Blog 3/5/19
Its been quite a while since my last post so I thought I might bring you up to speed. Its been quite a challenge getting things going again after my return home from emergency leave and the snake bite. I was out of the area for a total of six weeks with only a week or two in between. Since my return from the hospital in Dar es Salam I have been working pretty steadily on my projects, so here's an update:

The training of our health volunteers was completed. We visited each of the six subvillages and the volunteers used the checklist we created to ask questions of the sickest people. A photo was taken and shared with the local doctor who provided follow on directions. Some of the patients have already visited the clinic free of charge, and this weekend we are trying something new. We are going to the homes of the elderly people who can't walk to the clinic and we are picking them up and carrying them to the clinic in bajaji (a little three wheeled vehicle) where they will be treated by the doctor and returned to their homes. This is the first time this has been tried around here and I'm looking forward to working with our little ambulance service. We have another day long training scheduled in March with the Tanzanian Red Cross coming to visit.

The women's chicken coop project is in the process. Because of the poor nutrition of the villagers the chickens will provide a good source of nutrition year round to the families, as well as a steady source of income. The mamas are learning all about chicken keeping and business operations. We are deep into the planning for coop construction, chicken care, and budgeting. While this is not the exciting part, it is so important for the mamas learn these skills. Because of that, we are moving slowly but deliberately. We are currently working on getting our third construction estimate right now.

Refurbishment of classrooms at the local primary school. This project has been slow in progressing since there are several political offices involved. Of course my six week absence didn't help either. The District Engineer has promised us a new estimate for the repairs of three unusable classrooms. Currently there are over 500 students in just seven classrooms. The refurbished classrooms will provide much needed space.

The farm life. Our Moringa trees are doing well. We planted 18 trees, one of which died after I stepped on it while using the hoe to weed. The tallest is around five feet now and we are thinking of planting more. For those of you that aren't familiar with Moringa trees, they are very nutritious, have many uses, and grow well in dry environments. I taught a couple of classes about them to the villagers and handed out seeds. My corn is producing cobs at an astonishing rate. My plants are some of the first in the area to produce a harvest. That's because it was planted in early November before most planted their own. First time in my life that I am able to just stroll out and pick food that I produced myself. It feels good.

Teddy Bears. Yup, Teddy Bears. I gave out teddy bears to children at the clinic. They were knit by children in the US and provided to volunteers in the field to distribute at no cost. It is organized by the NGO called The Mother Bear Project. The kids loved them.

Okay, that's it for now. There are other things going on like some repairs to my house, and my never ending quest to learn Swahili from my tutor Stanislaus. That's something I should have done a long time ago. Well, I guess it's never too late to try something new.

Photos:
The bajaji arrives delivering some of the mamas to the clinic. Over thirty people came, way more than the ten we were expecting. Not surprising that they would turn out to a free clinic. Many thanks to the doctor for his patience.

Leg wound: While at the clinic a family arrived with two burned children from a lightening strike that killed two in their family.  I watched the doctor treat the burns: removal of dead skin, hydrogen peroxide, antibiotic ointment, cotton soaked with iodine. The iodine soaked cotton dries into a hard shell protecting the wound. No pain killer of any type used, the seven year old didn't cry until the iodine, and then only a tiny bit. That was the smaller of the two wounds.

The mamas from the chicken project (minus a few). They are an enthusiastic bunch getting to know each other and learning to work together. Latisha (in the front looking at the papers) said "we are a family now".

Until next time, Brian