Final Thoughts

It has now been about 2 days since I have returned from Tanzania. This experience has taught me so much personally that I don’t feel like it will be totally digested for a number of months, however at this point I can effectively communicate some key points, which are fresh in my head.

I could not even fathom how much living in Tanzania could shift my perspective on the luxuries we have in Canada; specifically about what I had previously perceived as necessity and what was extra. This doesn’t end at the latest innovative piece of technology coming out, which obviously the vast majority of people in Tanzania cannot afford. It extends to amenities, which are viewed as incredibly basic here in Canada but must be hard earned and sometimes even fought for in Tanzania. It only takes a drive through some of the more disadvantaged neighborhoods to realize that not every house has running water, that multiple people must sometimes share a bed, and that money to buy food is not so easy to come by for many people. It doesn’t matter whether one finds himself or herself in a small town or a larger city, the poverty runs deep. In one of our activities, the medical and nursing students visited the homes of HIV patients with Mama Mhando and one of the nurses in Dr. Mhando’s clinic. Walking into a mud hut illuminated by candle light with no separation between kitchen, eating space, and bedroom is surreal, and makes me thankful for the living conditions I have grown accustomed to here in Canada. Seeing the boys of Children for Children’s future living happily in sometimes four children to a room with nothing but a soccer ball and each other to play with is a far cry from the video games, television, movies, and plethora of organized sports most children here in Canada have to keep themselves busy outside of school. I feel as though the line in my head separating what is needed and what is extraneous has shifted drastically, and I now know that many of the things I possess in Canada are not borne out of necessity. Having the opportunity to live in conditions that I don’t know I ever would have lived in outside of Africa, I realize that 12 people actually can share a bathroom with no lock, and somehow find a way to make it work. Having no electricity for a number of hours each day is certainly not ideal, but playing card games and enjoying the company of your friends by candlelight is fun too. Sitting down to go to the bathroom is somewhat of a luxury, and I will cherish every opportunity I have to sit on my porcelain throne (re:toilet). I am so thankful for this opportunity I have had to experience Tanzania as a member of the MedOutreach team, as I have a feeling that I have learned immensely more from the people I was trying to help than they might have learned from me. I also have found that I have learned a great deal from the rest of the MedOutreach team. It isn’t easy to go on such an intense adventure with 7 other people that before the trip you had only spent weekly meetings with. I have been humbled by the opportunity I have had to volunteer with incredible people who cared so deeply for the people around them. I feel as though I have learned about being a good teammate, thanks in large part to the model set before me by other members of MedOutreach. Thank you to the whole team for making MedOutreach such a positive experience, and I am confident that I have made lifelong friends with all of you.

There are a number of people who make MedOutreach possible. Thank you very much to Dr. Mhando, Mama Mhando, Neema, and Thomas for their help at all steps of organization of MedOutreach. Without them the volunteer work we do is not possible, as they aid us in our preparations In coming to Tanzania, and while we are there they help us plan out all the details of our work. Thank you to Dr. Julius, Dr. Frank, and the rest of the staff at Nkoaranga hospital. We learned a great deal about healthcare in Tanzania while at Nkoaranga, and your efforts to teach were very much appreciated. Thank you very much to the Dr. Baraka, and Dr. Lewis who were incredibly welcoming in the Kammed clinics and also made great efforts to teach. Thank you to Children for Children’s future at Arusha and Maji Ya Chai for the opportunity granted to us to spend time with the amazing children. Thank you to Dr. Tekle for taking in and teaching the dental students, they only had positive things to say about their experiences in Arusha. Also thank you to the staff at Dr. Tekle’s clinic for all of their support. Thank you to the staff at Upendo Leprosy Home, where the nurses learned a great deal and had a lot of fun spending time and getting to know the patients. Thank you to all of the great primary and secondary schools whom allowed us into their classrooms and the opportunity to teach their children about various important healthcare topics in Africa. Thank you very much to everyone who gave money, came out to an event, or gave any sort of moral support while we fund-raised for MedOutreach. Our goal of 60 000 $ is lofty to say the least, but once we got to Tanzania we worked very hard to ensure that the money goes a long way, and that sustainable health care is delivered to the people with the dollars that we spend. Without all of everyone’s support MedOutreach would not have been possible, so from the bottom of our hearts thank you so much for this experience which has allowed us to help and has also taught us so much about ourselves. We are looking forward very much to the selection of next year’s team. We are confident in our ability to choose a team that will continue to build and improve on healthcare in Tanzania. We feel as though we have accomplished a lot this summer, but remain optimistic that the best is yet to come.

-Marc