Newsletter

DECEMBER 2011 - JANUARY 2012

 HABARI GANI (“What news” in Swahili)

A Newsletter by Priscilla and Henry Ziegler (Tanzania)

         

In February, we will be going again to Tanzania for two weeks.  This time 10 members of our congregation at Church of the Holy Cross (Dunn Loring, Virginia) will be going with us.  They have many talents and will be doing things such as painting and repairing the health center, improving the grounds at the Women and Children’s Centre, and updating the accounting.

 

Women and Children’s Centre

It is open.  We officially have a Women and Children’s centre and so the first hospital building is completed. Thanks to the prayers of many, the United Thank Offering grant, and a lot of work by the Tanzanian team, the St. James Anglican Hospital site now has electricity and water.  This building will become the obstetrical ward building in the future. Right now it is the site for all of our well women and child care: well child visits, prenatal care, postnatal care, family planning, and HIV counseling and testing services for women.  The photos below were taken by Dr. Chilowaka, our Community Health Director) at the new building.  The child on the left is being weighed and the waiting area is pictured below. 

    

 

We have nearly finished the planning and approvals necessary to start the surgical building. The remainder of the United Thank Offering money will pay for at least the slab, roof and outer walls. We are applying for other grants to finish this building. When it is open, the obstetrical ward building will have room to do four deliveries at one time.  With two operating rooms, the surgical building will allow two operations to occur at one time and will have a four-bed post operation area. Most of the operations will be C-sections for high-risk women; although we will also be doing other operations, especially gynecological surgery.

 

As a step towards this, we now have an obstetrician-gynecologist coming once a week to see women with gynecological problems. Thanks to a gift from a British donor, we have been able to get a gynecology examination table for her as well as a second delivery bed for our current delivery area at the health center.

 

Patients at the health center

 

Text Box: This is a very happy couple with their first baby – born at the health centre.  They were delighted to have photos of themselves and their infant. Having a safe, clean delivery for both mothers and their babies is a major priority of the Buguruni Anglican Health Centre as we seek to expand as St. James Anglican Hospital with an emphasis on women and children.  Tanzania is one of the countries in the world with the highest percentage of deaths among newborns and their mothers. Description: C:\Users\Owner\Pictures\Oct 11 baby and pregt mother\DSC01864.JPG

The man and woman pictured below on the left were treated at the health centre for severe malaria.  As we have told you before, this is the most common reason for admission.

 

Description: C:\Users\Owner\Pictures\Oct 29 Tanz pictures\DSC01887.JPG            

 

The patient on the right is a 23-year-old who came in semi-comatose, with swelling of the legs, malaria, and mild anemia. Her HIV test was negative and we treated her for malaria. We were not able to evaluate her kidney function since there was no money for the reagents for the chemistry machine.  Money has to first go to medicines and salaries. It is little things such as this that further donations can help pay for. She lived far away and so we kept her an additional day as charity care since she was out of money.  She left somewhat improved with a thankful mother.

 

   

 

The child on the left above was treated for vomiting and diarrhea. We are more and more going to oral rehydration salts for these children since it prevents the cost and risks of intravenous fluids. In young babies and children, it is easy to fluid overload them.  On the right is a baby who was treated as an outpatient for an infection of his umbilicus (belly button).

 

           

On the left above is a six month twin admitted for treatment of pneumonia. Interestingly, the other twin was totally healthy as the picture with the father shows.

 

Donations

Yes, we are always asking for donations but we believe in what is being accomplished in Dar es Salaam. 

Please consider giving to the Tanzania program. We are now using our church in Virginia as one of two accounts for donations.  If you are sending a check, send the donation to:

 

Holy Cross Episcopal Church  2455 Gallows Rd.
Dunn Loring, VA 22027      or

  Margaret’s Episcopal Church 4228 Factoria Blvd. SE
  Bellevue, WA  98006

                                      

                                                 

Write “Tanzania Program” on the check so that the money goes to the mission program.  As both churches are non-profits (501C3), any donations sent to the church are tax deductible.  If you want to designate what the donation is to be used for, please do so.

 

Please continue to pray for the health programs in Tanzania. 

 

May God Bless All of Us,

 

               Henry and Priscilla

 

 

P.S.  Just so you understand how far donations go in the health centre, the following are some approximate costs:

  • $0.80 pays for a doctor’s visit.
  • $2.00 pays for HIV counseling and testing.
  • $5.00 pays for a visit for malaria – including lab tests and medication.
  • $6.00 pays for a medical visit of an AIDS patient – including lab tests and medication.
  • $8.00 pays for a circumcision to help prevent AIDS.
  • $20.00 pays for an inpatient stay for malaria, pneumonia, or another severe illness.
  • $100 pays to support a home care patient for one year – including social support, medications, and medical supplies.  (We really need money for this program.)
  • $100 pays for health care and school uniforms and supplies for a year for an AIDS orphan

 

 

Text Box: Children carrying water in a village in Tanzania.