The Trip and Week One of the Caravan
We’ve been here almost a week and this is the first opportunity that I have had to write.
Things have been busy and we’ve been working hard and making a difference, I think.
Leaving Canada was quite chaotic!!
Karen and I spent some time packing the supplies for the caravan and for the Tanzanians on Saturday but then the real craziness was on Sunday when we tried to create 30 (two per person leaving ) equal-weighted bags. It was a zoo!! And it is the reason that I have not quite figured out everything that I am missing that was in the bag that is still missing. The things I have figured out so far are: my T-shirts, my sleeping bag, my make-up, some of my toiletries, and possibly (oh horror) some of my Thesis information (I pray that I actually just left that booklet at home). We are having an extremely hard time tracking that bag because we do not know who checked it once we got to Montreal. One week later…still no bag! I hope your sleeping bag is warm, Roman, because that’s the one I’m using for the Climb!!
The chaos continued at the Montreal airport because 2/3 of our bags were in the second van that left one hour after us. I’ve NEVER seen the Montreal airport as busy as it was (we actually commented in the van abut how happy we were that we were leaving from Mtl not TO), so as most people waited in the long line to check in, Gary and I went to the doors to identify the other McCoy van and get the bags. We could have been a comedy show…taking two FULL trolleys each, butting in line to join the group, and then emptying bags and refilling bags at the weigh-in counter to further even them out when we were over-weight. It was hilarious!
Security also took a long time (again…I thought I was at Pierson). Note to self: do NOT pick the line with the family and little baby in the stroller!! They had to check everything!! We then had to RUN to get to the furthest possible gate as they were calling last call for the flight. We made it on in the knick of time.
It was a full flight and about half an hour into it, we began to realize that the fact that the only empty seat on the flight was smack-dab in the middle of our group, might indicate a problem. We spent the rest of the flight to Amsterdam looking for Val who had joined us in Montreal from Ottawa…she was nowhere to be found. We finally, with the help of the flight attendants, postulated that she waited at the wrong “Amsterdam” gate for the flight that was leaving 20 minutes after ours and that she must be on that one. The funniest part is that when we got up to disembark in Amsterdam, her head popped up from a window seat 2 row in front of our group!!! I have NO idea how we missed her for the whole flight!
The Toronto group met up with us on the flight from Amsterdam and the rest of the trip was uneventful.
It was a true homecoming for me. After making sure that everyone made it through with bags (and counting the bags to see how many were missing), Karen and I got to the other side of the gates. Seeing Agnes, Cherise, Abbas and Penninah was like seeing family. Driving to Moshi was like coming home. I really wished that the kids and Chris could be with me. We had diner at the Leopard and then were dropped off at our respective homes to sleep.
Sleep was short!! We went to the center to count pills, get oriented, and set up for the next day.
It was super to meet the 6 ladies who are cooking for us. They are all part of our program and have had micro-loans from us. Some sell veggies in Dar, some make adorable winter hats (I’ve already bought them for Sid and Adam), one makes beaded bracelets with Pamoja Tuneweza (the name of our center) on them…Frieda was there as well as a couple others that were residents at the Center in April. The biggest (pleasant) surprise, was that Gloria’s Mother is part of the team. Gloria was the 9 year-old girl that I met in Himo in April that had gone through puberty at age 4-5 and had been raped at age 8. We tested her in Himo and found her to be positive. Her 22-year-old sister was very unclear as to whether the family would support her getting medical care or whether she would be kept in Himo, or worse yet, ostrazed completely. In the past 6 months, through the hard work of Agnes and Peninah, Gloria is getting medical care, her mother has become supportive and been diagnosed and treated, herself, with HIV, and has started a business with Agnes where they pick veggies and rent trucks to take them and sell them in Dar. Agnes described the way they dress when they go… “like for the chambas (fields)”, in kangas so that they look poor and get more for their goods!
We went to Indo-Italiano for dinner and had a nice time, albeit very SLOW service. Pole, Pole.
Karen and I were surprised by how few people were waiting for us on Day 1. Although it was expected that things would be slow because, as Agnes said last caravan, “women will send their brave friends the first day to see what it is about” we thought that that phenomenon would be less obvious the second time around. It was a great day and people really had a chance to get oriented. Many of the caravaners are here for the first time, so a slow first day was just what we needed. We even had time for debriefing!!
The second day was also somewhat slow and so Karen and I started looking for reasons. The most likely is that timing was difficult…most of the announcements were made at churches and mosques and, as Agnes explained, attendance is often low at Christmas time. This was surprising to me until she explained that people are either travelling at Christmas, or they are working extra hard to make money from the travelers (often foreigners). Also, we did not advertise on the radio this year…lesson learned.
Anyway, things picked up the next day after we got some radio advertisements going!! In addition, we started our outreach project early by sending half the group to Chimbwe on Friday. We had already planned on going there the following Monday, but with the help of Irit, the wonderful wife of Elisha, one of my students, the town got mobilized on a few hours notice!! She had Bernardi, one of the elders, take flyers and go door-to-door. When we arrived on Friday, there were only about 40 people waiting, but they came out of the woodwork after that and we actually had to turn people away!!
Chimbwe is a village in the hills about a 45 minute drive from Moshi. They have very little access to medical care. A fantastic volunteer named Evelyn, lives there and helps to coordinate what care they get, through a program called Migeni. So we were able to identify any patient that required follow-up or tests to her. They have a system whereby they check on people at home within a certain amount of time to see if they have sought the care they needed. If they have not, and if it is because of money issues, Mageni takes over.
It was an interesting day and we pulled through despite a few glitches that were directly related to having planned the trip at a moment’s notice. We were missing a few types of medications, we did not have the legal consultant with us and we could not test people for HIV because our HIV counselor was in Moshi at the center. But despite those small downfalls, it was a huge success and the people who required those services were directed to return on Monday. It was also really nice to have that follow-up for people that we started on diabetic or hypertension meds as they were able to come for re-checks.
I think that the patient that affected me the most that day was an 18-year-old boy (who looked 14), who came to talk to Abbass and I. He started by giving non-specific symptoms, but we quickly realized that he really was coming to try to get help. Abbass asked him about his life and he told us that both of his parents were dead and that he lives with his uncle who makes him work all the time. He had been accepted to Form 1 (high school) but there was no money to pay for it. I was a little worried that he was HIV positive (due to his size and the fact that both parents are dead) and we had his come back on Monday for testing and to see legal. I had a really good feeling about him, as did Abbass and I was thrilled to see him back (first in line) on Monday. His test was negative and we had a conference with Evelyn and Bernardi to assess whether my gut feeling had been right about this kid. As it turns out, after talking to him, they found out that he desperately wants to go to school to become a teacher. They also got a positive vibe from him and he promised me to work hard in school and I agreed that PTE would cover the costs of tuition…200 dollars this year and 60 dollars a year thereafter.
Back to Friday…
The other half the group (the ones going on safari) stayed in Moshi and had a good turn out!!! They had to close the doors at 12 as a way to ensure being done by 3. This did not happen!! And when we arrived back around 2:30, there was still a lot to be done. It all worked out, though and Karen and I got new jobs as pharmacists since both pharmacists and the “pharmacy assistant…Tanya!!) had to leave!
We finished up and counted a few more pills and then called it a day!!
Things have been busy and we’ve been working hard and making a difference, I think.
Leaving Canada was quite chaotic!!
Karen and I spent some time packing the supplies for the caravan and for the Tanzanians on Saturday but then the real craziness was on Sunday when we tried to create 30 (two per person leaving ) equal-weighted bags. It was a zoo!! And it is the reason that I have not quite figured out everything that I am missing that was in the bag that is still missing. The things I have figured out so far are: my T-shirts, my sleeping bag, my make-up, some of my toiletries, and possibly (oh horror) some of my Thesis information (I pray that I actually just left that booklet at home). We are having an extremely hard time tracking that bag because we do not know who checked it once we got to Montreal. One week later…still no bag! I hope your sleeping bag is warm, Roman, because that’s the one I’m using for the Climb!!
The chaos continued at the Montreal airport because 2/3 of our bags were in the second van that left one hour after us. I’ve NEVER seen the Montreal airport as busy as it was (we actually commented in the van abut how happy we were that we were leaving from Mtl not TO), so as most people waited in the long line to check in, Gary and I went to the doors to identify the other McCoy van and get the bags. We could have been a comedy show…taking two FULL trolleys each, butting in line to join the group, and then emptying bags and refilling bags at the weigh-in counter to further even them out when we were over-weight. It was hilarious!
Security also took a long time (again…I thought I was at Pierson). Note to self: do NOT pick the line with the family and little baby in the stroller!! They had to check everything!! We then had to RUN to get to the furthest possible gate as they were calling last call for the flight. We made it on in the knick of time.
It was a full flight and about half an hour into it, we began to realize that the fact that the only empty seat on the flight was smack-dab in the middle of our group, might indicate a problem. We spent the rest of the flight to Amsterdam looking for Val who had joined us in Montreal from Ottawa…she was nowhere to be found. We finally, with the help of the flight attendants, postulated that she waited at the wrong “Amsterdam” gate for the flight that was leaving 20 minutes after ours and that she must be on that one. The funniest part is that when we got up to disembark in Amsterdam, her head popped up from a window seat 2 row in front of our group!!! I have NO idea how we missed her for the whole flight!
The Toronto group met up with us on the flight from Amsterdam and the rest of the trip was uneventful.
It was a true homecoming for me. After making sure that everyone made it through with bags (and counting the bags to see how many were missing), Karen and I got to the other side of the gates. Seeing Agnes, Cherise, Abbas and Penninah was like seeing family. Driving to Moshi was like coming home. I really wished that the kids and Chris could be with me. We had diner at the Leopard and then were dropped off at our respective homes to sleep.
Sleep was short!! We went to the center to count pills, get oriented, and set up for the next day.
It was super to meet the 6 ladies who are cooking for us. They are all part of our program and have had micro-loans from us. Some sell veggies in Dar, some make adorable winter hats (I’ve already bought them for Sid and Adam), one makes beaded bracelets with Pamoja Tuneweza (the name of our center) on them…Frieda was there as well as a couple others that were residents at the Center in April. The biggest (pleasant) surprise, was that Gloria’s Mother is part of the team. Gloria was the 9 year-old girl that I met in Himo in April that had gone through puberty at age 4-5 and had been raped at age 8. We tested her in Himo and found her to be positive. Her 22-year-old sister was very unclear as to whether the family would support her getting medical care or whether she would be kept in Himo, or worse yet, ostrazed completely. In the past 6 months, through the hard work of Agnes and Peninah, Gloria is getting medical care, her mother has become supportive and been diagnosed and treated, herself, with HIV, and has started a business with Agnes where they pick veggies and rent trucks to take them and sell them in Dar. Agnes described the way they dress when they go… “like for the chambas (fields)”, in kangas so that they look poor and get more for their goods!
We went to Indo-Italiano for dinner and had a nice time, albeit very SLOW service. Pole, Pole.
Karen and I were surprised by how few people were waiting for us on Day 1. Although it was expected that things would be slow because, as Agnes said last caravan, “women will send their brave friends the first day to see what it is about” we thought that that phenomenon would be less obvious the second time around. It was a great day and people really had a chance to get oriented. Many of the caravaners are here for the first time, so a slow first day was just what we needed. We even had time for debriefing!!
The second day was also somewhat slow and so Karen and I started looking for reasons. The most likely is that timing was difficult…most of the announcements were made at churches and mosques and, as Agnes explained, attendance is often low at Christmas time. This was surprising to me until she explained that people are either travelling at Christmas, or they are working extra hard to make money from the travelers (often foreigners). Also, we did not advertise on the radio this year…lesson learned.
Anyway, things picked up the next day after we got some radio advertisements going!! In addition, we started our outreach project early by sending half the group to Chimbwe on Friday. We had already planned on going there the following Monday, but with the help of Irit, the wonderful wife of Elisha, one of my students, the town got mobilized on a few hours notice!! She had Bernardi, one of the elders, take flyers and go door-to-door. When we arrived on Friday, there were only about 40 people waiting, but they came out of the woodwork after that and we actually had to turn people away!!
Chimbwe is a village in the hills about a 45 minute drive from Moshi. They have very little access to medical care. A fantastic volunteer named Evelyn, lives there and helps to coordinate what care they get, through a program called Migeni. So we were able to identify any patient that required follow-up or tests to her. They have a system whereby they check on people at home within a certain amount of time to see if they have sought the care they needed. If they have not, and if it is because of money issues, Mageni takes over.
It was an interesting day and we pulled through despite a few glitches that were directly related to having planned the trip at a moment’s notice. We were missing a few types of medications, we did not have the legal consultant with us and we could not test people for HIV because our HIV counselor was in Moshi at the center. But despite those small downfalls, it was a huge success and the people who required those services were directed to return on Monday. It was also really nice to have that follow-up for people that we started on diabetic or hypertension meds as they were able to come for re-checks.
I think that the patient that affected me the most that day was an 18-year-old boy (who looked 14), who came to talk to Abbass and I. He started by giving non-specific symptoms, but we quickly realized that he really was coming to try to get help. Abbass asked him about his life and he told us that both of his parents were dead and that he lives with his uncle who makes him work all the time. He had been accepted to Form 1 (high school) but there was no money to pay for it. I was a little worried that he was HIV positive (due to his size and the fact that both parents are dead) and we had his come back on Monday for testing and to see legal. I had a really good feeling about him, as did Abbass and I was thrilled to see him back (first in line) on Monday. His test was negative and we had a conference with Evelyn and Bernardi to assess whether my gut feeling had been right about this kid. As it turns out, after talking to him, they found out that he desperately wants to go to school to become a teacher. They also got a positive vibe from him and he promised me to work hard in school and I agreed that PTE would cover the costs of tuition…200 dollars this year and 60 dollars a year thereafter.
Back to Friday…
The other half the group (the ones going on safari) stayed in Moshi and had a good turn out!!! They had to close the doors at 12 as a way to ensure being done by 3. This did not happen!! And when we arrived back around 2:30, there was still a lot to be done. It all worked out, though and Karen and I got new jobs as pharmacists since both pharmacists and the “pharmacy assistant…Tanya!!) had to leave!
We finished up and counted a few more pills and then called it a day!!
posted by Jenn/Chris/Sid/Adam @ 8:26 AM
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