Shida is doing well and remains with Matron at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre where she awaits more surgery on her  eye.  There is a slim chance that this could happen on Friday but it will more likely be next week. Her second operation will be more complex than the first one and we hope this will go well.  Children come from all over Tanzania to have eye surgery here and the hospital is very busy.

Meanwhile Shida is already happy with her  improved vision and that she is being well cared for by the hospital and Leah, Matron of Mayega Children’s Centre.

Leah  travelled to Moshi expecting that they would remain there for 3 or 4 days but we now expect the trip to last up to three weeks!

She is busy with the practicalities of looking after a hospital patient . In Tanzania food is not provided by the hospitals and usually relatives or friends  bring food , clean clothes and provide care.

Leah provides Shida with much more than that though. She could not ask for a more loving individual to care for her .

Treats for the children at Mayega Children’s Centre are exactly that. Not goodies to be enjoyed every day or two but just every so often. The bulk food shop is a case in point. Food is transported the 85 miles from Mwanza to Mayega every four months. These are staples – rice, maize meal, cooking oil, sugar and wheat flour plus non-food items. However, one of our suppliers, Mama Lucy, always adds in sweets for the children and this time it was lollypops. A kind gesture, much enjoyed and appreciated by all at Mayega – young and old!

When the lorry arrives it is all hands on deck. Large or small there is something for everyone to offload and get safely into the storeroom. Having four months supply of food is a  great reassurance to the children, who have experienced hunger in their early lives. With the garden in production, eggs from our hens and other fresh food bought locally, the children are thriving.

Special mention must be made of volunteers Arnold and Valerie Barrow, their family, friends and supporters,  whose generosity has once again paid for the bulk food shop. How wonderful is that!

The doctors are happy with Shida’s first cataract removal operation and more importantly Shida is very happy herself.

She is already reporting improved vision. A decision will be made tomorrow whether to operate on her other eye or give her more time to recuperate. Either way Shida feels that she is in safe hands and has been joking with Rev Deuli and Matron.

Mount Kilimanjaro has been shrouded in clouds but Shida is hoping that she will be able to see it. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

Matron is complaining that it is much colder in Moshi. Night time temperatures have been between 19 and 21 degrees and daytime up to 27.  Mayega is much warmer.

Shida has been seen by the doctors at the KCMC Hospital, in KIlimanjaro and they have confirmed she needs surgery on both eyes followed by further surgery in a few weeks time. She has been admitted to the hospital and it is hoped the surgery will take place on Wednesday 30th May. Shida is in good spirits and seems to be enjoying all the attention she is receiving.

Unfortunately the government sponsored programme to provide free surgery for children like Shida has now closed and I received an urgent call from Rev Deuli requesting funds to pay the hospital. Matron has negotiated a reduced rate due the circumstances and the money from Busega Scotland has been sent by Mpesa. This is a system where money is sent by mobile phone credit and the recipient cashes it out at one of the many mobile phone outlets. This system of money transfer works well where few people have access to bank accounts.

The Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre , founded just after Tanganyika independence from British rule is one of the four Zonal Referral Hospitals in Tanzania. The Ophthalmology Department consists of three units, namely the Eye Clinic, Eye Ward and Eye Operating Theatre. It is staffed by six ophthalmologists, 12 ophthalmology residents, two assistant medical officers ophthalmology, 15 AMOO trainees, 25 nurses, five optometrists and 15 medical attendants.

“The paediatric ophthalmology service is one of three in the country, the other two being in the capital city of Dar es Salaam. Most of the blinding childhood eye diseases in the northern part of Tanzania are treated at the department or not treated at all. In 2012, some 4642 children received eye health care at KCMC, forming 19% of the patient body. Because of the imperative nature of early intervention in childhood blinding diseases, the KCMC paediatric ophthalmology team also provides these essential services to Mwanza Region and its surrounding areas, which lacks these services altogether”. (Tanzania Eye Health Care Forum)

Shida is 9 years old and is the latest child to move to the Mayega Children’s Centre. All children joining the centre are seen by the government medical officer immediately prior to admission as per Tanzanian child care regulations. The M.O. quickly diagnosed childhood cataracts as the reason for her blindness in one eye and impaired vision in the other.

A quick referral to KCMC hospital by the doctor means that today Shida is travelling with Matron to Moshi where it is hoped she will have cataract surgery in the next few days. The surgery will be carried out free of charge as part of a government sponsored programme. We hope this  journey will stabilise her sight and bring some improvements.

Shida seems to be coping well with the sudden changes in her life. She was placed at Mayega Children’s Centre by the Busega Social Welfare Department last Thursday, as she was in need of a place of safety. Local villagers raised concerns about her condition and district officials moved quickly to help her.

The other children have already accepted her and include her in everything

Shida’s journey from Mayega began yesterday travelling to Mwanza for an overnight stay in order to catch a long distance bus this morning to Moshi. This is a 14 hour bus journey across the Serengeti. We hope all goes well for her.

Busega Scotland funded the first year of the Chole health insurance scheme, in partnership with Bukumbi Hospital. The premiums were up for renewal in May and the women of Chole Group 1 had to decide whether to continue the scheme or not. The plan was for the women to pay 50% and our partner NGO, CODEHDAF, the other 50% and the group had been saving to meet the cost through its vicoba (credit union or informal bank). But still, a decision had to be made – was the health insurance value for money? The answer – a resounding yes, as all 28 families opted to continue.

The insurance scheme was linked to health education and screening for common infectious diseases. This work has now been completed and the testing has shown the most prevalent diseases to be schistosomiasis and hookworm. The link to the health insurance was most helpful, as all infected people received free treatment at Bukumbi. One aim of the Chole programme is to improve the health status of the families, with the consequent benefit to their prosperity. In Africa, sub-clinical infections are debilitating to communities, who tend not to seek treatment early due to costs – that then becomes a vicious circle, that we are trying to break.

Another aspect of the Chole project has not found favour with the women. A bio-sand water filter was installed on a trial basis but the taste of the water was a problem and the slow flow rate. An offer to part fund the installation of filters in all of the projects 63 families was rejected and will not go ahead. This is always a risk in community work, when the real power and decision making rests with the people. Africa is littered with expensive, failed projects imposed from outside without proper consultation, testing and local acceptance. We haven’t made that mistake in Chole.

Christina

Whether you are the youngest entrant to our Moving-on Project or left Mayega Children’s Centre many years ago, the challenges facing our young people in the city are considerable. Mayega is the most calm and rural of settings and Mwanza is a fast growing and vibrant place. Making the transition and a life for yourself there is tough.

Christina was unable to progress to secondary education at the end of last year and unexpectedly joined the Moving-on Project. We have a particular responsibility given her young age. She was enrolled part-time at Nyakato College in a tailoring course, and lives with our older girls Kabula, Ester and Monica. All was looking good but Christina has found having time on her hands a bit difficult. Not unusual for a teenager but a productive outlet in her free time had to be found. A quick negotiation with a tailoring shop opposite Busega Scotland’s office has led to a work experience placement. Christina is now a very busy young person – work in the morning and college in the afternoon. Challenging.

Zabron and Christine

John and Christine first met Zabron in 2014, when he had already left the Children’s Centre. He was training for work in Mwanza’a hotel trade and after a couple of false starts has settled into a job as a chef in a hotel near the Nyegezi bus stand. It is a busy establishment, catering for passengers catching long distance coaches to Dar es Salaam and Dodoma. The hours are long and the pay less than it should be. To Zabron’s great credit he has stuck at it and it is a highlight of any trip to meet up for a ‘news’. He has a real interest in his ‘family’ back at Mayega. We heard that another of Mayega’s older graduates, Zawadi, who is married and lives in Busega, has just had her second child. Good luck to Zabron and Zawadi, as they go forward and make lives for themselves.

The work of Busega Scotland has been officially recognised by local and central government in Tanzania. In the evening before leaving Mwanza, John and Christine were presented with a framed Appreciation Note signed by Anderson N. Kabuko, the Executive Director of Busega District Council, and the Hon. Tano S. Mwela, District Commissioner for Busega, who is the President’s local representative.

The certificate was presented by Ernesto Damiano, the Headteacher of Mayega Primary School and a very prominent supporter and  partner of Busega Scotland. So determined was Ernesto to make the presentation he arrived in Mwanza at 9.15pm, on public transport from Busega District Council Headquarters in Nyashimo, a distance of about 70 miles! The certificate says:

‘We appreciate the help of Busega Scotland in improving Social Services at Mayega Village in the Busega District Council Area’.

John and Christine are keen to point out that the improvements are a result of teamwork between the charity and our many Tanzanian colleagues. However, the certificate does represent the close links and excellent working relationships that have been established, just as it should be.

Ernesto also had a gift for Christine and John from Mayega Primary School; a piece of colourful African cloth that can be made into a matching blouse and shirt on the Carneys next visit to Tanzania. Busega Scotland has been facilitating links between the Mayega school and Lhanbryde Primary School in Moray.

John and Christine left for home feeling very happy indeed!

Members of the Rotary Club of Mwanza made a visit to Mayega Children’s Centre on 20^th May, to see for themselves what the Centre offers the children. John, Christine and Arnold Barrow have attended a number of the Club’s meetings over the last year or so, at the New Mwanza Hotel on Tuesday evenings. These visits have built up relationships, and developed the understanding of what Busega Scotland is and what the Mayega does.

Rotary then floated the idea of the visit, to hopefully inspire the Club to become committed to supporting the Centre. The four travelling members received a very warm welcome from children and staff and a guided tour from Christine. The impact? The Rotarians were impressed by the caring environment and the vitality of the children, but realised much still needs to be done to further improve Mayega’s facilities.

We are delighted to say that at a follow-up meeting on 22^nd May, Mwanza Rotary Club committed to helping the Centre for the foreseeable future. They are interested in our plans to improve sanitation and have already sounded out contacts to donate materials. Getting things in place will take a little time, but we thank our new colleagues most sincerely and it is so heartening to be getting even more support from the Tanzanian community.