St. Benedict's Hospital Ndanda in Tanzania

HISTORY of St. Benedict's Hospital Ndanda:

The History of St. Benedict’s Hospital Ndanda can well be traced Soon after the Maji-Maji Upraising against the Germany colonial occupation in which all mission stations in southern German East Africa (Tanganyika) were destroyed, the missionary Benedictine Congregation of Ottilien, Germany, decided to set up a new mission station which would become the central Mission station for South Eastern Area of the country.



On the 15th August 1906, a mission cross was planted at Ndanda for the new station. Soon after the arrival of the Benedictine Monks of St. Ottilien, the Missionary Sisters of the Congregation of Tutzing (Germany) also came to Ndanda in 1908.

These Sisters started to care for the sick. Therefore they set up a small hospital in Ndanda.

The first world war (1914-1918) affected Ndanda in 1917 and this was in Nyangao 40 km from Ndanda, killing 3000 soldiers and wounding 8000. So during these days of the war the hospital was serving as a Military Hospital.

The Allied forces fighting then forced the congregations to leave the country which stalled life in Ndanda. However in 1920 Swiss members of the congregation were allowed to return and work picked up again.







In 1926, the Old hospital was demolished and a new one constructed and opened in 1927 which still serves as First Grade Ward (ward 12) at the hospital. 1027 marked the arrival of Sr. Dr. Thecla Stinnesbeck who served the community for 35 years and opened 23 health facilities in the region including the now present hospital at Nyangao and Mnero.


When Dr. Thecla came, she Immediately started training local citizens in Tanganyika and hence the opening of the Dispenser School in 1930.

In this training school, midwives were trained but it was short lived due to the start of the Second world war in 1940 , which stalled work in Ndanda and forced the Missionaries out of the country.

Training staff in stock management

Developments at the Hospital:

After world war two these people came back and started training the locals again, where midwives and B-nurses were trained and passed out. Since 1994 the Ndanda school Nursing and Midwifery trains and passes out Diploma Nurses and Midwifes. This school is integrated in the St. Benedict’s Hospital and still occupies its accommodation built in 1965 in the compound of the hospital.



Ndanda School of Nursing and Midwifery:

Started by Sr. Teckla Stinnesbeck OSB in 1930, and closed again in 1939 during the second world war, the nursing school introduced an 18months village course for midwives and it was recognised and authorised by Ministry of health in 1950. In 1994 a Diploma course in Nursing was started. Qualifying state nursing examination was conducted in July 2007, and our 10th group of Nursing course had their final examination.

Having a mix of experiences and expertise in different fields, this blends well with the health trainers need of our time. And this has been evidenced by the quality of nurses that go through the school.

Our students have been employed by governments, Volunteers health organisations and Ndanda Hospital.



School of Nursing and Midwifery

Andy Torres Jr (VSO LAb technologist using our computer centre in the Nursing school)

In 1970 a new Hospital building was opened followed by many including the very new Theatre complex opened in 2004 and the VCT/CTC building opened August 2007.


Beds:

The Hospital having grown from no bed to 103 beds in 1945, had developed and has 300 official beds today.


The MCH Services:


Having the best and biggest facility in region,This has given mothers a comfortable place For having their new born babies. 3– wards Are allocated for only these mothers i.e. Anti-natal, Labour, and post-natal. With routine professional staff under the Command of a Nurse in-charge make Ndanda the right place to have your God given gift.

We have patient monitoring equipment, Which tells us how many babies have been Born on an hourly basis. Doublers, MVA Machines, Oxygen concentrators for what is Known as asphyxiated babied and other machinery like the suction machine. With power not being a problem though in a remote place, we have had referrals from the nearby hospitals that are disturbed by the same.

Dispensaries

In order to serve its clients well the hospital has opened two satellite Dispensaries, at Nangoo which was opened in 1987 and Chikundi Dispensary built in 1995.

Other Developments:

· 12 First Aid stations have been established between 1980 and 1993 to bring health care services nearer to the masses in the catchment area.
· Since 1986, the hospital has embraced primary healthcare where it runs primary healthcare and community based healthcare programmes in 24 villages. These activities vary from school health Education activities, follow up on traditional birth attendants, prevention of blindness programmes , to mobile mother to child healthcare and immunisation outreaches.
And so has been Ndanda St. Benedict’s Hospital.


As mentioned in the developments of the hospital, the hospital has developed from no bed to having 300 official beds to date. And this is due to the various services that the hospital offers to the patients. And among these they include the following departments.

1. The general Outpatient Unit
2. The private Outpatient Section
3. RCH-Clinic
4. The Tuberculosis Unit (referral centre)
5. Paediatric Unit
6. Isolation Unit
7. Physiotherapeutic Unit
8. Maternity
9. The major operation Theatre Complex
10. Fully Fledged Pharmacy
11. Dental clinic
12. Eye Clinic
13. Blood transfusion Services Unit
14. Laboratory
15. X-ray Department
16. Clinical Pastoral Social Unit
17. Nurses and Midwifery Training School
18. Ophthalmic Unit.

On the 1st of September 2005, the Hospital officially started Care and Treatment services to HIV-infected patients, by distribution of Anti-retroviral drugs (ARV’s). The possibility for people to receive treatment and prolong their lives, has had a very positive effect on the acceptance of the disease, and the reduction of stigma and discrimination. People are more willing to get tested for HIV, and to disclose their status.

Dental Clinic:

Being Under command of another Qualified Dentist Sr. Gemma Masawe, being assisted by other dental staff , we offer services e.g Oral heath education, Oral health Instructions, Emergence Dental Treatment eg, Alveolar traumas. Restorative Dentistry: We do Non Surgical root canal treatment, Surgical root canal treatment ( orthograde and Retrograde)

Ndanda Hospital Care and Treatment Centre for PLWHA

This information is curtesy of Dr. Francijn Van Eeklen who worked as HIV programs coordinator for the centre for two years.

On the 1st of September 2005, the Hospital officially started Care and Treatment services to HIV-infected patients, by distribution of Anti-retroviral drugs (ARV’s).

The possibility for people to receive treatment and prolong their lives, has had a very positive effect on the acceptance of the disease, and the reduction of stigma and discrimination. People are more willing to get tested for HIV, and to disclose their status. People who were very ill, and who lost all hopes of life, are feeling healthy and strong again.

On 10th August 2007 the HIV services have been integrated into a new building, which was opened by the Regional Commissioner of Mtwara and blessed by the Catholic Bishop of Mtwara. With an enthusiastic and motivated team of counselors, clinicians and administrative staff, many patients are helped and given good quality HIV care and treatment.

The HIV services :

· Voluntary Counselling and Testing
· Care and Treatment
· Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission
· Sensitisation of Hospital staff and Traditional Healers and Traditional Birth Attendants


1) Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT)

The Hospital offers VCT services for more than 10 years.
Since the start of offering ARV’s (September ’05) the number of patients being counseled and tested has dramatically increased. The total number of patients tested in 2005 was 350. This is less than the number of patients currently tested monthly.

2) Care and Treatment
Patients are treated according to the Tanzanian NACP (link) guidelines.
HIV-patients start Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) when the immune defense has drastically fallen, or when they have symptoms of AIDS.

Once started, people will have to continue their medication for the rest of their lives – taking medication twice per day. If the first line drugs fail to work, due to resistance, the patient can switch to second-line drugs. Patients are frequently seen by a nurse-counselor or clinician: once per month or 2 months.

To check if the medication still works, the immune defense is measured 2x/year, by testing CD4. St. Benedict’s Hospital tests CD4 samples from other adjacent Hospitals and Health Centers in our state of the art Laboratory

First line drugs:
Stavudine, Zidovudine, Lamivudine, Nevirapine, Efavirenz

Second-line drugs:
Abacavir, Lopinavir/ritonavir, Didanosine


3) Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission:

Since June 2006, all pregnant women are tested for HIV, during antenatal care or delivery, unless they refuse (opt out system).

The Hospital provides medication for the HIV-positive pregnant woman, in order to reduce the chance of transmission of the virus to the child. The child can become infected during pregnancy (10%), labour (15%) and breastfeeding (10-15%). If no medication is given, there is a chance of 40% that the child becomes HIV-positive.

Since May 2008 the PMTCT regime has been strengthened by extending the duration and number of drugs, thereby reducing the chance of HIV-transmission to 10%!

The nurses at MCH and Maternity ward are very dedicated to their work, trying to prevent the disease from spreading to the next generation!

4) Sensitisation of Hospital staff and Traditional Healers and Traditional Birth Attendants

The Hospital finds it important that all staff have a good knowledge on HIV, how to protect themselves and to decrease stigma and discrimination of HIV-positive staff and patients. It conducted therefore an internal training (2007) for all hospital staff (300 people). This has resulted in more HIV-positive staff being open about their status, more staff willing to be tested, and better care of HIV-positive patients.

The VCT and CTC works hand in hand with the hospital’s Community and home based care and treatment.

Continuum of Care

The Hospital promotes a Continuum of Care for the HIV-patient – this means integrated care from Home to the Hospital.

There are strong links between the community HIV-project of Ndanda Parish “UZIMA” and the hospital.

UZIMA delivers Home Based Care and Prevention and Awareness Activities to villages surrounding the Hospital.
To read more about Home based care prevention and Awareness please click below:

· Home Based Care, Prevention and Awareness

Development Partners:

Our HIV services have been financially and materially supported by many donors:
· Global Fund
· Clinton Foundation ,
· Rapid Funding Envelope,

The programme delivered by the Hospital and Ndanda Parish in 2006-2008 has been acknowledged as a RFE Success Story
- Elisabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation
- Global Fund , Missio Aachen , Abbey Ndanda
Without their great support, we would never have been able to serve our patients as we do.

The Community Based Care Project (UZIMA Project):

Uzima means “Health, well-being”in Kiswahili which is taken as the national language in most East Africa Countries. The project was launched on 1st December 2006 on World AIDS Day as a result of close cooperation between the Hospital and the Roman Catholic Parish of Ndanda.

The Continuum of Care Programme covers Ndanda parish (20,000) in the diocese of Mtwara, plans to extend in 2009 to the adjacent parishes, thus covering a total population of 50,000 within two government wards.

Volunteers and patients reflect the population as a whole, which is fairly evenly balanced between Muslims and Christians. Uzima is a demonstration project for the diocese.

The Parish, with its long standing good relations with the Communities, was able to quickly mobilize village leaders and community members in support of two aims :


1) care and prevention of HIV AIDS. As a result people discovered their own strength in helping their communities. The first volunteers were trained and working by March 2007. The link with the village leaders continues with regular feedback and consultation on any developments.

Home Based Care

90 active volunteers care for nearly 500 patients with long term conditions, especially those with HIV AIDS. Training and ongoing supervision are provided by two nurse supervisors from the Hospital for the Continuum of Care. Treatment and nutrition support are provided for the most needy patients. For capacity building each village has a small Emergency Fund which volunteers priorities for other needs e.g. grass roofing. For 2009 there will be an enhanced focus on Most Vulnerable Children living with grandmothers or in extended families.

Prevention

18 volunteers trained in behavior change and drama support a range of activities:

Primary Schools: a two term programme of information and awareness, is followed by setting up a health club offering sport and other activities.

Secondary Schools and Vocational Training School: a 12 week course called Stepping Stones is provided on behavior change. This will be followed by HIV AIDS testing and setting up of a health club.

Village events: for all age groups, with information and drama, and HIV AIDS testing provided by Hospital CTC staff. Mobile outreach funding has made it possible to extend these activities into new villages within the planned area of expansion.

Other activities: seminars have been held for village leaders and all faiths represented in the locality on the basis of information giving and guidance on ‘What can you do?’ to prevent HIV AIDS.

Nearly 100 people living with HIV Aids (Tumaini group) were encouraged to speak out and provide their powerful testimony as part of preventing HIV AIDS in the region.

My Volunteer Experience

My Volunteer Experience:

Having worked with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) just before the start of my journey to volunteering, I had worked with volunteers who always came from the United States and Europe to come to our church and helped do different things related to business development, ICT, society enhancement, spiritual mentoring, education, orphanages and other such things.

This propelled my desire to one time give my skills without pay if only some organisation can enable me survive i.e. eat, have where I put my head (sleep), and once in a while communicate to my family, facilitate me give back something to the community. So this propelled me to use the internet to search for this organisation and this is when I landed on different volunteering organisations and one of them was VSO. My decision to volunteer with VSO was due to three reasons that made it different from other volunteer organisations above, and these were:

No subscription fees for volunteer placements
The placement assessments and selection process was detailed
The motivator was not money but the inner satisfaction that one gets when serving community.

So in searching through satellite offices and where VSO works I landed on VSO Jitolee which is the program and recruiting office of East Africa located in Nairobi, Kenya's capital but also had opened an office in Kampala in Muyenga near tank hill called VSO-Jitolee Uganda office.

I applied, was interviewed, screened, selected and well trained both in Uganda and Nairobi in Kenya where I was taken through Preparation for change, Wider role of a volunteer and other such life changing modules sharpening me to go there in the community and practice adoptability and flexibility in order not to succumb to cultural shocks and make sure I bring some tangible change and share my skills.

My Experience at my placement:

To cut everything short, it came the 29th of June 2009, very few days after celebrating my second daughter’s (Lyndsey Kisa. M) first birthday and I was flown to Tanzania where I was supposed to work in a Hospital South East of Tanzania near the Mozambique Border in order to help build capacity in HIV and Aids project financial management, and so St. Benedict’s Hospital Ndanda came into play.

For as long as it stayed from 1908, St. Benedict’s Hospital had never had a professional Accountant due to lack of funding to pay one and the lack of professional staff in Tanzania that want to work in remote areas like Ndanda as compared to up-north and Kilimanjaro areas and urban centres . It was the Administrator who handled Human resource management, Project fund raising, Welfare management, procurements and logistical management, Financial Accounting and attending both Administrative and Financial Workshops and seminars organised by both government and development partners.

This in any sense and by any measure would either make some one very tired if he/she tried to handle all of this or it would delay reporting and natural forgetfulness of some would-be important things to do, or inevitably an under performer however much he/she wanted to give his/her best.

After going through the In-Country and Swahili Language trainings in Dar Es Salaam and Morogoro respectively, being advanced two months allowance and given an equipment grant to make sure the financial part was addressed, the day came the 22nd of July and I was Flown to Mtwara down south to my placement. A Hospital car waited for us because we were four new Volunteers I, Andy Torres (Lab technologist from the phillipines), Rashi Chowdry (Social worker from India), Johanna Van Borgaard (Lab Technologist from the Netherlands). There were some VSO volunteers in the region and so company was assured. The likes of Diane Milan (UZIMA project coordinator a scortish from England -This a parish HIV and Aids community project), Dr. Neil Horlick (A gaenachologist from the United States), Dr. Francijn Van Eekelen (A Medical Doctor and the HIV and Aids Projects Coordinator for the Hospital from the Netherlands), Dr. Majid a Ugandan Doctor in Nyangao hospital, and many more.


Mr. Piet Hein Meckmann the Hospital Administrator whom I had communicated with while still in Uganda and with whom we were to share office, and responsibility was waiting for us that evening when we fell into things (dinner), organised by the already used-to-the place gallant VSO colleagues with facilitation from the Administrator. This was around 8pm in the night.

Every body’s house was organised, furnished and ready for the visitor, So was mine. A new house was given to me well furnished with a new fridge, Cooker, a Fixed telephone, warm water, very clean tapped water flowing from the Ndanda springs from the famous Makonde plateau of the 1990s, 24/7-Power supply, a laptop computer, beddings, flash toilet and Kitchen and dinning details.

Ndanda Tour:

In the morning we were driven around the village by the hospital Administrator in company of other VSO volunteers, where we were shown some prominent places like restaurants, Bars, markets, worship centres, post office, the bank, the lyprosy centre, the makonde plateau, the garage, furniture plant set up by the Germans, the Ndanda springs, Mwena bottling company which bottles the drinking water and all around the hospital.

Office:
Like you will note that 22nd July was Mid-week and so we rested, moved around and prepared for the first day in office on Monday. I was introduced to my colleagues in the administration office, management of the hospital and all that I needed to know.
I had a new computer, a very good office well connected to the internet and air-conditioned (what a thrill it was after thinking that I was going to work in a rural setting without electricity, computer and internet).

Since that time I have been offering what I think brought me to Tanzania and with the full support of the Administrator and the management of the Hospital, not-with-standing some challenges, I have seen things change for the better. Among the very tangible turning points are the following.

Like We Economists say, before you supply there should be some kind of demand and vice versa. I needed to know what the hospital had and after determine what it needed and how to get it and from where. So I started from Finances and so I knew all accounts and cash, I went to the Pharmacy and it was manned by a German pharmacist Suzan Held who showed me her drug dispensing demands and supplies, I went to assets including among others Fixed and current assets. Among the current assets was stock and we had four stores from where stock that flows to the hospital was sourced.

This was not in order. So this was my first assignment to make sure we put right the logistics, procurement and store management. In a nutshell we counted all stock (this took us four months-because this is a seven-in-one store in addition to other mini-stores. As I write this now, the management and staff of the hospital are proud of the stores and logistics management.

Since I went to Ndanda, the reporting systems (not withstanding the fact that there are vertical approaches and different reporting formats and requirements of nearly all partners of the hospital) have improved and we report on-time and we have been commended by Clinton Foundation, Global Fund, Rapid Funding Envelope, AMREF, and EGPAF for a good work well done and since then, they have been sending us different people from other areas to learn from us and this has been water to our souls.

Systems development is key coupled with consistency and accountability if one wants to talk about organisational development. This wasn’t the case before. Now with the support of the management and most so my direct boss Mr. Piet we have been able to build sustainable financial systems, Logistics management systems, Time management and HRM systems and this has only but produced lasting fruits.

I have been part and still is part of the Human resource development in the hospital. As Economists say “As well as Finance resource is the blood, Time resource being the brain, Human resource is the back-borne of the Organisation…” I carried out a needs assessment in the hospital and very many things came up, but of the issues that came out was lack of trainings. So I have with the support of the management carried out trainings in Stock and stores management, financial practices and Computers.

After all the capacity that we are building, we have purchased a lincence of one of the best Hospital Financial accounting, payroll management, Stock and supplies management, patient cencus management software called VISION Accounting, which is developed by Exact Software. This is rolling out from the Administration, to the cash points and now we are building the pharmacy database with Help from our proffesional ICT personnel headed by a Swiss ICT specialist from INTERTEAM called Elias with help from Joseph Kidando our ICT staff, After which we are to roll it out to that stores and I can wait what will happen when all the hospital is "wired".

Personal developments:

Using my Allowances and grants I have been able to enrol for Masters program in Community Economic Development of Open University – which has a study centre in Mtwara. I planned and financially evaluated the degree and its payment terms and I saw that if I can save 100,000 Tshs, I have 1.2 Million a year and coupled with advances from my end of service and Mid service grants I can be able to pay for a master degree of 2.4 Million a year. It’s a sacrifice but remember what success any one get without sacrifice?

I have used my skills to create a blog online and talk about Tanzania, St. Benedict’s Hospital and my service to the community and this has been search engine optimised to the extent that when you google and type in St. benedict’s Hospital Tanzania, my blog will be No.1 on the first page.

I have built a website for the Hospital, Using the SWOT analysis, They say “ Use your strengths and Opportunities to Address your Weaknesses and Threats …” So having worked with the leading website company in Uganda in the early years of my career, a domain name is key to having online presence. And St. Benedict’s Hospital has http://www.ndanda.net/ from which we have our web mail, so I built a website which I submitted to management for scrutiny and then we shall upload it to our domain which is hosted in Canada.

During my stay I have organised pool table competitions to send a message of change to the youths in Ndanda. Here youth play pool table, eat oranges (4-per participant) , drink a soda, winners get 10,000 and a T-shirt with write ups like “Mpizani”
“Bingwa wa pool mwezi wa saba”, all T-shirts with VSO and HIV write ups.

I have drafted a youth sensitisation plan and this is through the sport I like called pool table. I am to send this to VSO for funding because the ribbon fund is available for such ventures so said the my country director and emphasised by Chris Batista my Program manager.

I experienced and Practiced detailed and complex project Accounting and management, Cost centre accounting, learnt two new accounting software called Banana Accounting and another one Vision Accounts created by Exact software.

Challenges:

In all this I have had challenges on my way: And among them are the following:

I miss my family in a way I have never thought possible. (It hurts if your very daughter calls you uncle when you go back to see them in Uganda). This has limited my opposite sex relations because people leaving hospital at 3pm in the afternoon till tomorrow morning they are just sitted and wanting to know whom Humphrey is hanging out with and where he goes after office.

The difference between the studied Swahili, the spoken and what is refered to as “kiswahili cha Mtaani-swahili of the street” so there is always a language and so a communication gap, now that nearly all my staff from government, management downwards, the mode of communication both in class, office and meetings is Kiswahili.

People not speaking the truth. Here people don’t want or have grown not knowing to speak the truth and other cultural shocks.

Over expectations from the people here including me funding their families, from feeding , clothing and paying school fees for their children.

No church of my denomination, its either catholic, Moslem or protestants.

The Slowness and the sluggish nature of people here. I have a thinking that they think they are here to stay and time is always available to do what they think

Lack of enough funding for the implementation of the health plan of the hospital even after being the best hospital in Southern Region, we still have no funding to help implement our plans.

The vertical approach and different reporting systems of the development partners Vs. the Horizontal approach of the hospital programs

Staff scarcity coupled with low education of the present ones, and lack of the reading and learning culture of my community.

What has helped me.

Have a positive thinking and open mind

Get busy but creating time for yourself

Effectively communicate: VSO to volunteer, volunteer to volunteer, you and the organisation.

Study the organisation and when suggesting changes, don’t force the organisation change and don’t fight a system, but identify your entry point by suggesting a change and suggesting an affordable way to achieve it.

Always be part of the solution and always be a person of your word and don’t wither.

Go to the community and don’t wait for the community to come to you. You should accept the community before it accepts you.

Isolation, bossy nature and money motivated lives don’t foster the spirit of volunteering-Something else like having brought about positive change should motivate you.

Run away from over spending, over borrowing and making promises that you can’t fulfil ranging from funding to scholarships and non-life giving relationships.


All in all with all the support from my family, VSO Uganda and Tanzania, coupled with Administration and management here, I survived and flown above the challenges. These have cushioned my fall whenever it happens and I hope to sour even more.

God Bless You all.
Humphrey Mutaasa
Financial Accountant
St. Benedict’s Hospital

Serving the Community

hey comrades;

I am glad to note that we are now serving the communities around Mtwara region with the best health care services in the region.

We have a UZIMA project in Ndanda which is te HIV community based care project of the St. Benedictine Sisters. I in my office I facilitate the activities of the project and obviously report to the different project donors every when they need the report.

Its fun though challenging to deal with Donors that are vertical in a way and you are Horizontal in a way of operation. But we have managed.

In the three monts I have been here we have carried out several capacity building in Financial, Systems set up, Implementation and analysis, Logistics and procurement procedures, Stores and Inventory management, and Paitients' information management.

We are now at a stage of developing a Financial and asdministrative Manual. pray for us.....

This is me in My office. and a few pics of the laboratory

Watch this space

Now Full Hospital Accountant

Hey

Been so long since

However we are fine and well hapa Ndanda. I have settled and now setting up systems and enjoying my new accomodation, new PC, internet in my house and all other descent particulars in my flat.

These are some of my pics while in Ndanda.

In Ndanda- St Benedict's Hospital

Hi Friends , How has been Long since you were here;

Life has started to have meaning here in Ndanda.

I am helped by the Administrator Mr. piet and Dr. francijn both from the Ntherlands to get whatever I need to make my placement a success.

Please I will have to be updating you on other things but for now look at these Pictures.

My Palacement

When I heard the news from an email that I havebeen selected to be the Hospital Accountant of a tanzanian based Hospital near Mozambique. It was good news though shoking at the same time.
I had read little about St. benedict's sisters and the Hospital in the far south of the biggest East African country TZ.
I am here having been catered for both VSo Jitolee based in Nairobi through the preparing for hange (PFC) , Wider Role of a volunteer handled well by the facilitators headed by Mr. Ndolo. and aging consultant of strategic planning and management. VSo tanzania has done well in paying for Airtickets all over the place, meals and dinner-outs while on the one week In-country training which was well handled by the different project managers including among others Chris (HIV & Aids), douglas (Secure livelihoods), and others. this ICT was being organised by Allan from Britain and a volunteer from Zanzibar assisted by a volunteer from Dar. VSO TZ went on paying for swahili language training in morogoro, where we had fun and knowledge in swahili. this is where I saw people go out and try to speak swahili in the market place, in the hospital, in the schools, in IT centers and children for those who were supporsed to be working with children. We had the opportunity to climb the morogoro mountains with the group, headed by mwalimu benjamin who was the training manager of the facilitators from "Kiswahi na Utamaduni language centre", we went to Mikumi safari where we saw all kinds of Animals ranging from giraffs to elephants, zebras and bears, hipos and many more.
I have had very home reaching company from a hungarian lady called Rita and other friends like John from UK , Liz from Australia (chizi-meaning crazy), mary-anne from the philipines, Lisenka from Holand and many more.
Madam Vera the office manager and the staff at the VSO TZ office make life working for the communities easy here in tanzania.
Funny: We were given all gears ranging from water filters, mosquito nets, Dictionaries of swahili, female and male condoms and many more things by the galant VSO office in TZ.
Reaching my placement,
It was not easy leaving friends and separating from all the company but we had to part ways because it was time to serve the community now that we have swahili, kowledge of the dos and donts, cultural norms and other things. People cried but the bond had to broken by time to start work. people that I will not mention names had to heeeeeeee......
Anyhow Tuesday 22nd came amd we left Dar for Mtwara. these airtickets were paid for by VSO TZ. On reaching the Airport , we were welcomed by a happy staff from the Hospital who had waited for us since 3:00pm and it was 6:00pm, this was due to the changes in flights. A landrover driven by a speed driver who drove for only 2and ahalf hours and there we were welcomed to a dinner by the VSO volunteers in the same hospital. these included the Hospital Administrator Piet, Diane who will be working at the UZIMA Aids project with rashmi-the new indian vol with whome we came, Dr. Fransaijn a dutch vol, Pits Wife, and we had real english food.
Not forgeting, We were many but only 4 volunteers went to mtwara region including; Me as St. benedicts Hospital Accountant, Rashmi for the UZIMA project, Andy as Lab technologist, and Johanne from holland as lad tecnologist of a different hospital called Ligula in mtwara town.
After dinner:
We were allocated our houses, ha ha ha these are houses not rooms and chubicles, I will talk about mine: I was given a new house with ; Kitchen, fridge, cooker, capboards, cutterly, sourcepans, ha ha ha , telling you. Sitting room, dinning table with chairs, tailed , clean and ventilated well to make sure I rest when I leave office.
Bedroom with everything, rest rooms that are clean and really rest rooms not bother rooms.
Welcomed and driven in the evening by the Admin himself around Ndanda, showing us the hills and the water systems of Ndanda, forests and other attractions in the place, estates and eating places, this was in the company of Dr. fransaijn and Daine.
SO went wedsady. thursday we were walked around the hospital departments which took us half the day because of the size of the hospital, by the Admin and Sis. felister who is one of the Admin staff here. I was given and office and a nice flat screen computer monitor waiting for me to command it to do work, Internet connection is available for the Accountant to use though he has t make sure he accounts for every time taken, not just using, because its a satelight connection which is expensive.
I will tell more and show you pics of what is and was in ndanda markets, the daladala experiance, how we cook, and survive in ndanda.

Just keep checking here.