.jpg)
Charles Powell writing:
Today as I write, I am preparing to board the plane for the long trip to Dar es Salaam. We have a long agenda of items to discuss, but I am confident our planning will be fruitful, as it always is. On March 2nd our environmental engineer, Russ Balch, will join us at Zinga to make all-important recommendations regarding wastewater. As unromantic as that sounds, it is vital to clear that hurdle before we open the Mary Ellen Kitundu Memorial Birthing Center and several adjacent buildings. My brother-in-law, Fred Randles, is traveling with me for this trip. He can hardly contain his excitement. Come for a visit and you too will understand.
Charles W. Powell, MD
President, IHP-US
Jesse Kitundu writing:
Finally, the container from Canada has arrived at Zinga after five months at the port of Dar es Salaam. Twice it was inspected at the port and here at Zinga due to expired items that were found in it. All has been resolved. Though it was delayed that long, it reached us at the right time when we are finishing the Birthing Centre. Thank you very much to Lindsay Brucks at Feed the World in Saskatoon, Canada and, to Eunice Famme for financing the operation.
Other good news is that now we have started receiving patients with National Health Insurance Fund. Slowly the word is spreading around and we hope the number of patients will continue to increase. We are busy with NHIF staff, who are training us on how to fill the forms correctly.
More trained and skilled Hospital staff are being recruited especially from the nurses to cover the Maternal and Child Health services as well as the maternity nurses. So please, at this particular time we will still require your support to able us to move forward.
A newborn baby was brought into the clinic, the mother so poor there was no clothing for the child. Thanks to your generous donations of baby clothes, we were able to provide a small layette for the baby and will continue to follow the baby’s growth process and checkups for the mother.
Now in the laboratory currently we can do more investigations than before like biochemistry, hormones, hematology, parasitology, cultures, smear and cell counts.
More is also being done with the digital x-ray and ultrasound services. The pharmacy has been self-sustaining now for three years.
Two babies were brought into the clinic because of “rashes.” The first, age 1, had chickenpox.
The second, 11 months old, had Rubella – 3-day measles or used to be called German measles.
Our Dear Friends to Mothers of Children of Tanzania, you have been supporting us now for the past 7 years. The bare land purchased with your donations has turned slowly into a small village that is The Children’s Hospital at Zinga. I do not have the right words to use to thank you other than to say Thank you very much. (Asanteni sana na Mbarikiwe.) Thank you all so much and bless you.
We invite those who can, to please come and witness what your donations have done to make our dream come TRUE.
Jesse A. Kitundu, MD
President,
IHP- JEMA TZ,
Paula and Denny Lofstrom writing:
ALMOST THERE!
The $15,000 Valentine’s Day Challenge grant for $15,000 has almost been matched! We have $13,196.00 so far and Dr. Petersen extended the deadline, so we have until St. Patrick’s Day. So, Let’s Do It! We are so incredibly grateful to the 26 donors who have made this possible so far! Thank you!
This will help to pay for the installation of the Wastewater Reclamation System for the two buildings comprising the Mary Ellen Kitundu Memorial Birthing Center and The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), plus for the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit building (PICU) that is right next to the other buildings. Dr. Charles Powell and two water engineers are on their way to Zinga right now to evaluate the situation and come up with a design.
Denny and I spent two nights in Deer Park, Washington with grandchildren and great-grands. What a joy. Denny celebrated his 92nd birthday on 2-20-2020.
Now we are packing up to leave Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and heading to High River, AB, Canada.
Our time in Oregon, Vancouver, Washington, and Maui were productive and restorative. IHP is gaining more followers and it’s always good to reconnect with those who have been supporting the work for years and with those who have come out to volunteer. Tupo Pamoja! We are here together, the motto of the team from Immanuel Lutheran Church in Vancouver.
Our regulator donors enable the work to continue on a day-to-day basis, to pay salaries, buy cement, keep the vehicles running, pay for the educations of those on our staff furthering their educations. Thank you.
To keep building and expanding the services at The Children’s Hospital at Zinga, please send what is comfortable to:
IHP – Matt West, Treasurer
8016 N Everton Ave
Kansas City, MO. 64152
Or go to our website, www.ihptz.org and click on Donate Now
Or call Matt at 816-985-4406 and he’ll put it onto your credit card.
For all of those who sent Birthday Greetings to Denny who turned 92 on 2-20-2020, Thank you! Denny is the oldest practicing physician in Tanzania.
Blessings and gratitude,
Paula and Denny
Sele writing:
Hello IHP DONORS,
I pray that everything is well with you. We are all doing very well, things are going well with our daily activities.
In the last month, we received a container and have been doing smaller projects on the property but now things are again moving forward. This is because we were out of building materials and funds. Luckily enough, because of your donations, we have bought 600 bags of cement.
With this cement, we will be able to put up the walls for the Acute Care Pediatric building, and we will be smoothing NICU walls inside and outside so the teams can start to paint them when they start arriving in May.
We will also now build the rest of the walls for the Maternal and Child Health Center bathrooms. Additionally, we have now purchased the granite shelving for the laboratory and also the iron sheets for the roof of the MCH building.
We are going to be very busy and you will be able to see many pictures from the construction showing the work progress.
We have been able to buy all these materials because you are very important people to this project. It is true, without you we would be able to be where we are now. I can also say that without you IHP would even exist!
IHP donors, you are “big changers.” You are changing people's lives. You are bringing smiles, happiness, lives to our community and to us as well.
You are changing this world. We appreciate all your help, your support of mankind and your donations to IHP. Together again let’s keep doing this for it is God's work.
We say thank you,
Thank you,
And thank you so much.
Best Regards,
Selemani Shabani
2020 speaking schedule:
March 2020
8 – Custer, SD
9 – Rotary, Custer, SD
15 – First Lutheran Church, Conroy, IA
20 – Professional Women’s Meeting, Kansas City
22 – Atonement Lutheran Church, Overland Park, KS
25 – Louisburg, KS Rotary noon
April 2020
2 – Samarkand Retirement Center, Santa Barbara, CA
3 – Rotary, Santa Barbara, CA
4 – Uniformed Services Academy of Family Physicians, Anaheim, CA
10 – Return to Tanzania