May-June 2016 newsletter email - Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross

HABARI GANI
(“What news” in Swahili)
A Newsletter by Priscilla and Henry Ziegler (Tanzania)
July-September 2016
In August, a nine person mission team from Holy Cross Episcopal Church in Dunn Loring, Virginia was
in Tanzania. The team had two major projects and helped with other projects. The church had raised
over $10,000 for the trip and that paid for a roof that allows us to shift our outpatient prenatal care, wellchild care, and family planning from the women and children’s building. This will allow women seeking
deliveries and C-section patients to be taken care of in the building. The actual C-sections will be done
in the attached surgical building which is now complete. There is a tremendous need to improve
deliveries and do more needed C-sections that will potentially save both the mothers and babies.
Below is a photo of the new waiting area being built. To the far left in the photo is the hospital building
where C-sections will take place.
Mr. Mohamed Shariff Manekia reviewed the progress during the same visit and generously donated
money to improve the floor and building and to paint the women and children’s building that will now
house deliveries. Mr. Manekia is a Tanzanian-American from Florida who has worked with us for
almost 10 years in helping the poor and sick in Tanzania.
The team’s other main project was also paid for by the fundraiser and involved helping construct a
playground for the preschool children at St. Augustine Primary School. The children enjoying the
playground can be seen in the photo on the right. In addition to being a wonderful addition for the 120
preschool children, having a playground is a government requirement for preschools.
The team also put on a party for the AIDS orphans where orphans were fed and given food for their
families. In addition, the members of the team paid for lunch for all the 850 students at St. Augustine’s.
Remember that not all the families of the children can afford to pay for lunch and that is why the
porridge program was created for those children not receiving the school lunch. What little money the
families have goes to pay school fees. At this point, 250 students are given porridge and a donut-like
item for a mid-morning snack. Photos of the lunch and the volunteers are seen on the following page.
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Photos from the AIDS orphans party:
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St. James Anglican Hospital
With the completion of the shelter and the improvement of the delivery building, we are nearly ready to
do many more deliveries as well as C-sections. We still need some equipment and supplies to start the
surgical part of the hospital.
We have an excellent Family Medicine third year resident, Dr. Neil Cox, who will be coming for a
month in January to help and learn. We are still looking for other doctors and nurses who are interested
in coming to teach the staff and thereby strengthen the care that we give. This can be for a month, three
months, or even a year. If you are interested, please let Henry know.
Patients at the health centre
These are twins,
patients of Dr. Max.
On the left above is a mother with her child with malaria. On the right is a woman with her children
waiting to be seen by one of the doctors.
Home-based care program
Our home-based care program supports the homebound ill and includes some who are essentially
hospice care. There is minimal social support in Tanzania for needy families and individuals. Food aid,
nursing care, and training for any family members, are part of the program. The program currently has
25 patients but used to have over 50. Please help if you can. The following are photos of some of the
participants in the program. Sherri Arnaiz and Eric Whitaker, two of the volunteers from our church, are
also pictured. In the last photo is seen the bag of rice donated to all the patients and paid for by the
congregation of the Church of the Holy Cross.
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Emergency Response System
Henry has been working with emergency
services leaders in Dar and the Coast
Regions and the Deputy Director of
Emergency Response for Tanzania in the
implementation of a major Emergency
Response pilot in the two regions. Dr. Datani
and Dr.Mnzava shown above on the right
were in the U.S. for training and planning in
2015. Since then the program has continued
to progress; and in September, the U.S.
Emergency Services experts visited Tanzania
to continue implementing the plan. Henry
has donated time but resources have come
from the Tanzanian government and the
other U.S partners.
Interfaith-Government Partnership - Rufiji Visit
As part of the Interfaith Government Partnership, Prof. Mabula, Henry, and Priscilla drove four hours to
the Rufiji District to meet and plan with the new District Medical Officer and his staff. On the way, the
rural poverty was evident (see photos of houses below).
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The white bags in the second photo contain charcoal that people use for cooking. Because of the
preparation of charcoal, there are many areas in Tanzania where trees have been cut down. Bags of
charcoal are sold along the roads and in areas of Dar es Salaam.
At the district level, especially in rural areas, there is a shortage of personnel, supplies and equipment.
The District Medical Officer suggested that in Rufiji District there was 30% lack of staffing throughout
the health facilities in the district and a 70% understaffing in which nursing assistants replace nurses and
nurses replace doctors.
A young man
transporting water
from a well in Rufiji
On the left the Rufiji District Information
Head is shown next to one of several
oxygen concentrators at Utete District
Hospital. Unfortunately, none of them
work. Maintaining equipment and
systems is very difficult in Tanzania and
often not funded by the government.
government. So important equipment
often does not work.
In the last photo on the previous page, the two large satelitte
discs work fine. Unfortunately, it costs over $200 to pay for the monthly internet bill and so they are not
being used.
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Above are road-side photos taken while traveling out of Dar es Salaam.
Safari to Mikumi National Park
The church group went for an overnight stay to Mikumi National Park, the closest park to Dar es
Salaam. They had a great time and took many photos. One of the group literally took over 1,000 photos
when in Tanzania!
Taken on the road to
the game park.
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Health Program Administration
On the left is a meeting of Mr. Barua and Mr. Sabuni, the director and administrator, with the nurses. On
the right is David Komenya, one of the Tanzanian staff with whom Sherri Arnaiz worked to improve the
computer system at the health centre. They called themselves the “Geeks” with the “G” pronounced as
“J.” (Sherri can be seen in one of the home-based care pictures).
The Regional AIDS team reviewing
the data and progress of the health
centre’s AIDS program with Dr.
Max. Our AIDS program is part of
the national effort and is constantly
being monitored and improved. We
have over 2,000 HIV/AIDS patients
receiving excellent care.
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Our Tanzanian leaders are talented but there is still a need for an international person to help with the
administration and financial management of the health program. This will ensure continued transparency
at the health centre and the future hospital. He or she does not need to have significant experience and
can be just out of school, retired, or anywhere in between. If you know of anyone who might be
interested, please ask him or her to contact Henry at [email protected].
Donations
As we announced in previous newsletters, Health Tanzania Foundation, our non-profit foundation, has
tax-free status as a public charity as a 501c(3). Please look us up on the web at www.healthtanzania.org.
In addition to finding out more about our programs, you can now donate through PayPal at the website.
Please help. You can designate what the donation is for and this will be honored.
In addition to making Pay Pal donations at our web site, you can send donations to Health Tanzania
Foundation, 1300 Crystal Drive, Apt. 605, Arlington, Virginia 22202 (our home address and the address
for the foundation). Make any checks out to “Health Tanzania Foundation” and a receipt will be mailed
to you. All donations are tax-deductible.
We know that we are always asking for funds but so little can do so much in Tanzania. Especially, with
the Tanzanian shilling decreasing in value when compared to the dollar, a little goes a long way. We
both continue to pay for our own trips and bring supplies with each trip.
Please continue to pray for the health programs in Tanzania.
May God Bless All of Us,
Henry and Priscilla
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