View article Dec 2010 article 1
VIEW Dec 2010
Jennifer Gemmell, until recently a senion Brigadier in the Girls' Brigade, shares something of her Tanzanian trip:
In May of this year I completed a 4-week Physiotherapy elective voluntary placement in Arusha, Tanzania as part of my university degree. I had always wanted to visit Africa so when the opportunity to work there arose I was determined to make it a reality. I decided to go with an organised company, who had a house in Arusha, in order to be safer while there and also allow me to meet other hospital volunteers. I worked at Mount Meru Regional Hospital which is a government-run hospital serving a large area of northern Tanzania. It was so fascinating and eye-opening to see the comparison between the health care system in Britain and that of Tanzania. Obviously communication was a big barrier when treating patients but the Kiswahili lessons we received while there helped with that! Prior to going I had heard about a local orphanage and a nearby centre for children with mental disabilities, both of which I visited whilst there.
During my trip I also visited the local Pentecostal church, Zion City Church. The service was so full of life and was very enjoyable to be a part of. The giant imitation waterfall behind the stage was also entertaining to look at! The pastor spoke about how we can all, no matter who we are or what position we hold in society, have our physical foundations shaken. But if God is the foundation of our life, we will be strong, as He is solid and cannot be shaken. I saw examples of this each day I worked in the hospital. People whose lives had been dramatically altered so quickly by disease or injury had faith that God would look after them in their struggles. As the hospital is so poorly resourced the surgeons have a saying that it is solely God who looks after His sons in surgery and determines the outcome and not the skills of the surgeons themselves.
Although there were many advantages of doing the trip through an organised company, the cost of this was high. I therefore applied for funding to help with this and to allow me to take supplies to the hospital and gifts to the orphanage. One such fund I applied to was the Millennium Fund set up by Lenzie Union Parish Church. I was grateful for the generous gift I received which was a huge help with the overall cost of the trip. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone associated with the Millennium Fund.