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Jesse Kitundu writing:
Dear Friends of Mothers and Children of Tanzania,
We thank you and really appreciate your still being with us at this hard time.
This year January there is an outbreak of “flu-like syndrome.” We are seeing more patients of this type. We are aware of what this may be. We do not have lockdowns in Tanzania. Hand washing, use of sanitizers, keeping distancing and use of masks are measures taken. Health education is given to all patients.
We keep Praying to God so that everything goes well.
We are looking forward; once the situation improves, to the time when we will continue with construction. Now we are only doing some plastering on the internal walls only and other projects where we already have supplies on hand. Your donations assist with paying the salaries of the clinic and construction staff so they can continue employment and support their families. Thank you.
Dear Friends to Mothers and Children of Tanzania, I keep repeating saying Asanteni Sana, Sana (Thank you so very much). God bless you for the help you have given to make the project thus far a success.
Jesse Kitundu MD
President
IHP-JEMA Tanzania
Sele Shabani writing:
Dear friends of the people whom you serve and help in Tanzania,
This is the time again for us to share with you about the progress of the project in Zinga Bagamoyo.
I am reporting to you about construction.
We have completed the wiring of the MCH (Mother & Child Health) building. Next week we are going to start smoothing the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) walls. This will take about 2 to 3 months to complete this building because we have very few workers. There are only 3 construction people now due to the funding issue. I am attaching a picture of our construction people collecting sand ready for plastering next week.
Also, we are getting prepared to resume work to complete the birthing center and the MCH buildings. I have been compiling estimates from the vendors so we can be sure we’re getting each item for the best price possible. We work very hard to be good stewards of your money.
Dear friends,
Thank you very much for being there for us. We have managed to get this far because of you. Thank you for enabling this dream to come true.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALWAYS.
Sele
Dr. Kenny George writing:
Hello IHP friends and family,
We pray that God has kept you all in good health. We are healthy and blessed to enter 2021 well. A Happy New Year to you we are thankful for your support.
Last week I attended a 1-year-old baby girl (Janeth) who has sickle cell disease, newly diagnosed. Janeth was brought in because of a severely painful finger and wrist joint (dactilitis) and moderate anemia for apparently 2 weeks. Before being brought to us, Janeth was treated with analgesics without relief.
We put her on IV fluid as per sickle-cell protocol, and a stat IV diclofenac [Diclofenac is used to relieve pain, swelling (inflammation), and joint stiffness caused by arthritis and other inflammatory conditions. Reducing these symptoms helps you do more normal daily activities. This medication is known as a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)].
The pain was relieved. We counseled the parent on the risks and did education regarding the disease, and the importance of monthly visits.
Paula and Denny writing:
You are the people who can say with truth and honesty that you care about making the world a better place and helping to take care of people outside of your personal world.
YOU are the ones making it possible for The Children’s Hospital at Zinga to continue operating. Thank you.
The IHP-US, Inc. Board is having monthly (Zoom) meetings to map out the future for IHP in Tanzania. We have a FANTASTIC board, different committees working hard on finances, recruiting for work needing to be done, and all of us envisioning what the highest and best outcome can be improving healthcare in Tanzania.
Progress is going forward at St. John’s University School of Nursing in Dodoma, in the middle of the country.
Dr. Christine Petersen spearheaded a fundraising program to purchase a bus so the students could go to other hospitals in other parts of the country to do their practicums, and to do outreach into rural areas doing health screening and education. First Lutheran Church in Newton, Iowa also contributed to the purchase of the bus. Thank you.
Denny and I remain in Overland Park, KS taking Covid-19 precautions. We’re healthy and are aiming to stay that way. We have not received our vaccines yet, Kansas is very slow on the rollout, but my son Dave has had his because he’s a healthcare worker. We’ll get ours as soon as they’re available to us. While having more time to “be at home” I’ve been going through cookbooks, including those inherited from my mother. What absolute fun, for me. So, I’m going to share one recipe I found: Recipe for Happiness: 2 heaping cups of Patience 1 heartful of Love 2 handfuls of Generosity 1 handful of Understanding A dash of Laughter A generous sprinkle of Kindness Plenty of Faith Method: 1. Combine Patience, Love and Generosity with Understanding 2. Add a dash of Laughter and sprinkle generously with Kindness 3. Add plenty of Faith and mix well. 4. Spread over a period of a lifetime… 5. And serve everybody you meet. Because we have been confined to home, we have not had the opportunity to visit churches and service clubs or to have venues to sell the beautiful Tanzanian items we usually have to sell. Thus, we have not had as much money to support The Children’s Hospital at Zinga. Most of what we have been able to send has been used to supplement the salaries of the staff. The clinic does not make enough money to support the staff and overhead because their prices are kept as affordable as possible for the very poor population they serve. To assist with staffing and building, if you feel called to do so, please support the work with a check mailed to: IHP – Matt West, Treasurer 8016 No. Everton Ave. Kansas City, MO 64152 Or Go to our website, www.ihptz.org and click on Donate Or Call Matt at 816-985-4406 and he’ll put it on your credit/debit card. Blessings and gratitude, Paula and Denny
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Paula Lofstrom Managing Director International Health Partners, US & Tz Pray, believing Act on your faith and go forward. God is always with you. Love is always the answer.