What We Do
Bukumbi Diary - November 2008
Monday 3rd November
Last week Dr Brad, Dr Abed and Sophia a dental nurse came with me to Bukumbi to run a clinic where they saw 15 people who had problems with their teeth, including Vumi who is coming to the clinic this week for more treatment.
Lwango block is still looking very good and being kept clean and Jumbe is now ready for the next group of volunteers. The cupboards are now fitted and have the first coat of paint and the doors to the rooms are now mended and have new locks. The people in the block are very excited at the prospect of their new rooms!
At the school the children are still working hard towards end of year exams. I have recently met with the District education officer and Ward education officer so we can support the school more in their work. Also there was a meeting for parents and many families from Bukumbi attended where I talked to them about support the children at home as well as encouraging the teachers in their work.
Little Ema Yanga is looking better- the cream is working on his skin and he is looking much healthier! (FM)
Tuesday 4th November
We had a phone call last Friday to say that the Commissioner for Social Welfare from Dar es Salaam was going to come and visit Bukumbi on Tuesday! So we spent the day making plans with the Regional Welfare Officer (RWO) as to what was going to happen and how the day would run. The main purpose of his visit was to visit Bukumbi and this was a great opportunity for B2A to show him our involvement and to discuss some of the issues that arise daily at Bukumbi Care Centre.
So on Tuesday 4th Andie and I drove the Commissioner and the RWO out to Bukumbi and met with Mr Bundala the manager and walked him around the centre. It was a very useful visit and he had some interesting perspectives on the centre. We were pleased to hear that he agreed with our vision for the future looking at how we reintegrate people back into the community rather than living in an ‘institution’. He also spent time talking with the community leaders and the staff of the centre. All in all the visit was very positive and he was very grateful for the work that B2A are doing. We are now awaiting his report so we can review together with the manager and RWO the next steps forward. (JT)
Wednesday 5th November
Today we sent 3 of the girls from Bukumbi to a meeting in Misungwi. These three girls Vumi, Agnes and Pilli all have albinism and have been rejected from their home villages because of it. The meeting was to set up a local group for the albino community as they are a very high risk community at present here in Tanzania. You may be aware from the international news that members of the albino community have been killed in recent months as it is believed by local village doctors that if you can get the blood or a body part of an albino it will bring you success and affluence to your work / business. The government here have been proactive in making this a national issue but still it continues. (Click here to read an article on the killings on the BBC news website.)
We want to make sure that the community at Bukumbi are given the support they need to remain safe. (JT)
Tuesday 11th November
The work is going well for the Practice Plan team who are visiting on 23rd November to renovate Jumbe block. All the preliminary work has been done and we are now working our way through all the hospitality planning for their arrival. The community are excited to see the work progressing as this will be our 4th completed block. The team work for 2 weeks at the end of November and return to Uk on 7th December leaving behind another clean safe house for the community to live in. (JT)
Tuesday 25th November
After much patience from Mama Tabu and stubborn persistence from the Bridge2Aid team we were finally able to present Mama Tabu with a custom made low wheel base trike. As we pushed it across the open space towards Lwango dormitory we could see Mama Tabu busy making another mkeka (woven mat), engrossed in her daily work. She heard the commotion that surrounded our short journey towards her and when she realised that her promised Trike had finally arrived her face lit up into her characteristic smile. She shuffled down the ramp and took a look at the trike, wasting no time to climb up onto the padded seat. Onlookers gathered as she proceeded to turn the pedals with her hands and travel round in circles, Zengo who we had previously presented with a trike promised to give Mama Tabu some lessons, saying that he had spent the first few weeks going round and round but with practice was now able to go wherever he wanted! (AW)
Thursday 27th November
Bukumbi is a hive of activity with the Practice Plan team busy cleaning and painting Jumbe dormitory, in just a short time they have already made a stunning difference to the dark and dirty rooms. While the team are busy inside Simba and I have been spending time with community members listening to their stories and learning of how they came to live at Bukumbi. Many of their stories are simple and sad, centering around rejection by family and friends as soon as they contracted leprosy. But the happy ending is that they see Bukumbi as their new home and the community as their new family.
Maintenance of renovated buildings is an ongoing challenge and this week when cleaning out the toilet drains from Lwango dormitory everything from old cups, paper, rags and stones was removed. We sat down with the elders of each dormitory and talked about how important it is that each community member takes responsibility for keeping the buildings in a good state of repair. I was proud to hear Clement from Sijaona dormitory (the first building to be renovated) back up this message by advising how he meets weekly with the other Sijaona residents and has devised an ongoing routine for keeping the building clean and tidy. What better advocate do we need than the community members themselves! (AW)