Pictures from the Clinic

This is the clinic, a beautiful courtyard sits in the middle of it.

Henry and Priscilla Zeigler who are missionaries with the Anglican Church here and Dr. Maxwell

Working At The Clinic

Danny has been busy working at the clinic, doing rounds with the Tanzania doctors, seeing how the lab and pharmacy operate, delivering a baby in a taxi outside of the clinic, and building relationships.  He is going to be the guest lecturer on head trauma at the government hospital down the street.  

Kathy has been working in the clinic registration office with Martha and Joyce, who are very patient in helping with the Swahili language barrier.  We share in prayers with the nurses and doctors before the clinic day gets started.  

We have been out exploring Dar es Salaam, too.  Riding on the dala dala, a mini bus of sorts with 30 or so of our closest friends, registering at the US Embassy, worshiping at St. Albans Anglican Church, eating goat, mishkaki, chips/french fries, fish, and much more.  We are going to go on a mini safari this weekend with one of the Tanzanian doctors and his family.  We should have some photos to share after that!  

Some pictures of the HIV testing event

Happiness, the coordinator of the HIV testing program, talking to the crowd at the beginning of the event explaining the procedures and answering questions. 

A man dancing, changing and promoting the need for HIV testing. 

Children at the HIV Testing event with HIV information pamphlets. UKIMWI is HIV in Swahili. 

HIV TESTING COMMUNITY EVENT

Yesterday I went out with Matt and the team of HIVAIDS (UKIMWI is the Swahili word for HIV) workers to do testing in the community.  It was amazing.  It was like a block party, there was music, dancing, free pop to people who were tested, people singing and dancing about the importance of being tested, knowing your status, and not stigmitizing people who test positive.  It was powerful.  A real celebration of life and not a death sentence.  For the long term, the clinic has medicine available, counseling, and support groups.   On site yesterday people would walk in, give their name and recieve a number, they would go into a shop and have their blood drawn and their number is written down on the siringe, they are then given their free pop and go out and wait for their number to be called at which time they are told the diagnosis and then given counseling.  If they are negative, they learn about how to stay negative.  If they are positive, they learn about what this means for them and what resources are available.  The other great thing about this is that the Tanzanians are the ones doing ALL of this work.  Matt and I were only white people and we were playing with the children!  The people here have been impowered with this project!  There were over 80 people who were tested.  The biggest turn out yet!  It was great to see and be a part of this event. 

We are here!

Jambo!  We arrived late in the evening on January 15th at the Anglican Hospital in Buguruni in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.  The medical hospital is located in the slums of the city.  Henry Ziegler met us at the airport.  He and his wife Priscilla are missionaries here with the Episcopal Church.  He is a doctor, she is a nurse.  They have done amazing things here over the past two and half years.  Check out the link to the MEA Foundation to learn more.  Share this information with anyone you know in the Anglican/Episcopalian Church so that they can share with their congregation!

There are many people working and walking about in Buguruni.  The streets are crowded with cars, buses, motorcycles, and bicycles.  There is a school on the compound run by the Anglican church (aka Episcopal Church) with children always playing soccer!

We have spent time adjusting to new sleep patterns, high temperatures and humidity.  We are staying in a very nice guest house on the medical compound here.  There is a full kitchen, full bath, running water, fans, a nice bedroom and living room, and internet access in the dining room! What a great start to Africa.  

We share this house with Matt, an aspiring undergraduate student from Seattle.  He is 22 years old and is wanting to go to medical school and is here to build relationships and get a taste for medicine in a developing country.  He arrived a week before us and has been teaching us about busses, currency exchange, and good places to eat.  

We went to the grocery store yesterday, very similar to home.  There are outside street vendors that we passed by selling much of the same food.  I would like to try that sometime and would prefer shopping there to going to the westernized store.

Danny is spending the morning doing rounds and teaching the doctors while I am doing housework.  I did join the medical staff for morning prayers at 8:00 a.m.  I think that next week I will begin to do some work at the school or with a ministry here working and counseling with sex workers, people who are HIV positive, and looking for new work and medicine.  This afternoon is the grand tour of the facility with an important donor from the states.  It is amazing the connections we will be making as we journey through this year!

We are 8 hours ahead of Ohio time.  Today it has been hot and sunny with a few rain showers.  

 

Welcome to Rosemark!

Email us at rosemark@mentorumc.org

Happy New Year!

The time is almost here for us to leave.  We were suppose to travel to Nairobi, Kenya on Monday, January 7th but because of questionable election results and civil unrest we have had to make a slight change of plans.  Instead, we will be traveling to Dar es Salam, Tanzania on Monday, January 14th.  Please pray for the leaders, citizens, people who are being violent, and victims of violence in Kenya.  We hope to be able to travel to Kenya in December of 2008 to meet up with our friends at Care Kenya.  

Please visit our blog from time to time and keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you for being on this journey with us.

Mission Statement for Africa 2008

We are, Dr. Danny and Rev. Kathy Dickriede.  We are planning on traveling to Africa for 2008. Danny is an emergency room physician with the Cleveland Clinic and Kathy is an orainded deacon appointed to Mentor UMC.  

We will be leaving on January 7th and returning in mid December.  Kathy and Danny  are traveling on behalf of The United Methodist Church and interfacing with a variety of existing aid working institutions. 

GOAL: Work with and learn from aid workers who are already established with hopes of joining with or establishing our own orphanage and/or healthcare facility in the future. 

OBJECTIVES FOR 2008

To visit several existing health care facilities and orphanages.  

To learn how to establish and implement plans for long term existence.  

To meet with current medical and administrative aid workers to glean from their experience.

To understand the infrastructure behind local and international support. 

To gain confidence and experience in travel and life in Africa. 

To build relationships with people in Africa

POSSIBLE OUTCOMES

Working with one of the health care facilities and orphanages that we visit.

Using this information to start our own project in the future.

Deciding that this is not at all what we are supposed to be doing! 

SPEND 2008 IN COVENANT  WITH US

1.  Following us on our journey getting to know us.

2.  Praying for us and the continent of Africa.

3. Educating yourself on the Millennium Development Goals.  A great resource for that is a book called “What Can One Person Do?” by Sabina Alkire and Edmund NewellDo book studies about Africa, many suggestions can be found in the 3 C’s brochure that the East Ohio Annual Conference office created to educate about the Bishop’s Initiative around clinics in West Africa, churches in Russia, and classrooms in Zimbabwe.

4.  Have discussions on a regular basis about current events in Africa and speak those concerns out loud in worship.

OUR VERY TENTATIVE ITINERARY 

JANUARY     TANZANIA    

FEBRUARY  TANZANIA              

MARCH               UGANDA 

APRIL                  MALAWI                               

MAY                     ZIMBABWE                                                    

JUNE                   MOZAMIBQUE              

JULY                   SOUTH AFRICA 

AUGUST             ANGOLA

SEPTEMBER     CONGO and  COTE D'IVOIRE

OCTOBER         SIERRA LEONE      

NOVEMBER     LIBERIA

DECEMBER       KENYA AND HOMEWARD BOUND

Spend the month with us in the country where we will be traveling.  Look up on the internet news about what is happening, history of the country, what is The United Methodist Church doing in that country, what industry is located there, what are the needs, what resources do they have . . . Come on this adventure with us!