Kilimanjaro climb

By Sarah Sevcik

Tanzania
August 18, 2008

For one week, Lizz and I decided to test our physical and mental stamina by climbing the tallest free-standing mountain in the world: Kilimanjaro. Kilimanjaro means “mountain ice��? or “bad mountain��?, depending on who you ask. Both meanings, in my mind, explain it well. Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa and the tallest mountain one can climb without technical assistance (such as oxygen). We had an amazing time, and now that it’s done we are glad we did it. I have included some details of our trip below, but let me offer you a warning. If you would like to know only the good, esp. if you want to climb the mountain one day, read only the “good��? section. If you want to climb Kili some day but want to be given a reason not to, read the “bad��? and “ugly��?. If you want the whole experience, read it all.

The Good

Kili is beautiful. Breathtaking, in fact. There are five climate zones, so within six days you’ve climbed from a rainforest to a glacier. Amazing. The first zone, the Cultivation Zone, is the fertile land with a lot of agriculture (coffee, banana, mango, bean, corn, potatoes, cabbage, and tomatoes are grown here) and livestock. Next is the Montane Forest, which is the main water reservoir for the entire region. Here you find the most beautiful flowers, my favorite being the kilimanjari, a flower marked by reds, yellows, and oranges. In this rainforest area, you see layers and layers of vegetation, including Erica trees, moss, lichen, and ferns.Then on to the Heath/Moorland Zone, where we felt like we were trampling through a Lord of the Rings set. At this point we were above the clouds. The Moorland zone is full of Erica trees with bearded lichen, lots of grass and shrubs, and full of mist. From there you enter the Alpine Desert, where only a few insects, spiders and mice can survive. It’s essentially a desert made up of stones, and the UV radiation is very intense. Finally we reached the Ice Cap Zone, described as a “landscape bleak and offers no protection.��? Nothing can survive here. There are 15 names glaciers and the Reusch crater. In addition to enjoying many climate zones, we found beauty in the amazing sunsets and sunrises. Also, on the day of the Big Climb to the summit we walked through the night, led by the light of the moon, which made the snow and ice shimmer in the darkness. Our guide and his group were awesome. This was a camping trip I’ve never experienced, where others take care of everything for us. We never had to set up camp, or cook, or boil water, or carry anything but our daypack. Instead, we had a crew of 9 men taking care of the two of us: a guide, an assistant guide, a cook, a waiter/porter, and 5 other porters. It seemed strange at first, but by the end I can see why we needed so much help. We were served incredible meals. In the morning we received porridge, eggs, hotdogs, oranges, bananas, toast. We would eat popcorn, peanuts, and biscuits with tea during breaks. Lunches and dinners were anything from homemade vegetable stews and cream soups to curry chicken and beef with French fries. We ate fresh watermelon, mango, and papaya. The hiking routes were very crowded, as were the campsites (even to the point of ‘traffic jams’ when climbing). We enjoyed this, as there was such great diversity and comradely amongst the groups. We laughed and joked with everyone, and became known as the “MN girls��?. One man from South Africa wanted us to give him cupcake recipes every time we saw him. Eventually we wrote down a recipe, which included the steps of 1. Find a porter, and concluding with Warning: cupcake icing in high altitudes is not recommended. One funny/sad story: a flock of birds took off with a zip-lock baggie of a man’s medication and a search crew was sent out around camp to look for it.

The Bad

Nights were FREEZING. Our tent had ice all over it every morning, and getting out of the sleeping bag in the morning or the middle of the night to use the restroom was about the last thing you wanted to do. The temperature produced a continuous lack of sleep (at least for me). There is no shower or washing for 7 days. We stunk, which I suppose was fine because we all stunk together. But, being a contact wearer, it’s difficult to not contaminate your eyes and keep them from burning. Dirt is everywhere; under your nails, in your ears, caked to your feet. We didn’t know if we were getting tan or just loading up more dust on our bodies.Pit Toilets: Gross. I would much rather dig a hole than use the pit toilets. They were super smelly and often produced the gag-reflex. Most foreigners (including ourselves) were not always great at directing our excretions into the small holes, so the latrines were full of, well, you know. The worst were the pits on a slope, because the liquid and poop would pool in corners. Additionally, increasing altitude and eating different food caused many-a-person to have unusual bowel movements. Lizz got food poisoning at one point, which added to the fun. Enough about that.

And The Ugly

On Day 6 we were woken up at 11:30pm to start our midnight climb to Uhuru Peak, at 5895 meters. Probably due to both altitude sickness and not getting enough rest, I woke up with a headache. Boo. Not a good way to start a 9-hour hike. First of all, let me explain that at this elevation we were already seriously suffering from a lack of oxygen, and we had another 1,200 meters to climb. I popped a few Ibuprofen and altitude sickness pills and tried to get into a meditative rhythm. At the beginning of the hike, I said, “Asante Sana Kilimanjaro��?, or “Thank you Kili!��? Within a couple hours I started cursing the mountain, if not verbally, then internally. As Lizz says, this resulted in almost instantaneous karma. I kept feeling worse and worse. My headache was horrible, and I started to feel very dizzy. The rule was no stopping, because those who stop (other than to take a quick bathroom break) may not make it to the top. In fact, depending on the route, as many as 60% of the people who attempt Kili do not reach the top. Anyhow, back to the misery.Around 5am I took more meds and gave my day pack to the assistant guide. I tried to keep a rhythm with my two walking poles and prayed I would make it. I felt horrible. Imagine climbing for 9 hours in the night, temperatures below freezing, with little oxygen, only to know when you reach the top you have to turn around and hike another 6 hours back down the mountain. I tried to not think of this.Somehow, only God knows how, we made it to Stella Point at sunrise, and continued to Uhuru Peak by 7:30am. It was unbelievably gorgeous! I was feeling better by this point (thanks to many meds), at least enough to smile and be excited. Still, I was begging to start our way down the mountain. Indeed, it’s recommended to stay at the top for a maximum of 5 minutes. On the way down the mountain, I was nearly running. By the time we made it back to base camp, I felt like I was dying. I laid down and thought I had the flu—puking, dizzy, horrible headache and stomachache, etc. But, we couldn’t stay; after throwing up my lunch (of which I had no appetite for anyway) we had to continue hiking down for another 4 hours! It was miserable. I decided that day was like hell, and I would never again attempt a Kili climb. I was also wondering if it was worth it.
Now, with days between summiting day and today, I can say the hike was worth it. The climb was by far the most physically difficult thing I’ve ever done, and I was reminded that my body does not do well with altitude. (Indeed, I was sick for a day when I ran in Albuquerque!) Still, we made it, and we have many photos to share!

Sangoma Drama Troupe

By Sarah Sevcik

Tanzania
August 7, 2008

Our most recent work for MIHV involves the making of a 30-minute video about Diarrheal disease entitled “Tatua Tatizo,��? or “Solve the Problem��?. What a blast! We hired local talent, the Sangoma Drama Troupe, to come up with a funny but educational way to explain how one contracts diarrheal disease, how to prevent it, and what to do if you get it. Sangoma came up with a wonderful story about two families, one of who does everything right (uses clean water when cooking and eating, washing after using the latrine, etc.) and another who does everything wrong (eating after cleaning the area where the cows rest, etc.) The “right��? family tries to help the “wrong��? family, but the “wrong��? family will not listen. Therefore, people get sick and need to visit the clinic. At the clinic, a doctor explains what they can do to help themselves in the future, including using clean water sources, when they need to wash their hands, and the importance of continuing to breastfeed a child even when the mother is ill.

Lizz and I were the Technical Advisors. In other words, we did the filming, editing, and video production. Despite my lack of experience in filming, the video turned out so well! We can’t wait to get it made into DVDs and share it with the community. Our hope is that the Dar Express will take it and show it on their buses. We’ll see. In any case, if anyone wants to check it out, I’ll bring a copy home.

The video wasn’t the end of our work with the Sangoma group. Yesterday we went to another rural village area for the once/month market day. After touring the rows of goods and eating a great meat meal on a stick (kind-of like the State Fair, eh?) we spent time watching the Sangoma group perform dramas and traditional dances. Much like the video we produced, the Sangoma group used drama to express a variety of messages. One song/dance included the chanting of “Malaria kills��?, followed by a drama explaining the need to use bed nets and receive treatment from clinic and hospitals. Another humorous drama showed a family in which the husband told the pregnant wife that she should get pregnant right away after delivery, and then again and again. The next family who came onto the scene then explained the concept and benefits of child spacing. The dramas were a HUGE hit! Well over 600 people were gathered around to watch!

Mr. Kombo preparing our lunch.

The Sangoma Drama Troupe doing their thing!

The crowd of market-goers watching Sangoma Drama Troupe

Our Excel trainings have become very popular around Karatu. After our initial Excel training with MIHV staff, we were asked to provide training for the staff of the NGO Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief (CPAR) and the staff of a local clinic run by a muzugu cardiac anesthesiologist. We were even asked to give a personal tutorial for the District Medical Officer himself!
For the past few days, we have been without water at home. Why? The elephants. Apparently elephants tore up the ground up on the hill where the water pipes are located. Hence, broken pipes and no water. Even though going without showers and home cooking can be a bit frustrating, how often can you say the elephants got in the way?

For the next week, Lizz and I will be hiking the Machame Route on Mount Kilimanjaro. We know it will be difficult, but we hope to make it to the top and enjoy the adventurous journey. We start in a forest and end on a glacier—how poa (cool) is that?!

In the field, chiggers and all

By Sarah Sevcik

Tanzania
August 2, 2008

The past couple of weeks have gone by so quickly. Lizz and I took a 5-day holiday from Karatu to visit the island of Zanzibar, via the Dar Express bus: a 13-hour bus ride from Karatu to Dar es Salaam. The last of the Temple med students were leaving Tanzania, and we wanted to tour another part of the country with them. Zanzibar proved to be a great mini-holiday: full of fresh seafood and fruit drinks, warm weather and beaches, and plenty of spices and kangas to buy in the market. Also, the trip gave us a chance to enjoy the beautiful Tanzanian scenery: rolling hills of corn, sunflowers, and sisel plants.

Upon returning to Karatu, we quickly re-packed for a three-day “out to the field��? excursion with a few MIHV staff: Honest, Harry, Eveline, and Veronica. We piled into a car and drove on some of the rockiest, most dust-filled roads I’ve ever seen; so bumpy that Veronica and Lizz took Dramamine to not be ill! Although my head hit the car window one too many times, I enjoyed the ride, as it showed me an even more rural part of Tanzania. Indeed, in some of the villages we visited, the children were so unfamiliar with muzungus (white people) they either became fascinated with our skin and hair (wanting to touch us) or would cry and run to their mothers for safety. :-)

I love to watch Eveline and Veronica work in communities; they have such a great spirit about them, and they immediately connect with the traditional birth attendants (TBA) we were there to see. We spent the days talking with the TBAs about their most recent experiences and problems, completing our conversations with an introduction to the new monitoring and evaluation tool: the pregnancy monitoring book. It was fascinating to learn about birthing issues in these villages. Many TBAs explained how difficult it is to travel long distances by foot, especially in the night, to reach the pregnant mother’s homes. Often, the TBAs desire for the women to travel to the TBA’s home, where they can rest and the TBAs are available when needed. Indeed, in the second village we visited, a TBA helped deliver a birth just hours before we arrived. After the TBA training we had a chance to greet the new mother and her first child, who were resting on the TBA’s bed.

TBAs, one with a prized certificate of her training as a TBA.

TBA at her home, where she helped with a birth just hours before this photo was taken.
Some of the TBAs and me.

Veronica became quite popular in the villages, as she is a nurse by training, and her skills were needed on various occasions. One such occasion was to dig a chigger out of my toe. It wasn’t until a big hole behind my nearing-the-falling-off-stage-toe-nail, as well as the production of an egg sack full of nearly a hundred eggs, was presented to me that I truly believed I had chiggers. What a bugger. Needless to say, I’m a bit more nervous about wearing my sandals around town; I might stick to my “rubbers��? from now on. Thankfully, Eveline said a prayer for my toes: “In the name of Jesus, may there be no more chiggers in Sarah’s feet.��? I hope her prayer is answered.

Other than having wonderful conversations and laughs with the staff, my favorite part of being on the field was meeting with a group of TBAs who ended the session by declaring their desire to sing for us. Their voices were beautiful, and my body started to groove with the sound. The oldest woman of the group, probably in her late 60s or early 70s, noticed my movement and came over to dance with me. Boy could she dance! She started moving her hips and sticking out her bottom and swaying her arms; I followed along. She removed a kanga from her head and put it around my waist so it would bounce around as I jumped. Almost everyone started dancing, and we continued to dance and sing for another 15 minutes or so, until it was time to go and there were a crowd of men standing outside the building, wondering what was going on. The older woman then told me (in Swahili, which was then translated for me) I was her daughter. So sweet!

We returned home to Karatu last night, and I was dropped over at Peter’s home to help him make a dinner for Jolene, Lizz, Peter and me. A couple weeks ago Peter and I took a long walk towards the Ngorongoro conservation area where we passed a woman’s home with many ducks walking around. At the time, Peter inquired about the ducks; what will she do with them? Well, one of those lovely ducks was sold to Peter this past week so that we could eat it. I was very excited to take part in this process: I had never before killed my own meat. Not that I did much last night, other than take a few photos, help stuff the bird in a bag, and pluck it’s feathers, but nevertheless, in the end we had a most delicious meal. By the way this was an indigenous, not exotic, duck. :-)

The "before" shot. Poor duck.

The "after" shot. Hmm Hmm good.

Church and Dala Dalas

By Sarah Sevcik
Tanzania
July 21, 2008

Sunday morning I went to a Lutheran church on the edge of town, near the Secondary School where Peter lives. Thankfully, Peter joined me, and I was excited that he’d be able to translate for me. However, when we arrived at the church, we noticed the men were separated from the women and children. Shoot. Thankfully, I was warmly welcomed to sit by the women, and during the 2-hour service I was able to follow most of what was going on. Of course, I didn’t understand the words, but the structure of the service was familiar, with everything from the prayers and the sermon to the Lord’s Prayer and taking an offering. The music, sang by a young man’s choir, was my favorite part. I just closed my eyes and listened to the voices, understanding only the word “mungu��? (God) and the intense dedication of the singers.
At the end of the service, we walked outdoors, still singing, and gathered around in a half-circle. Then came the auction. Apparently, after the service, items are auctioned off in order to raise money for the church. On Sunday, three “original Bic��? pens were the prized items! The pastor started low and increased the price until someone said they were willing to buy the pen in honor of another. The third pen was bought for 500 shilling and given to Teacher Peter. :-)
After church Peter and I took 3.5 hour hike to the edge of the Ngorongoro Conservation area. We walked through fields of wheat and fields of sunflowers, eventually reaching a coffee plantation and then a field of tobacco. Everywhere we walked, the beauty was so great it nearly took my breath away. Then, it was time to come back home to greet a bunch of our friends who just finished climbing Kili. To get home, I needed to jump on a dala dala.

The public transportation system in Karatu is the dala dala. A dala dala is essentially a 15-passenger van. However, it isn’t full until stuffed with 30-35 people, a few of whom are hanging outside the open door. Thankfully, I have not needed to prove that my arm muscles are strong enough to handle such an outdoor ride, but that doesn’t mean I lack adventure inside the van. Indeed, when traveling back from church, I was nearly leaning my head in a man’s lap while arms and even legs were tangled all around me. Meanwhile, a standing woman dug her elbows into my neck and shoulders as her way of holding on. Actually, I didn’t mind—it felt a bit like getting a deep tissue massage!

Speaking of dala dalas, Peter and another Peace Corp member are using the dala dala scenario in writing a math textbook for the secondary schools. For example, one question might read, “You are trying to make money for your dala dala business. Each person pays 500 shillings to ride. You can put up to XXX kilos on the top of the dala before it is too heavy and falls over. If more than XXX people are in the dala, it will cause a riot. How many people and kilos do you need in your dala to make at least XXX shillings if the price of gas is XXX shillings and you travel 10 miles?��?

Diarrheal disease, chickens, and Excel training

By Sarah Sevcik
Tanzania
July 18, 2008

One of the biggest childhood mortality causes in Tanzania is diarrheal disease. Therefore, we have decided to make a video (with a newly donated video camera—thank you!) emphasizing hand washing. A drama group will be working with us to create a story involving a demonstration of proper hand-washing (identifying a clean water source, using soap, etc.), the appropriate times to hand-wash (before preparing or eating meals, before feeding children, after defecation, etc.), and how to get appropriate treatment when diseased.

In order to prepare for the video, however, we want to help people come up with ways to identify clean water sources. Water here is super expensive—water costs more than tea, coffee, or soft drinks, and a small bottle cost about the same as ½ the price as a main meal. Therefore, we want to develop “water stations��? made of old plastic water bottles that are heated in the sun in order to kill bacteria and other organisms. We’ve been doing some research to figure out the safest way to do this, and so far we’ve gathered some positive notes. This week Lizz and I wrote letters to 5 major water companies used in Karatu to inquire about the type of plastic used to make their bottles. The last thing we want is to find out 20 years from now everyone has cancer from plastic. At this point, things are looking good to go, however!Capacity building: One of my goals for this summer is to help MIHV with community capacity-building activities, and today I had a chance to put my skills to use! The entire MIHV staff sat in on a 4-hour Excel training that Lizz and I put together, with a good break for lunch in the middle. We brought in every computer on site and walked everyone through our “Comprehensive Introduction to Excel��?, including the use of formulas and charts. Although many staff members had used Excel, they all agreed today’s training was by far the most useful training. One woman said she had taken four courses at the university and understood more today that she’ll actually be able to use than all of those classes combined. I had such a joy teaching; all my “students��? were completely engaged and grateful for the lesson. One way they showed their thanks was to all rub their hands together quickly while chanting “pasha��? (which means “warm up��?) and then clapping their hands together at the same time while shouting “choma!��? (which means “burn��?). In other words, they are giving me the “fire��? to do a good job. Check out the photos below of the training.

















































For lunch today we ate rice, beans, and chicken. Merci and Eveline (MIHV staff) then became my teacher by explaining to me the difference between the “indigenous��? chicken and the “exotic��?, or “modern��? chicken. As I learned, the indigenous chicken has culture and a history, as they live for about 2 years. It is a ‘true kuku’. These chicken are really independent. When they wake up in the morning they wander all day and find their own food and water. Around 6pm they come back home to sleep. They are disease-resistant chicken. Their eggs are yellow. When you eat them, you use your hands. Modern chicken, on the other hand, only lives a number of months. They are very dependent chicken who eat modern food, fed to them by humans. They need electricity in their very small house, where they are not free to wander. They need a lot of care, for if you let them wander on their own, they would probably eat bad things and die, or get diseases. They produce white eggs. When you eat these chicken, you have to use a fork.I’m wondering, can you tell which chicken comes from American farms?? Gosh, I just love how Merci and Eveline gave such a persona of these different chickens. I was roaring on the ground laughing when they told me this story. I have a new nickname: “Pabichi��? (pa-beech-i) which means “wet spot��? or “place of water��?. I was given this name because every day when I pour water from my 5 liter jug into my 500ml bottle I spill water on my floor into a wet spot. Lizz loves it. :-)

Karatu Secondary School

By Sarah Sevcik
Tanzania
July 18, 2008

On Wednesday Andrea, Lena, Lizz and I visited Peter at Karatu Secondary School, where Peter teaches advanced math and physics to an all-male boarding school. Until recently, most Tanzanians did not make it this far in their education—most only finishing primary school, if that. Thankfully, more and more secondary schools are opening around the country and students are enrolling.We sat in on Peter’s physics course, watching 15 young men dressed in uniform, quietly and intensely listen to their teacher. I have to admit, the course was really hard; I was lost in the first five minutes. Peter says he has really great students, but unfortunately they really only care about what is going to be on the national exam and let go of anything else. At times, he’ll want to teach something interesting and with more activity, but the students first ask, “Will this be on the exam?��? It’s understandable, of course, because the exam is the only thing that really matters. Thinking about this, it helps me appreciate my education, which not only emphasized grades, but also creativity, the arts, and involvement in community and school activities.
















Peter and some of his physics students.

After class we took a long walk through fields of wheat to visit coffee plantations and see wildlife and birds. It was truly like a piece of heaven; I love to be in nature and get away from the hustle and bustle of cars, commerce, and people. I included a photo of the area to show you just how wonderful it was!
















A view of heaven.

Upon returning to Peter’s home, we spent a couple hours playing with the neighbor children, who were such a delight! They loved to count to three and have us spin them in circles (see photo), play tag, and practice making the sounds and movements of different animals, such as lions and elephants. Again, I'm reminded that people who have very little (materially) can find the greatest joy in the simplest of activities. I love it!




















Lizz and the kids.

Peter and me with the neighbor kids.

On food:Meals in Karatu generally consist of rice and beans for every meal, and sometimes spicing it up with French fries, eggs, bananas, and roasti (beef stew you put on rice and beans). Although the food here tastes great, we have been trying to be creative in adding more vegetables and protein to our diets. Every day we go to the market to buy fresh produce—green beans, potatoes, carrots, eggplant, onions, garlic, tomatoes. We’ve cooked these in every way we can think—as stir-fry, as soup, as sauce. Regardless of what we do, it’s always amazingly fresh and tasty. Admittedly, there are certain foods I really miss, namely milk, cheese, and ice cream (i.e., dairy), but thus far we have been getting used to adding powdered milk to our filtered and boiled water to make tea. Yesterday, however, was a great treat. While visiting Peter, we made pumpkin bread with a fresh pumpkin from his garden, and then made alfredo sauce with real milk. When we asked Peter where he found milk, and he said, “Find a man with a cow and bring an empty water bottle.��? So, we had seriously fresh whole milk, and it was great! Peter doesn’t have an oven (who does?), so to bake bread we had to create an oven by using multiple layers of pots, the stove, and coals (see photo). This was all done in a room without electricity, so we cooked with flashlights.

The "oven" :-)

I have been working on an Excel tutorial, which will be taught on Friday during the lunch hour. We’ll be talking about everything from how to make borders, colors and fillings to making bar charts and using the “sum��? feature. I'll let you know how it goes!

Quick, Buy a Brick!

By Sarah SevcikTanzania
Quick, Buy A Brick!

If you have been reading and enjoying learning about the work MIHV is doing in Tanzania, please considering buying a brick (with your choice of what it says!) for the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies center. Read on...

Support mothers and babies in Tanzania

Last fall, Minnesota International Health Volunteers launched a new child survival project in Tanzania that is working to improve the health of mothers and babies. We work with communities to ensure effective prevention, detection, and treatment of childhood diseases and proper maternal care during and after pregnancy.
Part of our Tanzania Child Survival Project is the development of Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies centers where pregnant women and new mothers can go for confidential counseling and education on pregnancy, reproductive health, and raising healthy children. Each center will include a resource library, a garden cultivated to teach women about nutrition, and learning areas for children.
The Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Center is about to open! This is your chance to support this important community work before the grand opening in summer 2008. With a donation of $50, we will place your name or the name of your choice, an individual or a group, on a brick used to build a patio and walkway outside each Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Center. Children can learn and play while their mothers use the center’s services. All donations will directly support projects in the Tanzanian communities we serve. We are in need of 100 more bricks to complete the patio, so you don’t want to miss out!
With your donation, we will be able to continue the innovative work we do to improve the health of women, children, and communities in Tanzania and around the world. Thank you for your support!To buy a brick and support this important work, visit MIHV”s website at www.mihv.org and donate securely through Network for Good. With your online donation, please specify “Brick project” in the “Designation” field. In the “Dedication or Gift” field, enter the name you would like to appear on your brick.

You may also mail your donation, along with this form, to:
Minnesota International Health Volunteers122 West Franklin Avenue, Suite 510Minneapolis, MN 55404-2480 U.S.A.
If you have any questions, please call 612-871-3759 or email info@mihv.org.

Breast Feeding and TBAs

By Sarah Sevcik Tanzania
10 July 2008

Today I went “into the field’ to participate in a Survive and Thrive Group meeting. Honest, our driver, took us to the town of Rhotia, where we first met with the Community Leader to introduce ourselves and accept his blessing. Then, in one of the community buildings most often used by military men, a group of 20 young village women gathered together with their notebooks and pens, eager to learn more about today’s topic: Breast feeding.

A photo of us sharing the road. We had to get out of our car and let our driver go into the field to let the people go by. It was fun!

Photo of Joyce teaching about breast feeding.

Although the session was conducted in Swahili, we were able to follow along decently well. The women learned about the benefits of breast feeding, when they should be breast feeding, and the importance of continuing to breast feed even when they (the mother) are ill (since antibodies get passed to the child). I became quickly entranced with one woman’s baby, who just as quickly became entranced with my jump drive/ carabineer device and decided to chew on it, throw it to the ground, and hit her mom with it. I tried to take the child into my arms so her mother had free hands to write the lesson, but she refused to leave her mother’s back or arms. That was, until we started playing “catch the jump drive” on the ground. :-)

The baby and me.

After the breast feeding lesson, the three Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA) in the room continued their lessons with the MIHV staff. Traditional birth attendants are a lot like midwifes; they are female community leaders who have been trained in helping village women deliver children. The pregnancy monitoring tool Lizz and I put together yesterday came into view, and Veronica and Eveline (MIHV staff members) walked the TBAs through the form, teaching them how to use the form and making sure any questions were answered. The women were very excited about this new tool, as it keeps all the needed information in one place and is easy to use. We were all pleased. :-)

Eveline and Veronica showing the TBAs the new monitoring and evaluation tool.

Mothers studying about breast feeding.

More studying.

I’m currently working on some capacity building initiatives, such as putting together an Excel tutorial for some of the MIHV staff, especially those who want to use Excel for accounting and budgeting purposes. Chloe (a Temple med student) is putting together a tutorial for STATA, a statistical software program. We hope to conduct some lessons in the next week or two.
Another thought:I’m reminded of things we take for granted in America. I had a conversation with Peter, a Peace Corp volunteer in Karatu, who mentioned that when we go into a store or a restaurant, we expect the things on the menu or shelves to be there. And we expect them to look the same, taste the same, smell the same as every other time before. (Think McDonalds.) Here, it’s different. You may go to a restaurant and ask for chicken, but they don’t have it. Rice and beans? Maybe not today. Last week when we went into the town of Arusha to buy bread, no one had bread to buy. Water and electricity are similar issues. Last week the power went out all over the country, so we just had to wait to begin work. In the past couple of days water has been low, so we have been cautious about taking showers or using water for other washing. Although I enjoy consistency and predictability, I also love to be challenged with this kind of flexibility and unpredictability, realizing how unrealistic my American “sure-thing” upbringing is for most of the world.

Curtains and Pregnancy Forms

By Sarah Sevcik Tanzania
9 July 2008

This has been our first real week “on the job”, and it has been fun and interesting already. My first day involved putting up curtains in the new Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies (HMHB) center. HMHB is in the old office of the District Medical Officer (DMO) next to Karatu health center. The idea is to allow intense education on prenatal and antenatal care for women with high-risk pregnancies. There will be private counseling for women and their families, a nutritional area, growth monitoring, and access to the health center garden for education on healthy weaning foods and diet. The center isn’t quite finished, as it still needs furniture, toilets, and a brick walkway, but Jolene hopes it will be open before we leave. We didn’t have enough curtains to cover every window, so Lizz and I spent the rest of the morning walking around the village trying to find more identical fabrics. It didn’t work out so well, but we enjoyed the process of having village men assist us by running ahead into fabric shops explaining the colors and designs we needed.

Putting up curtains in the HMHB Center.

Today we spent the day putting together a pregnancy-monitoring tool for the Village Health Committees and Traditional Birth Attendants of eight villages in Karatu District. This consisted of revising and editing the final monitoring document and then using a ruler, pencil and scissors to cut poster-sized paper into legal size paper (which doesn’t exist here) to use for printing. Often there are no (or few) records of children born in the hospital, and certainly few (if any) records when children are born outside of a clinic (which is the case for the majority of families). The record-keeping document will be used to keep better track of pregnant women in the district and make sure they are receiving adequate care during and after pregnancy. Once we printed out such booklets for each village, Lizz and I took them to town to get bound. However, there were no legal-sized binding, so each cover didn’t quite reach far enough. No problem—we just added packaging tape to the edge to make it more laminated. :-)

Lizz and I with the monitory book.

I have recently started running, and I’m thankful for the chance to do so. I find that I see the most interesting things about a culture by running through new areas and keeping an eye out for the colors that make up people’s lives. Whenever I run, the adults walking by shout out, “Pole! [Po-lay!] Pole!” which means, “Sorry!” I smile back and say, “ham na sheeda” which means “no problem”. People feel sorry for me that I’m running, but I want to! The children, on the other hand, come squealing out of their homes and dash to catch up to me. They love to run beside me for a few hundred meters with amazing pace despite their lack of footwear.

Speaking of children, I have only seen joyful and excitable kids around Karatu. They are such an inspiration to me. I just love how little things impress the children. Today Lizz and I passed Theresa’s (our house and laundry cleaner) home and saw her children playing with a broken tennis ball. We asked to throw the ball with them and they jumped up and down with joy. We probably could have stayed there all day and they would have been happy. Last week we visited an orphanage, and all of the children there were full of laughter, smiling eyes, and a love of play. We played football (soccer), let the kids use our cameras to take hundreds of photos of themselves, and found it humorous that nearly all 30 children had bright and bold colored crocs on their feet. Perhaps a gift from the states?

Some cultural experiences:
*Americans eat food much sweeter than Tanzanian’s desire. When we were camping outside during a safari, we offered roasted marshmallows with melted chocolate to our drivers. They didn’t like it at all—much too sweet. Even Mark’s banana bread has been too sweet for many Tanzanians.
*Nearly every business, tourist attraction, hotel, school and public landmark here are advertised with Coca-Cola. No joke. I think Coke must have offered them free advertising posters or something. Even the police station states “Police Post” with the Coca-Cola sign attached.
*I bought some fabric to bring to the tailor to make cloth napkins. The man didn’t speak English, and I don’t speak Swahili, so it was difficult to get my idea across. “Napkin” certainly wasn’t a word that was getting us anywhere, so I ran down the street to get a paper napkin from a restaurant and ran back, where the man said, “tissue?” Yes, tissue! It worked. :-)

The view of a village watering hole from the Healthy Mothers Health Babies office.