Diary - May 29, 2003
It's a beautiful morning here in Terrigal, NSW, Australia and
it is hard to believe that almost one month has passed since Pat
and I left Zanzibar. We have had quite a journey to say the least
and are in some ways grateful to have made our way here safely.
We had quite a close call in Sri Lanka as we somehow managed to
put ourselves in the centre of one of the worst cyclones the country
had had in 50 years. We were fortunate but many hundreds of others
were not and so we are counting our blessings for certain. Otherwise,
we are well and are really looking forward to getting back to
Canada, we hope by the 5th of July. As you can see, Yvonne and
Shawna are having a wonderful experience in Jambiani, and we are
so happy for them and of course for all the folks that are getting
some very good quality attention. We will try to forward more
updates from them as we receive them over the next few weeks.
We hope you are all well and enjoying life and it will be so nice
to see many of you again soon.
Much love,
Alastair and Pat
Dearest friends and colleagues,
My name is Shawna Biegel and I am doing humanitarian work as a
chiropractor in the village of Jambiani, on the island of Zanzibar,
Tanzania. I have been given this opprotunity by outstanding people;
Dr. Alastair Pirie and Pat Elias.
I have been so fortunate to have been accepted to participate
in such a project. This experience has most definitely been one
of the most memorable and remarkable times in my life... Alastair
and Pat have been most welcoming as well as the people of Jambiani-right
from the heart. This couple have truly opened up their lives to
me in allowing me to practise at their incredible clinic. Alastair
and Pat have provided unbelieveable accommodations and hospitality.
The community of Jambiani has been warm and accepting towards
me. My objective is to '"make a difference".
I have been truly motivated by the efforts of Alastair and Pat.
They have been certainly instrumental and motivational in my decision
process to come to Jambiani. As well, they have been encouraging
and inspirational and will always be my mentors... I would like
to take this opprotunity to sincerely thank them for this...
The patients have been extremely compliant. The envirosociological
nature here has made this region very adaptable for such treatment.
Their lives are very much so based with the elements of nature.
They have respect and desire for a wellness based health care.
The health care system in Africa that now exists tends to be very
much focoused on medication and injections. People are seeking
new alternatives to health. The different perspective is creating
a new awareness of choices and health. A new health paradigm to
the area has been created by Dr. Ali Baba and Mama Patima (as
the locals call them). Their dedication and caring attitude has
been exceptional. This chiropractic project is the first to be
established in East Africa. What a region to establish and bring
the roots of chiropractic to - the roots of humankind.
I am working with a fantastic and caring individual; Yvonne Poulin.
Yvonne is an outstanding massage therapist and is the pioneer
for massage in Jambiani. I am very proud of her!!! We have been
doing team work and we are achieving results. In my next correspondence
I will discuss some of our clinical cases and results. You can
only imagine... remember pathology???? Our co-workers from Jambiani
have been doing an excellent job!!! We could not have achieved
our goals without them. They are very
keen and are totally interested in wellness for their community.
They are promoting chiropractic and massage to their people. Yes,
the health paradigm is spreading in East Africa.
At this time, I would like to encourage volunteers from abroad
to share the experiences that we have had. I would like to personally
promote this project and inspire 'you' to make a difference that
you will never regret and always remember... I cannot express
in words from the bottom of my heart what a personal, clinical,
and rewarding experience that I have had in Jambiani. It certainly
has been 'an eye opener' and an educational experience indeed!!!
I have had a totally awesome time so far and I love practicing
chiropractic in Africa and sharing my education and knowledge
with others...
WITH LOVE from AFRICA,
SHAWANAH
MASSAGE IN JAMBIANI
Hello! I'm Yvonne Poulin, a Registered Massage Therapist from
Victoria. I heard about Hands Across Borders Society early last
year, and managed to meet with Alistair and Pat and arrange this
adventure.
Shawna has already expressed what an incredibly interesting and
fulfilling experience we are having treating clients in Jambiani.
My personal contribution to the clinic has been to offer massage
therapy for the first time in the center. A spacious, airy room
was provided for me, and a very sturdy adjustable massage table
had been built prior to my arrival.
Before starting up I prepared an information brochure explaining
the therapeutic effects of massage, conditions which may benefit,
questions asked by the therapist, treatment procedures (clothing,
oil), possible post treatment symptoms, and probability of therapeutic
exercise instruction. This has been posted in English and translated
into very simple Swahili. Because I'm unfamiliar with Muslim culture
I wasn't quite sure of how people would react to being asked to
undress and get on the table. There has been no problem whatsoever,
and both men and women seem comfortable (albeit a little shy)
with this being a part of receiving therapeutic treatment.
Alistair had prepared his chiropractic clients ahead of time,
and reccommended some of them see me when I arrived. The majority
of my clients are coming in because of his and Shawna's referrals.
I utilise many different massage techniques in my practice, including
Swedish Massage, Trigger Point Therapy, N.M.T., Cranio-Sacral,
and Muscle Energy. My personal area of interest is Visceral Manipulation,
so I have been treating many clients with abdominal complaints
as well as musculoskeletal conditions. It has been very interesting,
especially learning about the tropical conditions which I dont
see in my Victoria practice. Shawna and I consult one another
often, and are having fun reviewing pathologies and sharing ideas.
I am thoroughly enjoying this cultural exchange. The clients are
warm, friendly, receptive, and appreciative. I am so grateful
to be here.
I will sign off now, and write again before I leave in August.
Jambo Salama. Yvonne
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