Saturday, 21 June 2014

Today we went on an amazing adventure! Early at 7:00am we departed our hotels with the safari jeeps, and headed towards the serengeti. It was sad to leave Bunda because of all the connections we have made with the people and the community. The hotel staff and CPAR are just some of the people we will miss dearly. However we are on to a new adventure! Today we were thrilled to see the elephants, giraffes, zebras, lions , a cheetah, AND a leopard all in their natural habitat! 
Now we are staying in a welcoming hotel. Tomorrow,again, at 7am
We are departing in the safari jeeps through the   Ngorongoro crater over to Karatu!! A week tomorrow we will be in ottawa! Time has gone by so so fast!!

Steph

Friday, 20 June 2014

"Karibu Sana"- Always Welcome In Bunda

It is with tired, but very happy hearts we report that we have finished our Helping Babies Breathe and Helping Children Thrive programming. What we have experienced over the past two weeks has been without a doubt life changing, for us, and for the people we have met and learned from.

Today we visited Manyamamanyama Health Center, which was a short distance away from where we are staying. It was a very important day as we met with the acting medical officer, and handed over all the equipment we fundraised for, to CPAR in Bunda. Following our meeting with the medical officer, we toured the facility to get an idea of how the health care team practices and what equipment they have access to.
The Helping Babies Breathe team trained 25 health care workers today, and the Helping Children Thrive team gathered with mothers and children to teach their teeth brushing songs, make friendship bracelets and sing and play together.

Once again in HBB training, we were excited to share knowledge with the local health care workers and learn about the resources they have. We are appreciative of the knowledge they gave us about health in Bunda. Throughout these two weeks, the HBB team has trained over 100 health care workers with tools to improve neonatal survival outcomes. We have taught in large private hospitals, small rural health centers, and mid-level referral centers. It has been a great experience to see what health looks like in the Bunda district. It has also been interesting to share the leadership experience interprofessionally among BScN’s, PN’s and Paramedics. We have learned a great deal from one another and have built on each other’s strengths.

As training ends, we know we will not see the result of our work, but we know from the health care workers who have shared with us, that it will change lives and that they are better equipped to help babies breathe. Through our partnerships with CPAR, the district commissioner, ministry workers and the acting medical officer, we know that our training has been successful because it is sustainable. Our utmost thanks is due to CPAR once again for making this training possible. 

This evening following dinner we exchanged thank you’s with the CPAR team, who we will miss dearly. One of CPAR’s staff asked us to pass our thanks to our family back home and to those who made it possible for us to deliver our programming. We are sad to be leaving Bunda. The hospitality has been phenomenal and the people are so warm and welcoming. We have shared friendships and laughs with the CPAR staff, our drivers, and our hotel staff.

 Professor Sherry said it best when she said the words she is taking away most from this trip is “karibu sana”, meaning  you’re welcome again. There are no goodbyes in Bunda, just karibu sana’s.

Tomorrow we look forward to having a day off as we head out onto the Serengeti for two days as we journey to Karatu and Longido.

Thinking of everyone back home today who has made this journey possible, and to our Algonquin College Community.

Asante sana,

Ainsley Saumure

Thursday, 19 June 2014

Oral Health TANZANIA


Before our first day of programming we did not know how in depth we would be able to go with oral health education. We did not know what the demographics would be…..

Prior to departure our expectations of our role was that our knowledge would be incorporated into the activities planned for the children and youth. Upon arrival during our first days of programming we were surprised to discover a designated group of women and their children who were expecting an oral health discussion from us. With limited preparation we were able to provide the mothers, their children and other family members with a basic oral health education session.

There was a major language barrier between English and Kiswahili preventing us from effectively communicating. We were fortunate enough to have Mona, an active CPAR employee, with us to translate. We have begun each session with an introduction to infant oral health care. With the permission of a mother, we were able to effectively demonstrate infant oral health care on her child. This consisted of basic homecare instruction in order to prevent gum and tooth related issues. It made us feel more connected with the community members which allowed them in turn to feel more comfortable.

While toothbrushes are available to purchase, a common replacement called the miswaki stick (made from a twig of a tree) is used. In conversation with community members we discovered that toothbrushes are not viewed as a necessity. With the use of our large mouth models we could visually demonstrate an appropriate brushing technique.

Finally, with the use of a felt board and a tooth brushing song we stressed the importance of brushing twice a day for two minutes each time as well as how bacteria can transfer from parent to child.

Any questions the audience may have had were answered at the end. We have gotten an abundance of fantastic questions and mothers wanting us to check their children’s mouths.

After the completion of our presentation we asked permission to come around and check their children’s mouths. It was interesting to see the development and conditions present, such as staining and placement of erupting baby teeth.

We have taught over 300 people, predominately woman and their young children. Our sessions have ranged from 45 minutes to 2 hours in length. Each health centre we have visited there have been a group of individuals who have been expecting an oral health education session. Everyone has been very attentive and involved in our oral health programming. We can see that they are making the connection between their health and oral health and are motivated to actively learn.

 We have been so pleased with the involvement and interest in oral health, and we truly believe we have made an impact. We hope that the knowledge and education we provided will be passed on to fellow community members and passed on to generations to come. We also hope that the knowledge we have provided will encourage change in the current availability in dental services.

We wish we could stay longer!! (But we do miss home)

Holly Ainsworth, Rebecca Cook, Meagan Wilson
As our time here in Bunda comes to a close, we have witnessed many things from every health facilities visited. We began our journey by coming up with a program book full of fun activities such as games, soccer, colouring and friendship bracelets. At our first center, the mothers and children seemed resistant to come over to see us. Most of our days therefore start the same way, building relationships. We begin by showing the children the materials, such as the colouring sheets, as well as beginning to colour so that they can see what we are doing. Once the children begin to warm up to us they thoroughly enjoy the activities. By showing the children what we are doing rather than telling them through instruction, we avoid the language barrier. By the end we create our own way of communicating with each other. When we began our visits to the health centers we were hesitant to bring the songs that we had with us. By day 3 we introduced the "Banana song" and the children loved it. Even one of our drivers, Felix, joined in by translating the words. We had discovered a hit. Once we started with one song, the children wanted another and another. The children even taught us some of their traditional songs, one was very similar to "ring around the rosy" (but theirs was more fun). Some of the girls came over to join in with infant siblings tied to their backs using traditional kangas. After some practice the children were able to sing the songs to us. Ana added a new challenge by singing Spanish songs. The children loved learning the new language and the rhythm of the Latin American songs.
The friendship bracelets were our link to the mothers. After starting with the first few rows the mothers would continue on without assistance. Even the little boys enjoyed trying. With everyone in the group making bracelets it felt like we had created a real sense of community by the end of the day. Watching the mothers engage in our activities is an experience that I will never forget. It gives me a sense of enjoyment to know that the work we are doing in Tanzania as part of the HCT team is making the children and mothers who we have met smile, laugh and have a good time.


Sarah Foster

Monday, 16 June 2014




After a restful weekend off we were back at it today, albeit short our fearless leader.   Curtis was indisposed with other critical issues for the day.  As a result, I was asked to lead the group in our training.  The idea was initially a little intimidating, but I couldn’t justify missing out on such a unique opportunity. 

The location for the training was the Kisorya Health Centre.  It was only 80km from our home base, but it took 2 hours to reach by car due to the extremely rough road conditions.  When we reached the clinic site, we were immediately greeted by a community health nurse who led us to our training area.  We were very impressed by the level of organization of the staff and their eagerness to get started.  

After a quick tour of the facility, we set up our training equipment in the shade of a massive tree with an intricate root system that was being utilized by several young mothers and their infants as seating.   Behind us was the open, breathtaking landscape that has become the quintessential image of rural East Africa.  The temperature was 30°C most of the day but a steady, cool breeze kept us very comfortable.  We could not have asked for a more picturesque setting for our training. 

After a quick introduction, we gauged the language proficiency of our audience and had our trusty CPAR contact and friend, Inno, translate for us.   I was very thankful to have him by side through the training to ensure the information was clearly expressed to the students.  The translation also provided me with the time to collect my thoughts and prepare our next teaching point.  I was pleased to discover that teaching through a translator was actually less intimidating than teaching back home.  

As a less than whole team, we were very fortunate to have a small class of 6 very competent participants.  Everyone was able to quickly pick up the material and demonstrate the skills with accuracy and efficiency.  All of this contributed to optimal teaching environment.  However, my real confidence came from knowing that behind me stood 8 incredibly supportive and brilliant HBB team members.  Together we had another amazing day defined by further victories and new learning opportunities. 

I cannot wait to get back out there tomorrow and continue this amazing adventure!

Ben Dorion

Pictures from one our Helping Babies Breathe workshop




Saturday, 14 June 2014

Looking back at older posts, surreal remains the best word to describe this experience. After a debrief from the first day of training, we were all geared up and ready to go Friday morning. Jeeping out in the morning to the different villages is an adventure in itself. The scenery is amazing and the people are so welcoming. Local CPAR agents point out different landmarks, exotic wildlife, and we trade English and Swahili words for what we're seeing. 

When we arrived at the village Friday morning, we got a tour of the clinic, the maternity ward (including the labour and delivery room) and the lab testing area. Training makes for a long day, but it's inspiring to see people getting excited when they've mastered the Bag Valve Masks or remember the correct sequence for hand washing. On the way back from training, we stopped to have a picnic lunch under a tree that has been a meeting place for local farmers for the past 400 years. The history in this area is abounding and I'm excited to learn something new everyday.

Today we took a well deserved break from training and spent some time doing laundry, catching up on sleep, and taking a tour of the market. Tomorrow we're set to go on a hike up a local mountain that looks out onto Lake Victoria while other group members have opted to experience what a church service is like in this region.

Hope to have more adventures to report on soon!
-Sarah Beanlands
Internet access in Africa is a fun game to play. Here is a post from Robin Pitman that we try to submit several days ago.

Wednesday June 11, 2014
Today we visited the district commissioner of Bunda, Tanzania. It was a surreal learning opportunity that I was grateful to experience. We then walked to the CPAR office for our orientation and learned about CPAR and what they do for the Bunda community. On our walk we explored the local market. There was an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables, a lot of avocados. We have been drinking an avocado, passion fruit and lemon juice during our stay at the Victoria Hotel. It will be difficult to return home and enjoy the fruit and juices after experiencing the fresh and ripened food we have been fed. There are children playing all over the district. They are all very creative making their own toys and playing outdoors. We have felt so welcomed and accepted by all the children and the  families in Tanzania. We do not walk anywhere without a lot of "Nipitanu" (high five!) and "Mambo", "Poa" (Hi, What's up?). We have made so many Rafikis (friends) and are so grateful to be here. We will start our first day of work tomorrow and many of us are excited and anxious to begin!
Robin Pitman

Thursday, 12 June 2014

Today we delivered our first day of the HBB and HCT program. I am a member of the HBB program. There was very little space to work with and about 10 health care professionals participatied in the program today. Half of us, including myself, got to observe the operation of the health care clinic. I got to spend time observing maternal health care, and I also spent some time in the labratory testing area. It was very interesting to see. Both of the programs ran very smoothly today. Everyone was very eager to learn and so happy to have us there.

 The whole community has been extremely welcoming to us. Yesterday we were even greeted by the District Commissioner of Bunda, who welcomed us with open arms. Everybody that I have met so far has been lovely and has made me feel right at home.

 We are preparing to do another training day tomorrow. I am very eager to participate in the training tomorrow, and to continue learning and observing the health care system here in Bunda.


Maddi

Hello From Bunda Tanzania

Hi everyone,


All apologies for the delay in the blog posts, securing an internet connection on the border of the Serengeti. But never the less we are up and running now and the whole team is very excited to share our stories so far. Enjoy

Thursday, 5 June 2014

When I applied to the Child and Youth Work program I never dreamed it would lead to heading to Tanzania for a 3 week learning opportunity. As a member of the Helping Children Thrive group on the Breath of Life team I have the opportunity to bring a child and youth work perspective to an inter-professional team.


We are less than a week away from boarding the airplane. Surreal is the only word I can think of to describe my thoughts at this moment. For the last 6 months I have been fundraising, planning and preparing for this trip but up until now it seemed more like a school project where we imagine and plan a program than an actual project. My excitement and anxiety are all bundled into one new emotion. I am leaving behind three children and a very supportive partner. The journey that I am about to embrace is beyond my imagination. I know that my preparation will have been inadequate and that I will just have to jump into the unknown and be as flexible as water.  The entire faculty involved has been so supportive and encouraging which has definitely helped to calm my nerves. The Child and Youth Work program encourages us to step outside our comfort zone. At this point I can no longer even see my comfort zone.


Sarah

Wednesday, 4 June 2014

Now I'm ready(?)

After over a year of planning and training, the last few days before we leave is no less stressful. Packing bags (what to take, how much to take), ensuring our supplies arrive on time, and spending as much time as possible with family.
But after all of that, yes, I am very excited. This is a trip that I would never have imagined doing. A true bucket list item.
Curtis