Blogs from South, Tanzania, Africa - page 3

Sunday August 25th, 2013 Mass, school blessing, sponsor child visits and Canada vs. Tanzania basketball game…… Today was officially our last day in Mbangamao. At mass, we were greeted by the bishop and the priests in the region (Father Varghese, Father Matthew, Father Pachai, Father Simon). The church was decorated with streamers, for the bishops welcome. It looked very festive. After the mass which was spoken in Swahili, the bishop, members of the congregation, and the Canadian team headed back to the school where the bishop gave a blessing on the newly built De Paul Secondary School library and computer lab. The computer lab will not only provide educational resources to De Paul Secondary school students but also the government students in the community. It is a great tool to provide students with the education they ... read more

Friday August 23rd, 2013 Mpepai …. Clinic Day 4: Today, the entire Tancan team journeyed to the village of Mpepai to provide a medical clinic for the surrounding community. Out of all the villages around Mbangamao, Mpepai had the largest community. They had their own parish, with Father Simon and Father Pachai as their parish priests. The clinic took place at the local school. The clinic had a late start (T.I.A: This is Africa). We did not start HIV briefing and testing until late afternoon. In the meantime, Renata, Susan and I were practicing pricking each others fingers. A nurse showed us how to get the most blood out while pricking the fingers. You need to use your finger nail as a tourniquet and dig your nail in the finger while you ... read more

Wednesday, August 21st, 2013 Elderly Clinic day …… Clinic Day 2: Today was the elderly clinic day. Since there was limited HIV testing today, Martha and I ran an exercise clinic for the elderly. We explained the importance of exercise and stretching. We then performed a variety of stretches with the elderly to help with their circulation and aches and pains. It was a lot of fun seeing their happy faces, and them trying to mimic our stretches. Afterwards, we gave them advil to help with their chronic aches and pains. Today was a slow clinic day. Not a lot of elderly in the community came to the clinic (I guess they did not get the memo). I spent most of my time enjoying the company of the student volunteers at the clinic and ... read more

Monday, August 19th, 2013 The wheels on the bus go round and round part 2 …. So today it is time to say goodbye to Songea and hello to Mbinga and Mbangamao. It is a bittersweet day. I am going to miss the sisters of St. Norbert’s clinic, especially, Sister Mary Grace and her kindness and dedication. I am going to miss the children around St. Norbert’s clinic, collecting empty water bottles, skipping on the red dirt and chanting goodbye school bus as the bus drives on bye. But today is a new adventure and we are off to the mountainous region of Mbinga and Mbangamao. First stop is Mbinga and the De Paul primary school. At De Paul primary school, we were warmly welcomed by the children and community singing Karibu Sana and placing lays’ ... read more

Saturday, August 17th, 2013 Breakfast with the elderly, its painting time and Songea market shopping….. Today we got some much needed rest and social bonding time. We headed off to the St. Norbert’s Church next to the clinic where we were greeted by the elderly of the Songea community. They were wearing the baseball caps and Canadian pins they received from the clinic the day before. We served the elderly breakfast where they wanted 3 to 4 teaspoons of sugar in their tea. That’s a lot of sugar!!!! They are just as sugar crazy as the children. Their sweet-tooth may partly be because they have a lot of sugarcane. They can never have too many sweets. That may partly be a reason why their teeth are so bad (the sugar rotting their teeth and the lack ... read more