Outreach Visits

The Tanzanian Development Trust (TDT) (https://www.facebook.com/tanzdevtrust?ref=ts&fref=ts) is a UK based charity that provides small to medium sized grants to assist development projects in Tanzania.  I applied for the maximum grant of 1,250,000 Tanzanian Shillings (about £500) to start an program of Outreach visits.

The aim of the program is to visit villages in remote areas who do not have access to healthcare, and provide free HIV testing and counseling for the villagers.  

Who wants to be a Millionaire?

Together with the help of Mama Mpunga, the HIV specialist nurse, we have organized trips to at least 7 villages in the area surrounding the hospital.  Many of these villages have no electricity supply and are accessed only by dirt (sand) tracks which are sometimes impassable during rainy season.  If the villagers need medical care then they must walk the long distance to the Hospital.

4x4 Landcruiser - the only way to get to the villages (I want one!)

 

Last weekend we visited 2 villages, Ndawa (15km away) and Mahiwa (5km).  In Ndawa we tested 53 people (31 Female, 22 Male) and in Mahiwa we tested 158 (64 Female, 94 Male).   HIV testing is performed using a rapid test and requires just a few drops of blood from a fingerprick sample.  Once the results are ready, the client is counseled by a trained counselor about the significance of a negative or positive result, and told when they should return for another test. 

Our Clinic for the day in Ndawa

Not exactly sterile conditions!

Taking a fingerprick sample

It's always the men who flinch more!

 These visits are also an opportunity to give out information leaflets, detect patients that may need medical care for other conditions (e.g. complicated pregnancy, TB etc) and to increase the profile of the hospital in the region.

Post-Test Counselling

We were well received by the villagers as shown by the good turnout, and the village chairman in Ndawa gave us a tour of the village showing us the school, the water pump, the single shop and the many, many chickens!

As always, the children were inquisitive about the Mzungu in their village, and when they saw I had a camera they all wanted their photos taken and to see themselves on the screen!

Our Clinic at Mahiwa (next door to the flour mill, so it was a bit noisy and dusty)

We are planning another 5 or 6 visits (depending on remaining budget) over the coming weeks, and hope to test over 500 people.

As always, the kids want a picture!

But not just the kids... this Mzee wanted his picture taken as well... although I wasn't sure if he was blind or not!

A Serpent in Our Midst

In Tanzania it is common for "wealthier" people and mzungus to have an askari (security guard) to guard the houses at night.  I’ve always thought the askari who looks after my house has an quite an easy job, as Nyangao is not exactly a crime hotspot!  

 He is a pleasant old fellow whom I have nicknamed “the shuffler” due to him shuffling past my window at night on his “patrol”… that’s when he is not curled up asleep underneath the kitchen window… a trait common in many askaris which has spawned the phrase for a good nights sleep:

                “How did you sleep last night?”… “ooh, I slept like an askari”

So my askari may not have to deal with ruffians, reprobates or ne’er-do-wells but he does have other challenges in his job… I was sat on my back porch one evening with my laptop, and I heard his shuffling approach.  I’m still not great at Swahili so my understanding of our conversation went something like this:

 Askari:  “something something something death/dead/to die something something”

                

 Me “  sorry, I don’t understand, say again slowly”

Askari  (still at the same speed) “something something something death/dead/to die something something to hit/beat/strike something something” … “come, come”

                 

Me “ Ok, I’m coming”

                

 So he leads me round to the front of the house and proudly shows me a massive snake that he has killed by hitting it on the head with a stout stick!

                

 Askari “ I hit it and killed it”

                 

Me “ aah, you hit it, thankyou!”  “Where was it?”

                 

Askari “ There”.. pointing to the small puddle of snake blood outside the kitchen window where he usually sleeps

                 

Me “  wow!   It dangerous?”

               

Askari “ Yes, dangerous, very dangerous”

               

 Me “ Thankyou! I will look when I walk”

eeek!

One squashed-headed snake

So I think he has earned the flask of tea we make him each night, and I shan’t complain about his snoring or his shuffling anymore!   Also, I have now taught myself the Swahili word for snake “ Nyoka”…. I think it might come in useful!