Week 8 - Staying Healthy Physically & Mentally

April 9 – April 15

The big news this past week was the untimely death of Tanzania’s most beloved actor, Steven Kanumba, age 28. According to reports he died after a fall involving an argument with his girlfriend. It has taken up most of the news for several days and his funeral was attended by over 30,000 people.

I tried running over the weekend and it felt pretty good but the track is muddy and slippery. There is a gym in Soweto so I stopped in to see about joining. It was very clean and most of the equipment (treadmills, ellipticals, bikes) looked decent and up-to-date. They have weights and a couple work out machines. It’s not quite the Y but definitely suits my needs! I decided to splurge and get a 3 month membership. There is an aerobics class 5 days per week. I go around 1:00 and then return at 5 for aerobics. No one is there during the day and the trainer works with me like I have my own personal trainer. Really makes this place a bargain! The best part is that it is much safer for me running on a treadmill than at the field except when the electric goes out and it abruptly stops the machine which fortunately only has happened once! The aerobics class is one hour of non-stop movement. Interestingly there are usually about 10-15 of us in class and the majority are men!!

Boniface, the trainer, wants to open his own gym. We talked after my workout on Saturday. He is 32, from Kenya and the oldest in his family. Like in Tanzania, he sends money to his family and also said that as the oldest it is important for him to be successful in order to set the example for his younger siblings. He seems like a very bright young man and I was so impressed when he started talking about the importance of Customer Service. (Lack of it is one of my major pet peeves.) We talked about budgets and marketing and I suggested he talk to the owner of the gym about mentoring him. He loved this idea and was going to follow up on it. Thank you Big Brothers Big Sisters for showing me the importance of mentoring in all aspects of life!!!!

At one point in our conversation he said to me, “Why is it that white people are so much better off and do so well compared to the black people?” His question stopped me in my tracks. He said that many of the people he knows in Nairobi want to go to the US. His question was, “Wouldn’t it be better if they stayed in Africa to make it better here?” I am an optimistic realist but I can also be quite cynical. I told him that life in the US was very difficult for some internationals and there are many people who come with degrees and training from their country and it means nothing in the US. They end up in low-paying menial jobs, live poorly and send most of their money home to family. I said that those who succeed are most likely those educated in the US or recruited by a large corporation. I added that the US definitely has more opportunities and choices but with that comes many more temptations and distractions that can cloud one’s judgment and morals. It is not for me to advise whether someone should leave their country for the US or not. However, I agree with his comment about staying in your country to make it better. Although the flip side is that if you can be successful in America you will have a lot more money to help your country.  

My week at TAFCOM was short because they were closed Monday and I was to work from home on Friday. Mary, a young Tanzanian woman who is studying at the Institute of Social Work in Dar es Salaam, started a 2 month internship with TAFCOM. This is the only school in the country for Social Work. They have a 2 year certificate through to the Master’s level. Mary is in her 2^nd year and is hoping to complete her Masters. She has family in the states living in Wash DC and Columbus, Ohio!! Another example of how small the world is!! I definitely want to meet them when I return.

Tailoring Student with Yoga Bag

Tailoring Teacher with Purse

Nie and I went to the center to take pictures of the women at the Tailoring Center so I can finish their profiles. Teddy and I took the daladala to Pasua and got off at the Bingo stop. I immediately thought of ways we could make educational Bingo games for the kids. We found that making the puzzles from cardboard was more difficult than we thought. The scissors were not good for rounding corners. We tried a knife and razor blade. We decided to make our own pattern with straight edges. Amanda helped and Mgembe cut with the razor blade and did a great job. We were able to complete 4 puzzles. I found a great website for Alphabet pictures so we are going to make a book plus copy some extras for coloring and puzzles. These projects are great fun especially when we all work together. We all have ideas for the Bingo games and hope to get them done by next week.  I can’t wait to see the kids' reactions. Puzzles are very uncommon here and Bingo is not a game they know.

Elephant Puzzle!

Mgembe Cutting Cardboard w/Razor

On the more serious side, I had mentioned previously that when doing the children’s profiles we asked what they wanted to be when they grew up and many of the answers were based on a very limited view of the world and reflected their life and the cycle of poverty. Granted, they are young but ask any American 5 or 6 year old what they want to be and they usually have grand plans! We decided that I would look for coloring pages of as many professions as I could find and we would use them in a variety of formats to educate the children. I found numerous websites with every profession imaginable. What was disturbing to me was that every single caricature was white and the majority were male. Those who know me well can easily guess my reaction. Nie also did not seem pleased with this.

When I was reviewing the pics with Nie we had to eliminate some professions that don’t even have a Swahili translation or that would not be understood. They included professions such as scientist, researcher, counselor, astronaut, accountant, lawyer.  I can only hope that as they advance through school they gain an awareness of the many possibilities available. It is such a double-edged sword because the number who break out of poverty is so small yet inspiring. Many have dreams but with the priority being daily survival, there is no opportunity to save. I often wonder how people deal with their feelings of hopelessness and discouragement.

              

I also started working on a handout about Malaria Prevention that we will translate and distribute with the nets in June. It is now recommended that Insecticide Treated Nets (ITN’s) be used and there is a Long Lasting Net that can be used up to 4 years. We will be purchasing these as the other treated nets only last for 6 months before the insecticide wears off. Research has shown that for every 1000 children protected by ITN’s, 5.5 lives can be saved each year. I do have to wonder if the insecticide could cause other problems but malaria is not something you want to get. The groups at greatest risk of getting sick and dying of Malaria are pregnant women and children under 5. Evidently pregnancy reduces a woman’s ability to fight off malarial infection. Infants and young children are at risk due to their immature immune systems. Worldwide, Malaria kills one million people every year. 800,000 of whom are children under 5 years old.

Speaking of health, Amanda, the nurse volunteer, is working at St. Joseph’s Hospital for the month she is here. (That is where Deborah took Rahim for his one year checkup.) She is spending her first 2 weeks on the pediatric ward. It has 3 rooms with 12 beds in each. 2 rooms are used for children and the other is for women as there is no room on the General Medicine floor. The rooms are almost always full and most of the children are there for malaria or malaria-related illnesses such as dehydration. Pneumonia and intestinal problems are also common and there are a few children with burns. There are 3 shifts for the nurses. 2 nurses and 2 aides work the day shift. The evening and night shifts are each covered by one nurse and an aide. The hospital does not provide meals and visiting hours are arranged around meal times, 3 times per day. This then makes it impossible for the family to have income unless there are other family members able to help provide food for the patient.

The lighting is very poor in the pediatric rooms so the nurses have to take their equipment outdoors to start IV’s on the children. Sometimes the IV needle is reused if the nurse is unable to get the vein on the first try. No equipment is available at bedsides like oxygen or suction machines and there is only one oxygen machine for the whole unit.  Last week the blood pressure machine broke so none were taken. A new machine arrived this week. Blood pressures are not taken on the children because they do not have small size cuffs. Most of the women on the floor are there due to high blood pressure or diabetes.

One day this week when we were in the TAFCOM office a man came in asking for funds to pay for his son’s hospital care and treatment. He had official looking papers and a picture of the boy. He was at KCMC with an enlarged spleen as a result of having a reaction to malaria medicine. When there is a situation that requires an expensive procedure or treatment, the hospital will provide the family with documentation which is then taken to a government official who provides a letter of verification and permission to solicit funds. I gave him 10,000TSh (about $7 USD). I had to sign the paper and noticed that he had collected from about 15 other people with the highest donation being 1500TSh. The cost of the treatment is 850,000TSh. I don’t know what will happen to the boy or how long he can wait for the treatment before other problems arise.

Veronica

Nie, Mary and I visited 5 families on Thursday. We returned to see Veronica who was, as always, thrilled to see us. She had finished her inhaler and was out of asthma medicine. You could hear how labored her breathing was. Nie explained that when it gets like this she needs an injection. We gave her funds to get the injection. Veronica had also told us before that her flashlight batteries were dead so we took new ones. She was very happy as this is her only source of light at bedtime.

We think Veronica is probably in her 80’s. She is raising 2 grandchildren, ages 4 and 13. She had 2 children who both died of AIDS, each leaving a child behind. Both children have tested negative for HIV. They live in 2 rented rooms with no electricity or water. One room contains a couch and table. In the second room there is one double bed.  It is a mud house with dirt floors.

Ester has 4 daughters ranging in age from 2-14. They live in one rented room with no electricity or water. The furnishings include one double bed, a couch and a table. Ester’s husband died of AIDS when she was pregnant with their youngest. She had a successful food selling business but because of a lengthy hospitalization she was unable to maintain the business and now provides a laundry service for neighbors. Ester and the two youngest are HIV positive. We have helped with school fees so they are now current. Nie will talk to Ester about looking for a vegetable stand near her home so she can expand her business and become self-sufficient enough to take care of her basic needs and school fees for the children.

Salama lives with a daughter and her two children, ages 20 & 15. They all live in a one-room windowless mud home with a dirt floor and no water or electricity.  There is one small bed, one chair, and a few wooden stools. Salama’s daughter moved in after an extended illness which caused Salama to lose her milling job. She and her daughter sell fish, vegetables and charcoal. The 20 year old granddaughter helps also. She finished primary school and because of a lack of income was unable to attend secondary school. She would like to pursue hotel management. Nie and I talked a lot about what is most practical and economical for the granddaughter. It is expensive to attend the hotel training but it would bring a better income to the family in the long term. However, Salama and her daughter need to first expand their business in order to make ends meet.

I spent a lot of time thinking about their situation because I want to help but I also know the family has to have its immediate basic needs met.  It is very hard sometimes deciding how best to help. I try to immerse myself as much as I can but I will never have a total understanding because this is not, nor will it ever be, my daily life. It just drives home for me how very much we take for granted. I rely on Nie and feel that with her guidance we have and will continue to make a huge difference in the lives of the people we help through your donations. It is just very difficult when I think that Pasua is a pinprick on a world map and there are so many more areas just like this and even worse.

I will talk with Nie about a micro business loan for the 20 year old to start her own business and another loan to Salama to expand her business. The payments they make could be set aside and used for the granddaughter’s training after a sufficient amount had been repaid.

I really am a strong advocate of TAFCOM’s microloan business program because it includes training on how to manage a business, budgeting and saving. These are necessary skills even if your income comes from selling soap powder. A startup loan for a business like selling food, charcoal, soap etc. is about $65-70 USD.

It is probably not fair to say one situation is sadder than another but the next story touched my heart.

Juma and her 16 year old daughter rent one room in a divided building with other tenants. There is no running water or electricity; the floor is dirt; and the only light is provided by a small window that measures approximately 12 x 18 inches. The space is cramped, filled by one double bed, a small table, and a few stools for sitting.

In 2011 Juma lost both her husband and 4 year old daughter to AIDS. Prior to her husband’s death, the family had a stable income and owned their own home. Her husband’s parents blamed Juma for the deaths and have ostracized her. In addition, women are not allowed to own property so she lost the family home. With no financial means, Jasmine was forced to rent the small space where she now lives. Nie became involved through the referral of a neighbor. She found Juma to be feeling very hopeless and depressed. Juma has been diagnosed as HIV-positive; her daughter tested negative. Juma is also having an issue with her leg that makes it difficult to walk. She has a wrap and we encouraged her to use it. We offered to set her up in a business and she is interested in selling charcoal and firewood. We asked that she connect with someone who makes the deliveries and we will return next week to get her started.

Rose and her new blanket

Our final visit was with Mwamini. Her laundry business is doing well. She is also selling steel wool and salt. She earns 3-4000TSh per day ($2-2.70). We gave her a blanket for Rose (made by my wonderful friend, Robin). Mwamini explained that Rose has a chest problem and she is taking medicine but it does not seem to be working. She also cries all the time. Nie encouraged her to go back to the doctor today.

Mussa, Niece & Sister at his store

On Friday I went to Moshi with Mussa. He has found honey in bulk for the porridge at the Children’s Center. We were able to get a liter and Mussa will return next week for a 5 liter container. The 5 liter should last a month and I am thrilled to replace the sugar with something more nutritious and flavorful. Mussa shared that he is planning to expand his business. Since he is a guide for Mt Kilimanjaro hikes he wants more supplies that cater to hikers. He is also looking into renting hiking equipment.

Friday night we took Amanda to Glacier Bar. Ibrah, Deborah, Deborah’s brother, Fred and Grace all went. This time I was not the oldest as there was a muzungu couple and the man was celebrating his 64^th birthday. We all danced and at one point a circle formed and these guys took turns dancing and break dancing. They were really fun to watch and they were dancing on their heads and doing flips on a cement floor.

View of Moshi from Kindoroko

Saturday, Amanda and I went to Moshi and visited a curio shop, a batik store and our favorite bakery. We also had juice on top of the Kindoroka Hotel which is one of my favorite spots. Lee Ann and I spent a few nights there in 2009. Saturday night Mgembe took Amanda and me to the Pamela Bar for a beer. This is a local restaurant and bar in Soweto. I have now tried 2 local brands – Kilimanjaro and Serenghetti! Mgembe played pool and won.

Sunday-Mohammed, Deborah, Rahim, Amanda and I took a hike to the Karanga River. It was beautiful. There were quite a few people - some swimming, some washing clothes, others just climbing the rocks and hanging out. It was a very pleasant ending to the week…. Except that when I was scooting down a rather steep incline I put my hand in goat poop!!!!

Karanga River

Karanga River

Mohammed, Amanda with Rahim & Deborah

Rahim Splashing!

Passed this very nice house on way to river. Owned by someone with  money -  a Car Salesman!!