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PHOTO JOURNAL DIGEST TANZANIA WWW GLOBALVOLUNTEERS ORG
Global Volunteers service programs adhere to our over arching Philosophy of Service in every community Specifically local people are always in charge of work projects and volunteers contribute to community driven initiatives alongside local people At all times we observe our policy stating Safety Trumps Everything Orientation sessions are conducted on the first day in country and morning and evening meetings give volunteers time to organize and review activities The team journal shared at morning meetings is a mainstay of every Global Volunteers program A daily collaborative report by one or two team members it reflects on the day s work and experiences In many partner communities volunteers contribute to several projects in different locations during the day Through the team journal volunteers hear about the projects and experiences of their teammates While such journaling requires effort most volunteers report they love the variety of recollections and stories The journal becomes an enjoyable way to communicate shared and individual memories and becomes a unique keepsake for each volunteer team Volunteers tell us that many years later the team journal allows them to reminisce and cherish their time spent with local people and teammates This journal digest complete with photos is a collection of journal excerpts from volunteers serving in Ukwega Tanzania 2
M e s s a g e o f We make a living by what we get but we make a life by what we give Winston Churchill t h e D a y
SUNDAY MARY J o u r n a l E n t r y Hundreds of phone calls emails and hours spent anxiously waiting for this day I arrived in Tanzania and was caught off guard by the beauty of the country and the warmth and humanity of its people as well as the overwhelmingly good hearts of my fellow volunteers I feel extremely humbled Having prepared for this for what feels like months I m anxiously awaiting my assignment and to continue to be enveloped by Tanzanian culture and customs I ve enjoyed the food the weather and the multitude of waves just from driving through the ward Dar es Salaam feels like a million miles away while we are tucked into the mountains and rolling hills of Ipalamwa I feel so excited for what lies ahead Our first Global Volunteer meeting started with a very organized explanation of our assignments announcements schedules Global Volunteer history in the area the partnership with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania and the Reaching Children s Potential RCP Program The RCP Program follows the World Health Organization s guidelines targeting Hunger Health and Cognition Global Volunteers objectives are Peace and justice learning from each other by relationships made while working together We were graciously invited to attend the Lutheran Church service so we took a break from the orientation As the congregation entered the church for the service the secondary students were singing beautiful music accompanied by drums During other portions of the service different areas of the congregation sang hymns again with drum accompaniment Their voices harmony and drums created a very special environment The service was conducted in Swahili but it was obvious the pastor was very passionate about his sermon It was a beautiful experience being received as guests and witnessing the community come together The most impressive part was the offering of eggs and avocado that was then turned into money It truly signifies the devotion the community has 4
SUNDAY After lunch we proceeded with our orientation Winnie guided us while we created our team goals and the characteristics need to achieve those goals Our team goals are To build understanding across cultures To experience a new culture To activate new learning through power of play To serve a community To empower others Our Characteristics of an Effective Team are flexibility acceptance a positive attitude enthusiasm ideas mutual respect punctuality optimism kindness humor hopeful and cooperation Winnie then went into detail going over Global Volunteers guidelines which are found in our handbook and the Health and Safety Guidelines found in our arrival pamphlet We were welcomed by the pastor Bron as he shared with us his background and his vision for Ipalamwa and the benefits and impact we are having on this community We also got to meet several of the caregivers Debora Sifuni Elkana Theo and Husna They briefed us on what to expect on the home visits we would take Monday afternoon and explained their roles in the implementation of the 1 000 Days program It really made us excited to partake in the visits this week The remainder of the afternoon was filled with an outstanding HeHe and Swahili language lesson given by Mohammed It was a day packed with learning and assimilating to our duties as Global Volunteers We culminated the evening with dinner joined by the medical team We got to hear about their roles and excitement to be a part of the program 5
M e s s a g e o f t h e The best way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing Walt Disney D a y
MONDAY MATTIE J o u r n a l E n t r y Today was a beautiful day in Ipalamwa and we woke up ready to start our first day at our work projects Starting to adjust to the new time zones we had a better night s sleep and came to the Morning Meeting bright eyed Winnie prepared us for our daily tasks and we marched off to toast and porridge with gusto At our morning work projects some of us made bffs with primary school kids while others unscrambled an inventory of pill bottles and triaged reception in the clinic Claire dove into teaching with scales and instruments in the secondary school chemistry and Emily and Morgan brought their pharmacy skills and experience to home visits Then around noon we were again ready for a meal and we gathered in the dining room for our lunch Mama Tony must have known we needed extra strength for our first afternoon of work because she served us ugali and we all left for our next work project with full tummies The afternoon was full of eye opening experiences Mattie and Syle joined Deborah on their first home visits and were taught about the homeopathic remedies used in the region Mallory Gita Jenny and Claire also went on their first home visits and discussed issues related to hygiene diet and pregnancy Morgan and Emily prepped for their workshops this week with Bonnie as an attendee guinea pig before she returned to the primary school with Amilia Amilia really was the star of the day with her ability to lead the volunteers in their school activities Before dinner we received a brief training on and tour of the RCP technologies by Husna and will all be on the lookout for them as we carry out our work here Overall everyone had a great day and when Winnie asked Did you have a good day there was only one answer Yes 7
TUESDAY GITA J o u r n a l E n t r y Another glorious morning another stupendous view of the magnificent mountains Will we ever get used to this After breakfast we followed our assignments to the clinic to the school and to home visits In addition we also had our first workshop conducted by the current team of volunteers for the moms in the RCP Program They spoke about diseases that can be prevented with proper immunizations Dr Silas from the clinic later joined them and talked to the mothers about hygiene and about the prevention of STDs A few other volunteers spent the morning at the clinic inventorying medical supplies as did Mindy Lull Bonnie and myself spent our second morning with kindergarten students at the school Our second day experience was even better than our first day joy of interacting with such an energetic bunch Other than reviewing the alphabet numbers and nursery songs we introduced coloring and story reading We also taught the children to pause between activities and to lineup to go outside All of us participated in the home visits today except for Bonnie and Claire My second experience with the home visits was much better than the first one I was a pro now But seriously the first visit provided a stronger framework that made subsequent visits easier and more useful In addition to covering the topics of hygiene diet handwashing breast feeding etc we also covered the topic of family planning and in one situation information on STDs With her agricultural background Mattie was able to provide some farming tips During her home visits Mindy was able to reinforce some of the points covered by the morning workshop with a few of the mothers who had attended the workshop earlier All in all it was a wonderful day and another bout of great experience 8
M e s s a g e o f t h e D a y We cannot do great things we can only do small things with great love Mother Teresa
WEDNESDAY GREG J o u r n a l E n t r y Today has been the best yet This morning we started our day with an introductory workshop for the neighboring village They are new to the RCP Program and we focused on sharing information with them about the services and education available to them At first the women were shy but within a few minutes they were laughing and engaged in our presentation Their children were beautiful and after what felt like only a few minutes they started playing with us The children were walking crawling and throwing waffle balls around the room Halfway through the presentation the babies were laughing and talking The whole room was filled with excitement and the mothers opened up to us telling their stories and asking questions I feel so blessed to be a part of this team here I look back on the ten women who attended our workshop with so much respect It must have taken a lot of courage for them to come here today Their bravery and intelligence are commendable and I hope we impacted them positively In the afternoon I was able to go on a home visit with Lizzy and Zi We visited a beautiful home today where a woman lived with her six children Having had a couple of difficult home visits and a disappointing diagnosis in the clinic the day before I was overjoyed to see a family thriving with assistance from the program Lizzy myself and Zi had a true interprofessional consultation with the patient and her children We reviewed medical concerns for the baby contraceptive side effects milestone delays nutrition program feedback hygiene and when to seek treatment at the clinic While I feel my first few days in this village were challenging today was a day to rejoice in the resiliency of the community particularly the women 10
WEDNESDAY At dinner a woman entrepreneur was kind enough to tell us the story of her success as a business owner in the community She was beautiful brilliant and strong I was blown away by her intelligence and determination to make a better life for herself and her family We rounded out the day by celebrating Mama Tony s birthday and Winnie and Anna graced us with an acapella version of Amazing Grace They sing like angles and there were several tears shed among our group I see today so much clearer what our intentions are in coming here The support and care provided to the women and their children by us and groups like us empowers the women here It feeds their strength and it is through the resilience of the women in this community that it will thrive 11
THURSDAY MELODY J o u r n a l E n t r y In the morning I worked primarily with Cathy and Nicole It was exciting to see each of our thought processes and clinical reasoning with two patients At this point in my education and as a novice therapist I notice I throw everything I can at the patient to find the cause of pain This is not always an efficient treatment pattern but I am learning It greatly impacted me to have the two patients leave without true resolution to their injuries These individuals walk travel a long distance to be treated and I feel I have not done my job However we know injuries are not always resolved in one visit day It was a meaningful experience when Anna mentioned during our session with the young girl this will take time Our universal understanding of this was impactful By pinpointing causes of the injury we are one step closer to resolving the pain Sometimes it is hard to find the cause and solution and this is okay For it is possible that without our intervention a solution may not be found Today was my first day in clinic I talked to Selemani for about three hours We discussed some of the questions the women had this morning on home visits pertaining to family planning We also discussed things such as differences in healthcare access animals and sports This was a good experience for me because I had been feeling anxious that I hadn t done what I had come here for which was to treat people in the clinic and practice my clinical skills I remembered that at the start of our trip we reflected on that the relationships we form are more meaningful than the work we do and are what people will remember most I hope to continue to grow in this way by putting aside my own agenda and just actively participating in whatever the day throws at me 12
FRIDAY MARK J o u r n a l E n t r y It is hard to believe that our first week here in Tanzania is nearly over By now I think that we have all gotten into our daily routines We are no longer as surprised to see the beautiful mountains in the distance but instead welcome them as an old friend Missing them as such when we will need to leave After another delicious breakfast from Mama Tony we split up into groups to start the day I was able to spend my morning with Dr Silas and learned a lot about healthcare in Tanzania compared to America Morgan had a similar experience with him in the afternoon Bonnie Gita Claire Mattie and Amilia headed off to the kindergarten knowing by now to expect the chaos that the day will bring After a few technical difficulties Emily and Morgan were able to present their workshop in the morning They were excited to see the moms engaged and asking questions During that workshop Mallory enjoyed playing outside with the children Our afternoon activities consisted of much of the same including home visits in Mkalanga Mindy and Mattie spent time with Husna learning about all the different technologies including the co op put on by some of the RCP women I can t wait to get my clothing 13
M e s s a g e o f t h e You ve gotta dance like there s nobody watching Love like you ll never be hurt Sing like there s nobody listening And live like it s heaven on earth William W Purkey D a y
SATURDAY MORGAN J o u r n a l E n t r y We all started our Saturday morning bright and early as we were eager to get the day started Heading down to breakfast we got to marvel at the mixed colors of the sunrise a sure sign a good day would soon follow We enjoyed a delicious breakfast together as a group on a veranda overlooking a vast canopy of acacia and Baobab trees After breakfast we were off on our safari with me Emily Jenny Style and Mallory in one car and Dr Lull Gita Mattie Claire and Bonnie in the other car It was a refreshing drive to the entrance of Ruaha National Park where we would start our journey into the park The first animal we saw was a Masai giraffe and I don t think words can describe the feelings everyone felt at that moment Seeing him in his home with the ability to move freely will never compare to seeing the same beautiful animal in a zoo Throughout the rest of the day we saw many more giraffes baboons hippos a lazy crocodile birds zebra a variety of antelope and my absolute favorite animal ever elephants We did not have the chance to see any big cats but our guide was kind enough to let us know some facts including their diet which sometimes includes humans which he shrugged off as no big deal in his exact words it happens However though we saw no predators it was a beautiful sight to see different animals peacefully grazing together We got to enjoy lunch in a beautiful gazebo that overlooked a river where we got to watch grazing hippos Twelve satisfying hours later though we were sad to see it end we headed back to the lodge to the open arms of all the staff members While we waited for dinner we had the opportunity to watch a distant storm and the streaks of lightning that lit up the sky Though there are plenty of storms to watch at home I think we can all agree there was something more to this storm as we watched it roll across the mountains After an exhausting day well spent enjoying the beauty of Ruaha we were off to bed to head back to the clinic the next day for another week of fulfilling work 15
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SUNDAY HANNAH J o u r n a l E n t r y Our day began with songs of joy love for God and of course Mama Tony s delicious porridge Who could complain with a belly full of rich oats and comfortable comradery Our group was welcomed with open arms into the Sunday church service where we were escorted to the front of the congregation to introduce ourselves and offered seats in the front pews The rich music of worship filled the room a bright combination of traditional local music and hymnals The school children even sang us a song of welcome The members of this community continue to honor us with their hospitality eager questions and thankfulness for our presence It is equally humbling and fulfilling Mama Tony continues to spoil us lunch was served with her scrumptious chapati bread tortillas and she surprised us at night with mini pizzas which hit the spot after sharing Mt Kilimanjaro lager on the porch while playing Uno and enjoying some American tunes Today was a gift a true Sabbath I felt more relaxed than I have felt in a very long time lounging on the stairs of the guesthouse braiding hair sipping Tanzanian beer and hitting around a beat up volleyball I am grateful for this past Sunday the opportunities for individuals to grow closer I am grateful to share this time making new connections with other volunteers who find themselves drawn to this same experience for equally compelling reasons Regardless of our reasons for being here I so love to see people acting from the heart exploring their own boundaries pushing through uncomfortability and rising above the ordinary Thank you for sharing this experience with me 17
M e s s a g e o f t h e D a y One ship sails east and another west While the selfsame breezes blow Tis the set of the sail and not the gale that bids them where they go As the winds of the air are the ways of fate As we voyage along through life Tis the set of the soul that decides our goal and not the storm and the strife Ella Wheeler Wilcox
MONDAY LESLEY J o u r n a l E n t r y The day started for some at 3 30 a m under the stars and a meteor shower On home visits we continued to observe and address common issues that arise from our discussions with the mothers such as family planning low back pain child development nutrition and women s health We have also experienced more complex or severe cases for which we have urged the individuals to seek further treatment from the clinic Such as Lizzy and Carrie s experience with an HIV mother breastfeeding a child under 12 months and getting to graciously give her information about that Or Eleni learning of a woman who has a child who is unable to stop eating sand Since it has been a week since our introduction to the beautiful families on home visits we are starting to see familiar faces getting to check in witness any progress and build meaningful trusting relationships working towards our goal In the clinic we are seeing more and more patients for physical therapy and other treatments The word has seemingly gotten out on our presence Some cases are routine and many others are complex and challenging as Rachel noted the variety of patients not often seen in stateside clinics patients with lymphoma MS gastro something or other as well as a patient with Ricketts who Hannah and Nicole treated 19
MONDAY It is truly humbling to see people lining up at the clinic waiting to see us hopeful for some answers and relief of pain It is a hard pill to swallow when we don t have all the answers and awesome when we do have some and can ease their suffering Today for example Lucas honed his baby skills when he and I worked with baby Vincense and Miriam seeing progress in both and he had a great learning experience with another patient It was another day of practice between students doctors caregivers midwives nurses and teachers Bridget had her best day at the school so far and turns out school kids in Tanzania are just like school kids in Colorado From today s conversations patient s interaction and observations it is a testament to the trust and hospitality of the people as well as our genuine and selfless commitment that they would feel comfortable addressing personal issues and put their health in our hands sometimes quite literally as they hand their children to us during workshops or for treatment in the clinic Today ended with shopping and a conversation on the Tanzanian education system Winnie said it best Today was serious 20
TUESDAY LISA J o u r n a l E n t r y This morning Asha and Lisa went on home visits with Sifuni Sharoz went with Debora Margaret went with Theopister and Ron and Olga taught the primary students In the afternoon Teresa went with Olga and Debora on home visits Ron and Sharoz put together a plan for the secondary school students to incorporate letter writing into conversational English Asha went on more home visits and Margaret gave a workshop to some of the RCP mothers Margaret shared her visit with a little boy named Clever who certainly lived up to his name While the second scheduled visit was not at home the third was with a very young mother living with her in laws Teresa reported that she loved her time in the kindergarten even though there were 83 five six and sevenyear olds She reports that she really feels like she is getting to know members of the community through her home visits Leslie expounded on the kindergarten experience She notes that some of the kids are recognizing her in the community and calling her teacher She brought up the quandary they found themselves in when at the end of the class time they were without the teacher The teacher apparently is responsible for teaching another class as well and has been allowing the children to leave by themselves This illustrates the cultural difference between the American and Tanzanian perceptions of the independence of children that age Lisa shared about her home visits one mother lost her husband just two months ago and is responsible for the upbringing of their five children now by herself Lisa expressed concern that the mother was grieving but seemed to brighten up when she heard about the basket weaving cooperative and Asha reported that this mother also seemed interested in the prospect of container gardens and chicken coops This mother rode the van back to the center to see 21
TUESDAY the doctor in the clinic due to fever Another visit Lisa made was to a family of three generations of epileptics It seems that the mother of the child in RCP is self medicating with alcohol as is the grandmother Asha concurred reporting that the mother is in Dar for treatment of severe burns and the grandmother is now caring for the child Lisa shared that Asha speaks strongly about family planning and hygiene during these visits Olga effused about Ron s ability to teach and she feels the students are performing their lessons well She went on home visits in the afternoon with Teresa She raised her concerns about a young child who came to the clinic had no improvement in the condition and has resorted to home remedies She continued the discussion on the difficulties young women have raising the subject of birth family planning with husbands or boyfriends Some women are also afraid of rumored side effects of birth control Olga was particularly pleased with one mother who shared the positive impact the hand washing station and the nutrition supplementation have had on her family She then recommended that RCP have a seminar for men gathering information from the women on how they would like to be treated Winnie invited Valentina the village executive officer chosen to enforce the bylaws of the village to answer questions from the team She spoke about the frequency of men leaving their families domestic violence family planning lack of social support service alcohol abuse and the real challenges of the hand washing stations Every home I have been to they have been so welcoming They offer me a place to sit and are always saying asante It is such a humbling experience I have learned so much about the way of life here and I am so grateful for the openness of the women and their willingness to share with us During one of the visits we drew quite a crowd around by the door as children on their way back from school stopped by Eventually Anastasia the caregiver asked them to sing a song and leave so we could finish the visit After returning to Ipalamwa I was able to journal and spend time relaxing around the campfire Even after just a few days I know two weeks here won t be enough There is so much joy and love to be found here and I know it will be hard to leave I pray for more volunteers to fill our places and that this community will change their lives the way it already has mine 22
M e s s a g e o f t h e D a y The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention Oscar Wild
WEDNESDAY BILL J o u r n a l E n t r y Breakfast by Mama Tony and then at 8 00 a m we had our team meeting led by Winnie At 8 30 we broke into groups workshops home visits clinic visits and most of us would switch assignments in the afternoon Home visits were facilitated by the excellent caregivers who also acted as translators for nurses mental health specialists and others Clinic nurses were introduced to the staff Workshop leaders introduced nurses to the family planning and health programs being delivered Once everyone had returned from morning activities we had lunch rested and then set off again to where we d been assigned for the afternoon One addition to the afternoon was teaching English class by myself with Amilia translating The afternoon meeting was led by Winnie Everyone provided feedback on the day s activities Overall the general feeling was that everyone had a good day and had experienced amazing things events and people Caregivers were praised for their attention to the village mothers and their babies Clinic attendees participated with staff in treating patients using the supplies available and becoming used to the protocols in the clinic Workshops were well attended by the moms and babies The moms obviously seemed to appreciate the messages information being passed to them We gave individual feedback and some highlights were moms dancing and singing for the workshop providers Ashley delivering the baby our nurses being able to use their hard earned education for appreciative people determining how to best assist the unexpected appearances of women met in the village with their breast cancer listening to the mom s concerns about their babies and experiencing the privilege of visiting in the village family homes We saw how the moms reacted to the family planning and STD avoidance information being offered Anna s quote First day I ve felt like a real nurse and proud and blessed Maddie noted how great caregiver Deborah was Lynette said this is hard work It seemed that all of us had a good and memorable day 24
THURSDAY SUE J o u r n a l E n t r y Today brought new opportunities for our team to learn and serve and to build bridges between cultures one of our team goals After a good breakfast our morning meeting began Sue shared the Message of the Day and Sam shared the journal for Sunday Then Winnie reminded us to be flexible on our first day in the schools where we are teaching Eager to meet our students we left Rob had 20 students combined from three classes Sue Sam and Amilia were with at least 50 kindergarteners At the primary school parents were meeting the teachers of their children After a traditional Tanzanian meal of ugali and beans along with a salad of tomatoes cucumber and peppers grown in the center s greenhouse and box gardens we accompanied several caregivers on their home visits Sue and Deborah visited three mothers Rob and Theo visited two mothers Safuni and Sam visited one The storm clouds required us to be flexible for when the heavy rains came some of us stayed inside one home very very long and others had to come back early We were all struck with the relationships caregivers build with the mothers they visit feeling that these women are a crucial part of Global Volunteers mission in Ipalamwa as bridges between individual mothers and their families and their daily practices and the 1 000 day goal of improving the lives and futures of children After a rest we all met at 4 00 p m for a tour of the greenhouse garden boxes and hand washing stations provided by Husna We were deeply impressed at the work she and her team do to teach local mothers how to grow nutritious food for their families At 6 30 we gathered with Winnie and Veronica for evening conversation This time is a wonderful way for each of us to reflect on our day problem solve and share with each other Following dinner we wished each other La la salama 25
FRIDAY OLGA J o u r n a l E n t r y Ashura spent the morning at caregiver workshops presented by Margaret Michele and Olga She said she was very glad to learn about mental illness because she didn t know much about it until today She too said she greatly enjoyed the afternoon celebration with the singing and dancing Olga said she was touched this morning when she and Ron told the students it was their last day and they asked who will help us Veronica reassured them that Global Volunteers will get more volunteer teachers to teach them in January but in the meantime they should continue their studies Ron commented that the morning students seemed to have learned a lot in just a short time and hopes the momentum can continue with future volunteers They seem to do a lot better after eating breakfast at the center Everyone changed clothes and cleaned up for the afternoon community sign planting and hand washing celebration in Lulindi We arrived at the dispensary field in Lulindi and lined up behind the village leaders up the hill Then we processed to the place where the sign was installed A cement space was prepared for handprints for the church leader Global Volunteers and the Kilolo District leader Secondary school students did a skit about handwashing There were songs and dances The two pastors spoke the district leader spoke and I represented Global Volunteers Leslie said it was very cool to be at a function like that The work that s been done here is amazing It was obvious at the afternoon ceremony that everyone appreciates our contribution The music was wonderful The singing was acapella They don t let lack of technology stop them It tells us you don t have 26
FRIDAY to have all the accoutrements she said Winnie expressed her gratitude for the team s work She said it s amazing that people travel so far just to help people Very few do that and I m so very grateful I don t know how to express how grateful I am and it s so painful to see you leaving I reflect on a very busy and productive two weeks There was a special energy around this team in the way we came together so quickly and built on each other s skills We started out asking how we could best promote the community s goals for better health and educational opportunities and I m convinced we truly left our positive influence in all three villages I m very proud to add my name to the long list of volunteers who ve contributed their skills to RCP in Ipalamwa 27
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