Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Exciting plans are unfolding! God is good!
There are many people following this blog for the first time so I will give a quick summary of Trinity’s work in Tanzania before going on to explain our future plans. Last summer Trinity sent a team of 8 students to the coastal town of Tanga in Tanzania, Africa. Our mission was to firmly establish and strengthen a partnership with a local Christian church, and together do a community “needs-based” assessment of Tanga. The assessment revealed that the main issues were in the health related sector. The area lacks medical infrastructure, human resources, equipment, and education.
Our partner church is highly motivated and has already demonstrated impressive initiative. They have a health center in Tanga and some dispensaries in the rural area. They have also begun the process of building a nursing training school; classes are set to begin in September, 2010. One of their greatest needs however, is lack of medical supplies and equipment. As a result, their health center often has to refer suffering patients to crowded government hospitals for proper treatment. Furthermore, the new nursing school currently has very limited supplies to get up and running. The National Health Insurance Fund payment is not regular which makes it impossible for the health center to invest in new equipment and keep shelves stocked. They have asked for our help!
Trinity is seeking to partner with Food for the Hungry Canada’s IMED program (International Medical Equipment Distribution) to ship a container of appropriate, requested medical supplies and equipment to resource the clinic and nursing school. Trinity medical students will plan to help load the equipment in Canada, and help unload and set up the equipment in Tanzania. We would also like to assist the nursing training school’s students launch a basic health care and education mobile clinic to the rural areas surrounding Tanga. Our dates in Tanzania are approx. from mid-June to mid-August. We are so grateful for what God is putting together for this missions trip.
To learn more about Food for the Hungry Canada's IMED program check out their website HERE
We would appreciate prayer during this next process of fundraising and getting organized.
Ephesians 3: 20-21
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
Our partner church is highly motivated and has already demonstrated impressive initiative. They have a health center in Tanga and some dispensaries in the rural area. They have also begun the process of building a nursing training school; classes are set to begin in September, 2010. One of their greatest needs however, is lack of medical supplies and equipment. As a result, their health center often has to refer suffering patients to crowded government hospitals for proper treatment. Furthermore, the new nursing school currently has very limited supplies to get up and running. The National Health Insurance Fund payment is not regular which makes it impossible for the health center to invest in new equipment and keep shelves stocked. They have asked for our help!
Trinity is seeking to partner with Food for the Hungry Canada’s IMED program (International Medical Equipment Distribution) to ship a container of appropriate, requested medical supplies and equipment to resource the clinic and nursing school. Trinity medical students will plan to help load the equipment in Canada, and help unload and set up the equipment in Tanzania. We would also like to assist the nursing training school’s students launch a basic health care and education mobile clinic to the rural areas surrounding Tanga. Our dates in Tanzania are approx. from mid-June to mid-August. We are so grateful for what God is putting together for this missions trip.
To learn more about Food for the Hungry Canada's IMED program check out their website HERE
We would appreciate prayer during this next process of fundraising and getting organized.
Ephesians 3: 20-21
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Where we've been, where we are headed.
“I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121: 1-2.
All the Canadian team members are back home now, but each one will tell you that their interest in this initiative and the Tanzanian people is not over. Two of our team’s main goals were to build a strong partnership with the Catholic Diocese of Tanga and other Christians, and to accomplish a community assessment in order to identify how Trinity Western can continue to do effective development and ministry in Tanga. The truth discovered is that we couldn’t be more impressed with our partners, both for their resourcefulness and their Christ-like attitudes of the heart. They are already showing so much initiative in their community; we learned as much from them as they did from us. Together, as different parts of the body of Christ, I believe we can do great things. Like a right hand and left hand working together. Equally exciting is the result of our community assessment and budding plans for next year. After six weeks of serving in a heath center, school, orphanage, youth centre, and after dozens of meetings with Church representatives and municipal council members, sifting through statistical documents, dialoging with the poorest – richest of people, educated and not, it is clear that the priority issues are poor education of the sciences and minimal health care professionals (especially in the rural areas). We are looking into the possibility of bringing upper level science students to set up and teach labs in secondary schools and purchasing updated text books that matches Tanzanian curriculum.
The Diocese of Tanga has already initiated the plans to start a nursing training college which is earmarked to open and begin classes in September, 2010. The nursing college is located in Tanga town, but the Diocese is hoping that graduates from the nursing college will go to work in the rural dispensaries where the need is greatest. Our partners have eagerly encouraged us to bring nursing and/or pre-med students next summer for a period of two-three months. We would like to include on our team health professionals such as a doctor and/or nurse practitioner. We will be working with the Tanzanian nursing students doing health practice and health education in rural villages. Dispensaries outside of Tanga on average are 70 km apart from each other. Our method will be travel clinics to at least eight different isolated villages (roughly a week in each village). After dark we can show the Jesus film, distribute Swahili bibles to the literate, and have a Tanzanian pastor give a message/alter call.
Together with the Diocese of Tanga our long term goal is to establish an internship program for Trinity graduates to spend a year training a Tanzanian nurse/medical professional/lab technician to work in the rural villages in existing dispensaries, or if possible to establish new ones. Our travel clinics next year will give us a good idea which villages need a dispensary most. Our long term initiative could be 2-5 years away! Both Trinity and Tanzanian students involved in the two-three month projects will be encouraged to commit to the one year internship after getting certified. They will already have a familiarity with each other, the people, and the cultural and natural environment.
It has been so amazing to see God bless our ministry, give us affirmation of a job well done, and encouragement to continue on running the race. Thank you to all our prayer warriors and financial supporters. We are blessed to have you as partners and part of our family in Christ. All this work is impossible without you. All praise, honour, and glory to God. “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3: 20-21
Stay tuned for pictures and news updates as further plans develop.
All the Canadian team members are back home now, but each one will tell you that their interest in this initiative and the Tanzanian people is not over. Two of our team’s main goals were to build a strong partnership with the Catholic Diocese of Tanga and other Christians, and to accomplish a community assessment in order to identify how Trinity Western can continue to do effective development and ministry in Tanga. The truth discovered is that we couldn’t be more impressed with our partners, both for their resourcefulness and their Christ-like attitudes of the heart. They are already showing so much initiative in their community; we learned as much from them as they did from us. Together, as different parts of the body of Christ, I believe we can do great things. Like a right hand and left hand working together. Equally exciting is the result of our community assessment and budding plans for next year. After six weeks of serving in a heath center, school, orphanage, youth centre, and after dozens of meetings with Church representatives and municipal council members, sifting through statistical documents, dialoging with the poorest – richest of people, educated and not, it is clear that the priority issues are poor education of the sciences and minimal health care professionals (especially in the rural areas). We are looking into the possibility of bringing upper level science students to set up and teach labs in secondary schools and purchasing updated text books that matches Tanzanian curriculum.
The Diocese of Tanga has already initiated the plans to start a nursing training college which is earmarked to open and begin classes in September, 2010. The nursing college is located in Tanga town, but the Diocese is hoping that graduates from the nursing college will go to work in the rural dispensaries where the need is greatest. Our partners have eagerly encouraged us to bring nursing and/or pre-med students next summer for a period of two-three months. We would like to include on our team health professionals such as a doctor and/or nurse practitioner. We will be working with the Tanzanian nursing students doing health practice and health education in rural villages. Dispensaries outside of Tanga on average are 70 km apart from each other. Our method will be travel clinics to at least eight different isolated villages (roughly a week in each village). After dark we can show the Jesus film, distribute Swahili bibles to the literate, and have a Tanzanian pastor give a message/alter call.
Together with the Diocese of Tanga our long term goal is to establish an internship program for Trinity graduates to spend a year training a Tanzanian nurse/medical professional/lab technician to work in the rural villages in existing dispensaries, or if possible to establish new ones. Our travel clinics next year will give us a good idea which villages need a dispensary most. Our long term initiative could be 2-5 years away! Both Trinity and Tanzanian students involved in the two-three month projects will be encouraged to commit to the one year internship after getting certified. They will already have a familiarity with each other, the people, and the cultural and natural environment.
It has been so amazing to see God bless our ministry, give us affirmation of a job well done, and encouragement to continue on running the race. Thank you to all our prayer warriors and financial supporters. We are blessed to have you as partners and part of our family in Christ. All this work is impossible without you. All praise, honour, and glory to God. “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3: 20-21
Stay tuned for pictures and news updates as further plans develop.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Hamjambo.
The team is continuing to work hard at their volunteer placements. Our community assessment is begining to reveal a root issue in the community. Tanga is suffering most in the sectors of education and health care. Our team believes the root issue to both of these problems is with primary and secondary education. Primary and Secondary schools require students taking sciences to acheive more credits than students taking arts. Students in Tanzania have the option of what classes they want to take, therefore most students stay clear of the sciences in order to get better grades. Many of the science text books are oudated averaging an age of 12 years. The text books are teaching old and now thought as dangerous procedures such as ciphoning harmful chemicals via the mouth. The text books are mostly full of lab experiments, yet the schools are ill-equiped with lab equipment. The result of this lack of infrastructure and quality of science education in primary and secondary schools leads to poorly educated students going on to teach other students poorly, and to be underqualified in the fields of nursing and medicine. It is a chronic cycle which leads to poor health and education sectors. All dispenseries, health centers and some hospitals lack the proper equipment and trained personel to provide anything more than basic aid, and minor procedures. Many patients are sent away, refered or evacuated to other cities or outside the country. Our team is beginning to focus on how we can participate with the community to solve these problems.
This past weekend I traveled to Mwanza (north-western Tanz.), a city nesstled among gigantic stones where the sun sets over Lake Victoria. I connected with a friend and NGO worker John Sweya who is a partner of ProjectHOPE (http://www.projecthope.ws/index.php) working to give widows the counceling, knowledge, skills, and financial support to move forward and begin economic generation activities in order to support themselves and also commonly the orphans they are caring for. Often NGO workers like John have to intervene and stop men from the community abusing the rights of the widows. Attempts are made and kicking them out of their houses, stealing their belongings, taking control of their property etc. John took me around the intercity and also the rural outskirts of Mwanza to visit the widows and see their work projects. I learned so much about maximizing the potential of the resources that are available to you. John was eager to extract any knowledge or ideas that I had learned in my education or misionary experience. We talked about making the additions of rain-water collecters, since the rural areas south of Mwanza are some of the dryest in the country. Also city power doesn't reach too far outside the city, and it is expensive and unpredictable. Power outages are commonplace every day. Therefore we also discussed implementing solar power. I will be comparing solar power units from Canada with the prices of local units. We also talked about the design of burnt-brick charcoal stoves, a step up from the outdoor braziers often used by the majority of the populace. John had designed two at his house and we came up with some ideas of making them even more efficient. John is also growing trees for firewood, and others which when the leaves are grinded up serve to cure malaria, and another to increase the CD4 count of an HIV/Aids victim. Local agencies have also discovered that grinded avacado nuts can also perform the same function to help HIV/Aids victims. John is teaching over 20 widows to provide these services to their community, manage the business and invest their money strategically. I have hopes that next year Trinity can offer some aid to partner with John and ProjectHOPE in their ministry.
There is so much else we are getting involved in. It is difficult to catalogue it all. Continue to pray for development in Tanzania. Also pray that the Tanzanian team members catch a visions for long term ministry and agents of change in their community. Similarily, pray that the Canadian team members leave this service experience with a motive to be continually intentional, active and missional for the honour and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The team is continuing to work hard at their volunteer placements. Our community assessment is begining to reveal a root issue in the community. Tanga is suffering most in the sectors of education and health care. Our team believes the root issue to both of these problems is with primary and secondary education. Primary and Secondary schools require students taking sciences to acheive more credits than students taking arts. Students in Tanzania have the option of what classes they want to take, therefore most students stay clear of the sciences in order to get better grades. Many of the science text books are oudated averaging an age of 12 years. The text books are teaching old and now thought as dangerous procedures such as ciphoning harmful chemicals via the mouth. The text books are mostly full of lab experiments, yet the schools are ill-equiped with lab equipment. The result of this lack of infrastructure and quality of science education in primary and secondary schools leads to poorly educated students going on to teach other students poorly, and to be underqualified in the fields of nursing and medicine. It is a chronic cycle which leads to poor health and education sectors. All dispenseries, health centers and some hospitals lack the proper equipment and trained personel to provide anything more than basic aid, and minor procedures. Many patients are sent away, refered or evacuated to other cities or outside the country. Our team is beginning to focus on how we can participate with the community to solve these problems.
This past weekend I traveled to Mwanza (north-western Tanz.), a city nesstled among gigantic stones where the sun sets over Lake Victoria. I connected with a friend and NGO worker John Sweya who is a partner of ProjectHOPE (http://www.projecthope.ws/index.php) working to give widows the counceling, knowledge, skills, and financial support to move forward and begin economic generation activities in order to support themselves and also commonly the orphans they are caring for. Often NGO workers like John have to intervene and stop men from the community abusing the rights of the widows. Attempts are made and kicking them out of their houses, stealing their belongings, taking control of their property etc. John took me around the intercity and also the rural outskirts of Mwanza to visit the widows and see their work projects. I learned so much about maximizing the potential of the resources that are available to you. John was eager to extract any knowledge or ideas that I had learned in my education or misionary experience. We talked about making the additions of rain-water collecters, since the rural areas south of Mwanza are some of the dryest in the country. Also city power doesn't reach too far outside the city, and it is expensive and unpredictable. Power outages are commonplace every day. Therefore we also discussed implementing solar power. I will be comparing solar power units from Canada with the prices of local units. We also talked about the design of burnt-brick charcoal stoves, a step up from the outdoor braziers often used by the majority of the populace. John had designed two at his house and we came up with some ideas of making them even more efficient. John is also growing trees for firewood, and others which when the leaves are grinded up serve to cure malaria, and another to increase the CD4 count of an HIV/Aids victim. Local agencies have also discovered that grinded avacado nuts can also perform the same function to help HIV/Aids victims. John is teaching over 20 widows to provide these services to their community, manage the business and invest their money strategically. I have hopes that next year Trinity can offer some aid to partner with John and ProjectHOPE in their ministry.
There is so much else we are getting involved in. It is difficult to catalogue it all. Continue to pray for development in Tanzania. Also pray that the Tanzanian team members catch a visions for long term ministry and agents of change in their community. Similarily, pray that the Canadian team members leave this service experience with a motive to be continually intentional, active and missional for the honour and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Work week
Team activities:
After our first work week we came together for a community assessment meeting. Each counterpart pair gave a presentation which taught the rest of us about their work placement and issues observed in their field. For four hours we discussed, conversed, debated, brainstormed and shared ideas. More time in the field is needed to validate assumptions, confirm suspicions and generally get more acquainted with the social environment.
Ollie and Regis hosted our team’s first Bible study at their host family’s house. Their message from 1 Cor. 13 encouraged us all to love each other, remain unified, and to minister to the community.
Our team had a weekend adventure to the famous Amboni caves. The Amboni caves are famous for their natural limestone formations, and also for containing 250 square km of winding archaic caverns. We also biked through jungle, and canoed across a crocodile-inhabited river to visit “Maji Moto” (Hot Water) natural sulphur springs. The day in the natural wild was refreshing and stimulating.
Counterpart activities:
Ollie and Regis are daily traveling to various public and private schools and youth centers in the community teaching Geography and Christianity. They are also counceling various youth in issues of religion, drug abuse, life-style choices, economic generation etc.
Stelna and Asnat have the large task of preparing daily meals and washing clothes for 22 orphans. They also bathe the 3 babies, and attend to children’s general needs. When not working Stelna and Asnat play with and teach the children. All but the 3 youngest children are suffering from HIV/Aids.
Arend and Antony are serving in separate departments of Tumaini (Hope) Health Center. Antony is currently working in reception, admitting new patients and writing up their files. Arend has been shadowing a doctor for the past week, and will begin assisting surgeries, taking blood slides etc this week.
Sara and Helen have been looking over Echenford Middle School curriculums for Chemistry and English. They prepared their lesson plans, and their first classes have gone smoothly.
After our first work week we came together for a community assessment meeting. Each counterpart pair gave a presentation which taught the rest of us about their work placement and issues observed in their field. For four hours we discussed, conversed, debated, brainstormed and shared ideas. More time in the field is needed to validate assumptions, confirm suspicions and generally get more acquainted with the social environment.
Ollie and Regis hosted our team’s first Bible study at their host family’s house. Their message from 1 Cor. 13 encouraged us all to love each other, remain unified, and to minister to the community.
Our team had a weekend adventure to the famous Amboni caves. The Amboni caves are famous for their natural limestone formations, and also for containing 250 square km of winding archaic caverns. We also biked through jungle, and canoed across a crocodile-inhabited river to visit “Maji Moto” (Hot Water) natural sulphur springs. The day in the natural wild was refreshing and stimulating.
Counterpart activities:
Ollie and Regis are daily traveling to various public and private schools and youth centers in the community teaching Geography and Christianity. They are also counceling various youth in issues of religion, drug abuse, life-style choices, economic generation etc.
Stelna and Asnat have the large task of preparing daily meals and washing clothes for 22 orphans. They also bathe the 3 babies, and attend to children’s general needs. When not working Stelna and Asnat play with and teach the children. All but the 3 youngest children are suffering from HIV/Aids.
Arend and Antony are serving in separate departments of Tumaini (Hope) Health Center. Antony is currently working in reception, admitting new patients and writing up their files. Arend has been shadowing a doctor for the past week, and will begin assisting surgeries, taking blood slides etc this week.
Sara and Helen have been looking over Echenford Middle School curriculums for Chemistry and English. They prepared their lesson plans, and their first classes have gone smoothly.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Profile of Tanzanian team members, and news...
The Canadian team members arrived a week ago and have been strategically paired with a Tanzanian counterpart. Here is a short profile of the Tanzanian counterparts:
Helen Kavisha, age 24. Completed teachers college. She will be teaching with Sara at an English Medium School. She has a desire to teach English. Sara will be teaching Chemistry. She loves the Lord.
Asnat Lyimo, age 25. Completed high school. Has been working in hotel management. She loves working with children. She is working with Stelna at an orphanage. She loves the Lord.
Anthony Hango, age 27. Completed high school. He is passionate about working with youth. The past 4 years he has volunteered to counsel youth in issues of HIV and drug abuse. He will assist Arend in the hospital. He loves the Lord, and likes to sing gospel songs.
Regis Milambo, age 25. Completed 1st year university. He has been volunteering as a Youth Coordinator at the Diocese Youth Center. He also has some connection with 4 H in Tanzania. He will be working with Ollie at the Diocese Youth Center, and possibly other youth centers. He loves the Lord, and enjoys praying.
For orientation we bussed to a quiet fishing village to relax, build team dynamics and hold some project and culture orientation sessions over the course of a few days. We attended a local church on Sunday and the pastor invited Shayo, Jamie and I up to speak in front of the Church and tell them all about our program. They welcomed us warmly.
Now we are back in Tanga. The Counterparts have moved in with their host families and have had an orientation to their workplacements. They begin full-time work on Monday. We have already had a meeting with the mayor of Tanga at which point he was able to give us many answers to important questions we had concerning social development and city infrastructure. We also had a meeting with the bishop of Tanga.
The population of Tanga is approx. 300,000. Throughout the day and especially the night our activities are accompanied by the mysterious chants of Islamic prayer over a loudspeaker. It is beautiful and haunting all at once. There are also many Indians (Hindus and Sihks). The staple diet here is starchy foods such as white rice, polenta, and white bread. Oranges are in season. Mosquito bites/nets/spray are a natural part of life. The streets are crowded with colourful and cultural clothing. The team is fitting in quite well, wearing local dress, taking public transportation, eating from street vendors and speaking Swahili.
Pray that the Canadian team members adjust to the culture and living situation well. Pray that out team and our aspirations will be accepted and embraced by the local community. Pray for mutual learning to take place, often learning happens after persevering through frustrations.
In the long term pray that our team will be filled with a spirit of discernment and wisdom as we seek to build partnerships and assess the future involvement of TWU in Tanga.
Helen Kavisha, age 24. Completed teachers college. She will be teaching with Sara at an English Medium School. She has a desire to teach English. Sara will be teaching Chemistry. She loves the Lord.
Asnat Lyimo, age 25. Completed high school. Has been working in hotel management. She loves working with children. She is working with Stelna at an orphanage. She loves the Lord.
Anthony Hango, age 27. Completed high school. He is passionate about working with youth. The past 4 years he has volunteered to counsel youth in issues of HIV and drug abuse. He will assist Arend in the hospital. He loves the Lord, and likes to sing gospel songs.
Regis Milambo, age 25. Completed 1st year university. He has been volunteering as a Youth Coordinator at the Diocese Youth Center. He also has some connection with 4 H in Tanzania. He will be working with Ollie at the Diocese Youth Center, and possibly other youth centers. He loves the Lord, and enjoys praying.
For orientation we bussed to a quiet fishing village to relax, build team dynamics and hold some project and culture orientation sessions over the course of a few days. We attended a local church on Sunday and the pastor invited Shayo, Jamie and I up to speak in front of the Church and tell them all about our program. They welcomed us warmly.
Now we are back in Tanga. The Counterparts have moved in with their host families and have had an orientation to their workplacements. They begin full-time work on Monday. We have already had a meeting with the mayor of Tanga at which point he was able to give us many answers to important questions we had concerning social development and city infrastructure. We also had a meeting with the bishop of Tanga.
The population of Tanga is approx. 300,000. Throughout the day and especially the night our activities are accompanied by the mysterious chants of Islamic prayer over a loudspeaker. It is beautiful and haunting all at once. There are also many Indians (Hindus and Sihks). The staple diet here is starchy foods such as white rice, polenta, and white bread. Oranges are in season. Mosquito bites/nets/spray are a natural part of life. The streets are crowded with colourful and cultural clothing. The team is fitting in quite well, wearing local dress, taking public transportation, eating from street vendors and speaking Swahili.
Pray that the Canadian team members adjust to the culture and living situation well. Pray that out team and our aspirations will be accepted and embraced by the local community. Pray for mutual learning to take place, often learning happens after persevering through frustrations.
In the long term pray that our team will be filled with a spirit of discernment and wisdom as we seek to build partnerships and assess the future involvement of TWU in Tanga.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Preparations confirmed
Planning and preparations have gone very well. We were able to confirm and visit the work placements which each team member and their Tanzanian counterpart will be serving.
Arend and his CP have been accepted to work at the Tumaini Hospital. They offer many different services, so each week the CP can work in a different department of the hospital. Arend is a nursing student, and has some experience working in a hospital.
The hospital has provided us with a donation list, so Arend is scouring Ontario hospitals for:
Forceps
Microscope (lots of malaria here)
Gall pot
Kidney dishes
Blood Pressure checking machine
Blood and water giving set (IV unit).
Medical gloves
Stelna and her CP have been accepted to work in an orphanage hosting approx 20 orphans. Ages range from child to teenager. She will be involved in all the activities related to caring for the children. Many are suffering from HIV/Aids.
Sara's Tanzanian CP just completed her teachers education; she is qualified. Sara is working on an Education degree at Trinity. The Eckenford English Medium School has gratefully accepted both of them to teach their choice of the following subjects (note this school is taught completetly in English): English,Physics,Biology,Chemistry,Math,French.
Sara will probably choose either Chemistry, Math, or French.
The curriculum will be provided.
Ollie and his CP will be serving at a Christian youth center in town. Youth come from all over to catch up on their school work, network with other students, and enjoy group activities. The Youth Center also has a department which cares for "vulnerable children" in the community.
Jamie and I have also met with each Tanzanian Host Family. Most of the families have previous experience hosting international missionaries. They are all Christians, exceptionally friendly and hospitable.
That's all the news for now. Jamie, Shayo(Tanzanian supervisor) and I will pick up the Canadian team members in three days. We'll do a short orientation with the team and then dive into service. Thank you for your continued prayers.
Arend and his CP have been accepted to work at the Tumaini Hospital. They offer many different services, so each week the CP can work in a different department of the hospital. Arend is a nursing student, and has some experience working in a hospital.
The hospital has provided us with a donation list, so Arend is scouring Ontario hospitals for:
Forceps
Microscope (lots of malaria here)
Gall pot
Kidney dishes
Blood Pressure checking machine
Blood and water giving set (IV unit).
Medical gloves
Stelna and her CP have been accepted to work in an orphanage hosting approx 20 orphans. Ages range from child to teenager. She will be involved in all the activities related to caring for the children. Many are suffering from HIV/Aids.
Sara's Tanzanian CP just completed her teachers education; she is qualified. Sara is working on an Education degree at Trinity. The Eckenford English Medium School has gratefully accepted both of them to teach their choice of the following subjects (note this school is taught completetly in English): English,Physics,Biology,Chemistry,Math,French.
Sara will probably choose either Chemistry, Math, or French.
The curriculum will be provided.
Ollie and his CP will be serving at a Christian youth center in town. Youth come from all over to catch up on their school work, network with other students, and enjoy group activities. The Youth Center also has a department which cares for "vulnerable children" in the community.
Jamie and I have also met with each Tanzanian Host Family. Most of the families have previous experience hosting international missionaries. They are all Christians, exceptionally friendly and hospitable.
That's all the news for now. Jamie, Shayo(Tanzanian supervisor) and I will pick up the Canadian team members in three days. We'll do a short orientation with the team and then dive into service. Thank you for your continued prayers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
