Caravan Day 1-smiles galore

We've had some changes from previous CACHA caravans to consider as we were seeing only women and children and providing HIV testing and administering a survey looking at our client demographic and HIV knowledge. Monday started off slowly with women and children trickling through from 8:30 am. The slow start was great as we were able to get our feet wet. Marietha Moshi, on of my favorite translators from last year’s caravan said, ‘do not worry, Dr. Karen, the women will come, they will send their brave friends here to see what this is all about. They will come in larger numbers on Wednesday, you will see.’ All told, we saw 174 women and kids the first day!! We performed 88 HIV tests and had a 15.7% prevalence rate (the Tanzanian rate cited by the government is 6-7%!). There is something special about bringing women together and providing a safe environment that leads to a greater willingness to be tested. The government here has had a powerful campaign about ‘knowing your status’ and I think that has been very successful. That being said, very few women are even willing to look at the condoms that we are trying to give out!! They look down, say no, giggle….we clearly have an uphill battle….

Tuesday orientation
We had a ‘down day’ today that was still quite exhausting. We went to the center for 10am and met with Mama Agnes Urasa who spoke to us about the social welfare system and what they ‘try’ to do for those in need. She is an excellent speaker and truly dedicated to her job. She is also the chairperson for KIWAKUKKI. KIWAKUKKI is an amazing organization that was founded in the early nineties by women who wanted to learn more about HIV and help to prevent spread. They now have a number of programs whereby they can support people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA’s) in their homes with home-based care. They provide financial support to mothers with HIV with assistance with school fees. They have a small office in town staffed by volunteers where people can seek information and receive testing. They do community outreach and education. They are mainly volunteer based with HIV positive and non HIV positive members providing support. After that we broke into groups and worked with the translators to make up health information sheets in Kiswahili that we will hopefully have finished by next week. We’ll keep copies on file for use within the center and future CACHA caravans. Our topics include reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, nutrition, fatigue(anemia/TB?HIV), malaria, tuberculosis, diarrhea, dehydration, alcohol abuse, grief, menopause and others. We realize the literacy rate is low but we have tried to keep them at an elementary school to early high school level. Health information is hard to find here and many people know very little about their bodies. Through health education we hope to empower women further. Understanding your body and how it works is something that we tend to take for granted (especially working in the health care field).

Anonymous thoughts from the volunteers…
1. ‘My first day was incredible and eye opening. The first case was so sad to me as an elderly woman said she could not afford her medicine and she had HIV. She and I fought back tears as she spoke. As the day went on there were many interesting stories to hear. Some people came to get a check up. The children were beautiful and the women so kind. I am so happy to be part of this fantastic team….
2. ‘What a wonderful way to experience Tanzania. The women’s centre is a beautiful place with terrific ‘grounds’. The food is delicious! It is a privledge to have women share their concerns with us and it is fun to work with a local translator.’
3. ‘My impressions of the first day include sore feet, swollen legs and the man ‘asante sanas’ (thank you very much). Tanzania is beautiful, green, and poor.’
4. ‘An incredible accomplishment from the first creation. The women and families of Moshi will be enriched for years to come. An honor..’
5. ‘This is a whole world away from pediatric emergency care in Canada. I am humbled at the things that women live with here..’
6. ‘I made it ! And I am not talking about the 28 hour flight but the 11 years of my African dream. Finally I did something about it and my first day at the women’s center when this little boy gave me a hug and said ‘asante’, thank you so much to you little guy. So far I am still trying to take it all in, I know the experience will be life changing and I want to enjoy every minute of it. Asante sana Karen for your amazing inspiration..’
7. The first day, a little apprehensive not knowing what to expect! It was great. The smiles on the kids faces when we gave them a sticker on their hand was a reward for a job well done.
8. ‘The mission is amazing…the medical clinic days are the heart and soul of the compassion that I had hoped to be part of..’
9. 'This was one of the happiest days of my life. Just being a part of helping the women and children and even some dads...such an overwhelming feeling. They are very appreciative and are happy...I am so proud to be here!'