BREAD, BEREGA, TANZANIA.
During a meeting with the UK doctor, who is our contact with the project, when we analysed the monthly reports we identified a serious problem with the new system whereby our clinician and a doctor now visit outlying village on a monthly basis. Whilst the epilepsy sufferers no longer have to travel up to 60 miles to the hospital, if they miss seeing the clinician, then they do not get their supply of medication for the next month. Continuity of medication is critical for epilepsy suffers – TWOAT volunteered extra funds from our Appeal so that each remote patient could be issued with 1 month’s extra stock to cater for these situations.
2023
We had a Zoom video conference with the doctor & clinician involved with the Epilepsy Clinic we fund at Berega Hospital. This was very useful – we now have a better understanding of the issues they face. Patients had been travelling up to 60 miles from surrounding villages to be treated at the clinic and receive supplies of essential medication to control their fits. Unfortunately many of them could no longer afford the travel cost. A new approach has the doctor and clinician travelling together on a motorcycle to visit each of the 9 villages once per month. Our support is used to cover the travel expenses and the cost of the medication as the Tanzanian government is now paying the salaries of the medical staff. We get regular reports that are showing an increase in the numbers being treated and also show us when the epileptic fits of those being treated are reducing – some patients have even been able to return to work.
2022
The Epilepsy Clinic we fund at Berega Hospital had expanded its outreach programme to include another nearby rural medical centre but unfortunately it suffered a setback when the clinician decided to leave to run his own pharmacy business. The hospital doctors have identified a potential replacement who already has a higher level of general medical skills and knowledge than the predecessor but not so much specialised knowledge with respect to epilepsy. There has been better news about government support with the possibility that 5 x staff at the hospital will be taken onto the government payroll. We are in discussion with our UK contact for BREAD Dr David Curnock and via email with the Tanzanian doctor who was overseeing the project and hope that the new clinician will be confirmed shortly.
FISH EAGLE (SUBUTINI) SCHOOL, TANZANIA.
Subutuni is a school in northeast Tanzania and provides education to children in the village of Subutuni who prior to the building of the school, did not have access to an education. TWOAT provides basic building materials such as wood, roofing and nails and in the past 6 years has seen the construction of the building from the ground up with labour provided by local men and the children who are encouraged to help with simple jobs such as sanding down desks and cleaning up all the time learning basic skills that will be needed in later life. Our contact, Steve purchases the materials, helps with the building and oversees the project and keeps in regular contact with us.
2023
Progress has been a little slow this year due to health issues for our contact who has been coordinating the school building work for the villagers near Tanga in Tanzania. His normal role is running a nearby holiday lodge business but it had a relatively quiet time during COVID. The building for the school library we mentioned in last year’s report has recently been completed and we have received an itemised statement of expenses totalling £630. The next stage will be to fit out the interior with shelving and of course books.
2022
The situation has improved somewhat since the worst of the pandemic has passed over. Our contact with the Fish Eagle School has also been assisting some other nearby villagers with building extra rooms for their school with part-funding from the EU. One room will serve as a library for which we sent a funding contribution. Libraries are an important feature for African schools and one will also be added to Fish Eagle.
MTANDIKA TRADE SCHOOL, TANZANIA.
We continue to get excellent feedback from our contacts and have been able to give the trade school extra support this year as a result of our recurring payment appeal to get the new Hotel and Management course off the ground. We have paid for resources and agreed to sponsor the new teacher and two students for a year at least. We have also provided equipment for the electrical engineering students and contributed towards repairs to the toilet block and a solar pump to get water from the river.
2023
As in many of our projects, costs have risen and we have asked our contacts to ensure our support is used most effectively. They now feel that it is less sensible for us to help students move on to higher education in Tanzania, as there are insufficient paid jobs for doctors and other professionals. However, those leaving the Trade School with practical qualifications and skills as tailors, electricians etc. are able to find local jobs.
The crops have been good which has helped the school as it grows some of the food that the students eat.
2022
There have been requests this year for extra financial help for some of our six sponsored students in the vocational trade college. They needed equipment for their engineering courses and more recently payment of medical fees for one who was involved as a passenger in a serious road accident. With a decreasing rate of exchange we have also had to increase our payments by 10%, but it is well worth it as graduates of the college are regarded highly and so get good jobs.