Diary - Saturday, Feb 24, 2007 

Memories of Our Stay in Jambiani

It is hard to believe that we are winding down our stay here with Pat and Alastair. We have been here now for 2 months and are leaving with so many memories that will last us a lifetime.

We have just loved meeting the local people and getting to know so many of them through the classes we have been teaching and when we provided them with help in dealing with injuries or minor illnesses each day.

Ed has successfully seen his students grasp the concept of Microsoft Word on the computer and has been able to put together some notes which can be used for reference in future classes here.

I, for my part, have had 3 sessions with students learning for the first time, “Basic First Aid”. The first 2 sessions saw students from the local hotels, restaurants and tourist businesses come to learn how to care for victims in an emergency situation. I, too, have been able to leave books and notes which I have adapted for this part of the world.

The final session this week has been very rewarding as this has involved some of the women from the community. I concentrated on teaching them just what to do in case of emergencies within their homes and with their families. They were so quick and eager to learn and I was sorry to see the sessions come to a close. At a future date Pat plans to have the notes from this class translated into Swahili which would be wonderful for the local villagers.

Hopefully we leave here knowing that we have touched some lives and contributed just a little to the village and the people. As was stated at the beginning of this synopsis, we have so many memories. I couldn’t begin to list them all but some we are taking back are; the beautiful babies and children who greet us so cheerfully on the beach and as we walk through the village; watching each day as the women gather the seaweed from the gardens in front in the ocean (even though I would love to see a campaign start to insure they earn more money than they are receiving now for all their hard work); the grateful handshakes and smiles when we have helped the people; the hot temperatures tempered by the cool breezes each day; Alastair’s “Alibi’s”!; falling asleep each night with the sound of the pounding surf in the background; boat rides in the traditional Dhow’s and the snorkeling in and around the reef; and observing the school under construction with all the dreams and plans for the future coming together for the project here. These memories will remain with us always and we feel so very privileged to have been able to participate just for a short period in this community. Our one disappointment would have to be that we will not be here to see the school completed and will have to rely on the photos we will see on the web showing the progress and the completion.

We leave convinced that the tremendous project that Pat and Alastair have set for themselves is just what is needed in this part of Africa. The villagers are quite excited about having this school for them to improve their living standards. We go home intent on making sure that people are aware of the project and that the funding and contributions will continue for them.

Wanda & Ed Walker
Victoria, B.C.

 Saturday, March 03, 2007

Well greetings everyone once again from Zanzibar and Jambiani. As you probably have guessed, Ed and Wanda have left us and are now no doubt enjoying some remarkable travel experiences as they take in the northern safari circuit on the mainland of Tanzania. On behalf of all the people they were able to help or influence during their visit we would like to thank them both for their care and compassion and for taking the time to try to make a difference in this world. We miss you two and look forward to the next time when our paths may cross. Keribuni tena na asante sana!!!!!!

Following in their footsteps, we are happy to report that Dr. Kim and Dr Brian Spares have arrived safe and sound in Jambiani and have even completed their first few days up at the Centre doing what they do best, delivering quality Chiropractic care to those folks in need. They are a delightful couple and we look forward to sharing more time and experiences with them as they settle into life here in the “Jam”.

As is usual, I’m hoping Brian and Kim will relay some of their impressions to you in our next update.
As always, we are keeping pretty busy with our daily responsibilities. We continue to see a lot of patients coming in for emergency care and just in the last couple of days, we’ve had to try to help a woman who stepped on a Stonefish, another who was hit by a stingray, a young boy who got a fishing hook stuck in his head, a young man who was hit by a car who had a fractured collar bone, and had numerous cuts and contusions, a man who fell from a truck and fractured his pelvis and wrist, and of course the usual assortment of cuts, scrapes and bruises not to mention the assessment and stabilization of an older women who fell head first down a set of stairs at a local hotel, knocking herself unconscious and presenting with potential spinal cord trauma. Brian, Kim and I felt confident in our ability to manage what could have been a catastrophic event and in the end she has recovered with only a broken wrist to deal with. She was a very lucky person. Life is rarely boring here!!

The school construction continues and we are now just a few days away from beginning the roof placement and the plastering. We still have lots to do before completion but we are at least seeing a bit of light at the end of the tunnel now. It’s exciting!!

At the end of this month, we are expecting a visit from some members of the Rotary Club de Bilt Hoven. You may recall that they along with Rotary clubs in Belgium, Germany and the UK have been instrumental in providing support to HABS in order for us to commence this project in the first place. We are looking forward to showing these folks what their funding has been able to accomplish.

Oh, by the way, Brian came down with a serious episode of TR just a few days ago. Fortunately he has recovered to a certain degree and is at least able to stand unaided. :-)

Well that’s about it for now. All is well in Jambiani and we are on track once again for a very productive year of doing some good things for humanity. Thank you all so much for your continuing encouragement and support.

Lots of love from us all in the “Jam”