You don’t have to be a farmer to know that is a lot of land. Previously, the land was used for agriculture, but now locals are not permitted on the property. There is a fence and multiple guards to ensure this.

During the time in Arusha, I have witnessed a lot of poverty. I have seen too many people that don’t know where their next meal is coming from or even where they will sleep tonight. Seeing such luxury in the thick of poverty was mind boggling and depressing. I am not even sure how to describe the feeling properly. Fortunately, there was a silver lining to seeing all this. While we were visiting the clinic, we were informed that a Canadian and American were in Arusha doing free eye exams. Today, we tried to get a boy from an orphanage in for a free eye exam as he is cross-eyed. Sadly with unforeseen challenges this morning we were unable to get to the clinic till early afternoon. By that time over 105 people waiting for an exam. We will try again tomorrow. Fingers crossed.  

-Stefany

Just Another Day in Paradise

Today as always was another beautiful day in Tanzania, +35 degrees Celsius . The plan this morning was to do head to toe assessments on children ages four to six years old at a school. We got packed up in the Noah (our hearty minivan) and were on our way. We ended up at a school, but the students were adults. After being here for almost five weeks, we are quite accustomed to things going as planned so this was not a problem. We did physical assessments and sexual health teaching to approximately 20 people until lunch time. At that time the adult learners were on break so we talked with some programmers and instructors. They then treated us to tea, bread and butter and fresh fruit. We than parted ways and made our way back home.

Later on in the day, a couple of us went to a market nicknamed the “Mzungu Market” because it is mostly visited by white tourists. It is also more pricey than other local markets. My friend and I bought three mangoes for 3000 Tanzanian shillings (TSh) and I bartered a bunch of sweet bananas down to 2000TSh. I was feeling a little bad that I spent 5000TSh till I did the conversion to US dollars. 1600TSh is equivalent to 1 US dollar so the matunda (fruit) cost me a big total of 3 dollars and 13 cents. Nowhere in Canada would I be able to buy that much fruit so I guess it is not that bad ;)

Goodnight and have a great day,

Stefany

Tour/Info Session

Our day started out with a bit of overcast, and we all found it hard to get going for the day. This morning, we all went as a group to a Training Centre for Development Cooperation. It offers a variety of courses (short courses, language courses and academic programs) and partners with many Universities. If you are not affiliated with a University you are still able to apply for a course (s). Some of the courses include: Child Rights Governance, Grant Management and Fundraising, Human Rights and Vulnerability, etc.  They offer a very planned and organized stay for their students/visitors with Kiswahili and cultural lessons to help those get accustomed to the African culture. It offers the students an opportunity to become a social activist and join together to meet individuals, share ideas and become empowered and knowledgeable about their rights and how they can influence change. The lady who spoke to us was very passionate and stated her philosophy of “Learn, Know and Act”. She stated that you need to act on what you have learned/know to make a difference, which could be something as small as creating awareness. This facility is equipped to accommodate students and/or tourists with all the amenities included (such as a computer lab with free internet, a library, gym, cafeteria, etc.). Overall, I believe we came to a consensus that this would be a great place to study! It would inspire you to advocate for your rights and the rights of others, and help you to create change. After we finished our tour/information session we headed to our favourite local restaurant for some delicious and inexpensive food.

 

Courtney

Mango Tree

Today my group went back to the orphanage from the previous day, except this time we were going to see the primary school where the majority of the children attend. The school is located about 30 minutes by foot through very beautiful landscape. We were escorted by two of the older girls from the orphanage which was great. They chatted non stop about the various fruit trees and the scenery around. Once we arrived we were greeted by the Vice Principle who gave us a brief tour. He then rounded up the 8 students from the orphanage. It was great to finally meet them as we have been to this Orphanage various times and have only meet the younger kids that live there! We also found out that about 8 of the kids from the orphanage attend an elite private school on full scholarships! We were very impressed by this fact and that majority of the kids were in school! After our visit to the school we returned to the orphanage for an afternoon of good fun! We played musical chairs, when was the last time anyone has done that?! So fun!  

The second group had an adventurous day at the Government clinic. They did plenty of antenatal care visits which included immunizations and laboratory work. 

This evening we had an amazing supper by our in house chef! And tonight we are saying goodbye to our buddy from Scotland. He is making his way back to Kenya to continue his volunteer work. We will miss him dearly!! 

Raquel

Kids Kids and more Kids!

Today was yet another day living the good life here in Tanzania! We had our 5^th Swahili lesson to date and we are still quite inept with the language. However, we are trying and have an excellent teacher. Today was all about conjugating verbs, I wouldn’t say we’re masters at it but we sure try!

After Swahili we did a bit of arranging to figure out our day. Here, the days are usually outlined tentatively but can change at any time. It’s quite exciting and nice to get away from the drone of Westernized scheduling and planning. For those of you who know me, yes, I am saying I enjoy not planning, Miss I Love Lists, which seems to be a common title for many in our group. The end plan was for all of us to go to a local orphanage to play with the children for the morning, such a tough assignment!

This orphanage is one of the poorest one’s we have been to since we arrived in Tanzania. The children are at a severe disadvantage as the location of the orphanage is right beside the Arusha dump. However, that does not stop all the children there from being overly joyous and happy. We spent a few hours singing songs, playing games, learning Swahili, and teaching some English. As we were leaving we all had to make sure we didn’t accidently put a child in our bag to take home, they are truly precious children.

Once we were loaded back into our van we set off for an appointment with Centre for Educational Development in Health, Arusha (CEDHA). This is a centre for degree holding health care professionals to continue their education to learn how to teach others in their field. The aim of CEDHA is to ‘strengthen and support the health care system through training of human resources for health in health personnel education, health services management, and continuous professional development’. Our informant at the centre explained that CEDHA has approximately 30 students, which is all their current resources can accommodate. The majority of the students are nurses but they also have professionals from medicine, dentistry, laboratory, and others from all over Africa. They also have a few individuals from Nepal.

We managed to keep busy all the while learning things. It is inevitable to get through a day here without learning at least one new thing. Our brains are constantly on the go whether it’s remembering what to say when someone says ‘Mambo’ (the correct answer is ‘Poa’) or explaining the treatment and management of a patient presenting with pneumonia. Here’s to another week and a little bit in Tanzanian, where has the time gone!

- Samantha 

The road we should not have taken.

            Today as usual, the group split into two.  My group went to a rural government health center. The trip to the health center was an experience to say the least. It took us an hour and a half (instead of the usual 30 minutes) due to the fact that the traffic was horrendous. The “simbas” (police) were out early today to start their daily car inspections. Thankfully we did not get pulled over. However, this did not speed up the process as cars, trucks, piki piki (motorcycle) and dalla dallas (public transportations) were going every which way with no sense of direction. Once we got off the main road the adventure continued, the road to the health center was a bumpy ride. I do not usually get carsick but this was a first, I needed to close my eyes and not look at the road. It was a relief to finally arrive at the health center.  Once we got there we found out that due to a lack of equipment this health center is being run as a dispensary.  A dispensary deals with basic needs, similar to a primary care center we would have in Canada. The doctor and clinical officer were really educational. We participated in rounds and were quizzed on our knowledge and application.  During our tour of the place we were told that the clinic is in dire need of a new water supply system, as the well is no longer filling with water. This well also is the water supply for the town.  It is sad to think that the government could do something about it but they do not.  It is always nice to feel welcomed when we go to the clinics. We always learn a lot and gain new knowledge about the Tanzanian health care system.

Cheers!!!

Alix 

"Hashtag" Adorable African Babies

For those of you who may not be social media users, the above title is in reference to Twitter.  It came up in conversation this morning at breakfast and we briefly considered doing an entire blog post using hash-tags (#) but figured this may be slightly confusing for those not familiar with this form of communication....

Today we had the chance to go visit an orphanage that is strictly for children under the age of three.  There are not many orphanages in Arusha which take babies because they are expensive to care for.  This orphanage was started about a year and a half ago by a retired American couple.  They take in abandoned children and their goal is either to return the children to extended family members or adopt them out.  In stark contrast to many of the orphanages we have seen, this one was in a very affluent area of Arusha.  When we arrived, the youngest toddlers were napping so we said a quick hello to the babies who were awake and then went into the large backyard to see some of the older toddlers.  There were several nannies and a few volunteers in the backyard.  It is clear that the children are well bonded with their nannies as they ran to them for comfort when they saw strangers (us).  It took them a bit to warm up to us but eventually they started interacting with us.  Soon the younger toddlers joined us in the backyard so we all had one to hold onto.  One of the guys who is living with us came along and initially he was nervous about going to the orphanage but even he found a toddler that he just couldn't put down.  They were all so cute!  One little guy had the chubbiest little cheeks and although we knew his real name we just couldn't help calling him "Cheeks".  He was quite the little charmer, crawling around from lap to lap, babbling and smiling away. 

We stayed and helped feed the children (although it was tricky because some of them weren't sure about taking food from strangers).  After lunch, a lot of the toddlers just wanted to cuddle up in a lap, especially since some of them were sick.  We were starting to feel like we were ready for a nap when the nannies told us it was time for the toddlers to go nap.  We helped with a mass diaper change and then it was off to bed for the children. While we waited for our ride back home, we spent time in the baby room cuddling those who were awake.  I don't think I'd be lying if I said several people in our group really wanted to go home with a baby. 

After we got back from the orphanage, some of us went to get measured to get clothing made out of African-print fabric that we bought.  Can't wait to show off our new threads when we get back home!

 

Karen

Short but Sweet

Today was an easier day, after a fun night out of karaoke and “chaza, chaza” (dancing).  We went to an organization that provides food for meal programs at schools in Arusha and the surrounding areas.  It was interesting to find out that kids are more likely to go to school here if they are given food.  As the conversation went on, we found out that the program will be ending and the Arusha office will be closing due to lack of funding. Part of our discussion was geared towards how they can get more funding so that the program can continue to run.  After that, we went to the Red Cross office; they are working with the community educating the population on safety and first aid. We were only there a short time as the organization members had a meeting to attend.

Later in the afternoon we made our way to the maasai market where we tried out our bargaining skills. It was quite a cultural experience but in the end we all faired out pretty well in the purchases we made.

We ended the evening with homemade pizza and coconut ("nazi", don't be alarmed it's pronounced differently) cream pie :) 

Alix 

Government Clinic and Home Visits!

 

 

This morning after breakfast we had another one of our Swahili classes! Today we learned about connecting words like: for example (kwa mafano), however (Hata hivyo), and (na), or (au) and except (ila). Shortly after breakfast we went off into our groups for two very different experiences. Our group of three went to one of the government clinics. It was immunization day so there were lots of infants/toddlers needing to be weighed. We also learned how to document the weights and give oral medications (Polio, Vitamin A and Rotavir). One lady came to the clinic to get a birth control implant inserted in her arm (Norplant). Her blood pressure needed to be taken before it was inserted and it ended up being 220/110! After this result, they referred her to the hospital, but she did not get any medication for her high blood pressure. We were told she would get the IUD (intrauterine device) instead.

The other group of girls went on home visits to individuals/families who struggle with being HIV positive. They bought a single mattress and provided a wheel chair for a young child with a disability. They also took laundry soap, as well as food (beans and rice) to the visits.

We all successfully bought fabric last night and are awaiting a time to get measured for our dresses/pants!

Courtney-

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mambo Mambo VP!

To start off the day we enjoyed a lovely pancake breakfast! Our group was then divided into two once again. My group had the opportunity to visit a government hospital and assist with child immunizations. The Nurses were great and taught us how to weigh infants, immunize and chart. Not to mention they taught us various different phrases in Swahili!!The second group was at a small clinic. They were able to observe various different procedures being done. A lot of procedures in Africa are done much different then in Canada, but they provide for an excellent learning experience. 


As part of our cultural experience we have all decided to get African dresses made (photo to come). Our tailor took us on an adventure to the downtown market in search for the perfect patterned fabric. We ventured into about 3 different stores which had so many options, it was almost overwhelming. Just walking to these stores was an adventure in itself. Merchants were constantly trying to convince us to enter their stores, saying their products were better then the next. Experiencing a market in Tanzania is a must! Be prepared to be tempted in every which direction and to barter for the best deal! After about an hour we all found the perfect fabric for our dresses. Let the designing begin!

Raquel

Living Positively

Today started off bright and early at 7:00am, for some, to make a hearty breakfast to start the day off right! After breakfast we were privy to our third Swahili lesson. In today’s lesson we learnt relationship language. For instance, nawapenda familia yangu (I love my family), this is from all of us here in Tanzania!

We were once again split into our two fabulous groups. The one group took off to a local government hospital. At the hospital we observed two pediatric appointments. We saw our first case of pneumonia, which according to statistics is within the top 5 childhood illnesses in Tanzania due to the inability to cope with the  cold temperatures in combination with substandard living conditions. I understand if some of you (specifically the Canadians) are surprised by the cold temperatures part, so were we. The mortality rate for children under five due to pneumonia accounts for 16% of deaths. Recently, in 2012, Tanzania introduced the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) as a routine immunization for children under the age of five. They receive their PCV at 6 weeks, 10 weeks, and the final dose at 14 weeks; the goal is to decrease the incidence and mortality of pneumonia cases in children under five. The vaccine is given alongside tuberculosis, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, influenza B, and measles.

The remainder of our time at the clinic was spent observing and assisting with antenatal (pregnant women) assessments. These assessments include measuring the woman’s weight, blood pressure, fundal height (height of baby bump), and listening to the fetal heart rate. Note, the fetal heart rate is heard through a wooden tool over the fetus’ back. We we were quickly informed that these odd looking tools only recently disappeared from Canadian obstetric wards. I guess we’re a bunch of young pups.  

The other girls attended a support group meeting for HIV positive people ran by a local organization. Here, they were able to observe HIV positive people supporting other HIV positive people. The goal of the organization is to offer a safe nonjudgmental environment for affected individuals to congregate. At this particular location the organization also offers HIV testing, counseling, as well as prevention and general HIV education. The girls were astonished as member’s relayed personal stories of what it’s like to live as an HIV positive person.

The realities here in Tanzania are harsh but real. It takes a great deal of grit to realize that you, as an individual, cannot help or fix everyone or anything, but the little bit you do contribute will add up to develop a bigger picture; a picture of health, hope, and happiness. 

- Samantha

A Pleasant Surprise

Wow. This is the best word to describe today. Our group split into two. The one I was in went to a government maternal health clinic. We had never been to this place before so we were not sure on what to expect. We were brought to a room that had a lady lying sideways on a bed. When we asked what was wrong with the lady, they said she was in false labour.  Well next thing we know the lady’s water broke and they transferred her to the birthing table. The midwife went to check how dilated she was, but when she did, the head was already starting to come out. The lady pushed a couple times and the baby was out. Immediately, the baby was put on the mother while they stimulated the child to cry. The whole delivery seemed to only take minutes.

It is amazing to take a step back and think about the differences between having a baby in Canada versus the baby we saw here. The birthing room was very rudimentary. There was no oxygen, no suction or fetal heart monitor. When I think about it, not much of any devices we rely on heavily in Canada. The mother had no pain medication for the birth, only a bit of lidocaine for when the midwife stitched the first degree tear. Than like nothing happened, the mother got up and was walking. We were also told that within 24 hours the mother and baby would be going home.

This experience left us with a flood of emotion. By seeing the dawning of a new life and shows us  just how beautiful life is. It also made us appreciate how we take for granted all things that we have in Canada. Let us not forget this when we go home.

-Stefany

Mbuzi!!! (Goat!!!) WARNING: the following post contains images that some viewers may find offensive/repulsive

                It occurred to us on Sunday as we lay by the pool that we didn’t even tell you about our birthday goat!  Shortly after arriving in Tanzania, Alix and I realized that we shared the same birthday (January 12th).  Once we figured this out, we decided we had to do something to celebrate.  We found out that it is Tanzanian tradition to eat a goat for special occasions such as birthdays and weddings so we started scoping out live goats on the street.  We figured we could make it easy on our hosts and just bring a live one into our hostel to live until the appointed time.  Our Canadian supervisor did not share our enthusiasm and told us that no goat would step foot on the property, dead or alive.  However, some of the Tanzanian guys were game and wanted to make sure that we had the true Tanzanian experience. 

                Pictured below you can see us with our goat.  He arrived on the property already slain and was put on the BBQ.  Before he made his official appearance, he was decorated up and his arrival was announced with singing as he was rolled out on a cart.  We had to carve the first piece and then once the goat was fully carved we had to go around and feed it to everyone.  Only about half the Canadians were brave enough to try it and of those who did, only a few were able to keep it down.  Fortunately our hosts also made a turkey for those who did not want to partake of goat.  I myself tried two pieces and didn’t think it was too bad but it wouldn’t be my first choice in meat.  The locals love it though and it didn’t take many days for the leftovers to disappear.  I think it’s safe to say it was the first and last time we receive a goat for our birthdays!  Somehow I don’t see this style of goat-eating taking off in Canada…..

Karen (& Alix)