Seven Years of Building Health and Hope in Tanzania

When we signed on to volunteer with Mission Doctors Association to work in East Africa in 2009, we had no idea that we would still be serving, year-after-year, in a small village in the South Pare Mountains. This past summer will mark our seventh year of our partnership with Bwambo Village and Health Center in Tanzania. You may ask, “Why Tanzania? And why Bwambo Village.?” When we first arrived in the village in 2009, with no idea of how or why God sent us to that particular place, we began our work with open hearts and open minds. We knew God had a plan, and we were willing to listen, pray, and take the time we needed to know exactly what He had in mind for our family, friends, and supporters. After six years of working in Bwambo, we have come to know a little bit more of what God had planned for us.

We continue to work everyday to develop and support this small village and health center.  The many small efforts we, along with many volunteers and supporters, have made since 2009 have borne much fruit in so many lives.  And the great news is, we are seeing the  health center grow into a self-sustained entity,  a healthier and more hopeful community, and a global church relationship flower into “something beautiful for God”.

Updates 2014
This past summer was especially exciting for our family.  We spent six weeks in Tanzania again working at the Bwambo Health Center and continuing to develop projects in the village and parish. We also hosted two families who helped out in the clinic and church.  Dr. Greg Young, and his wife Heidi, along with their three children, spent a few weeks in Bwambo seeing patients, planting trees and painting an icon mural with Nick Markell.  Claire Zajac, a good friend, headed up the video project for donors, and the Bwambo Olympic Games, an annual event in Bwambo. Nick, a nationally-known iconographer, his wife, Signe, and there two children also volunteered in many capacities. Nick was able to finish the “Risen Christ of Bwambo” icon in the Church, and gave an additional five icon canvasses to the parish. Signe was able to see and outfit 300 patients with new eye glasses and started our first-ever eye clinic, which is still up and running. Many thanks to all of the Druffner, Young, and Markell children for working so hard and being great supports for all of the adult volunteers. We had a wonderful time making homemade pizzas on the wood stove and gathering at the end of each day to share stories and humorous exchanges with each other. We even had a dance party around the bonfire with all of the student nurses, (marsh mallows included)!

Over 500 patients were seen, 400 bottles of medicine donated, 300 mid-wife packs donated by SCCS students, 300 patients fit with glasses, 220 trees planted, and a beautiful icon mural completed. Many thanks to all of you who made this all possible!

Goals for 2015-16
This year, we are focusing our work on continued development of Bwambo Health Center, and in particular, refurbishing the health center buildings.  There are five buildings that are in desperate need of repair, including the operating room, the outpatient clinic rooms, the staff houses, and the convent (where Bethany Medical Sisters from India will live when the house is complete).
Since 2009, we have seen great changes and we are happy to report that the Health Center is almost completely self-sustaining business.  Through donations of medicines, equipment, and volunteer hours, more staff have been hired, and more patients are being seen, which provides enough revenue to pay our full-time doctor, Fr. Dr. Beda (also the Pastor at the parish) and 20 other staff members. The Pharmacy is well-stocked, and the nursing students trained as well.

How You Can Help
If you would like to help us make this dream a reality by donating to the Bwambo Building Campaign, please click on the donate button on this page.  We are so very grateful for all you have done to help develop and sustain Bwambo Health Center and Mission.

We are beginning to see what God’s plan was for us in 2009 and what it continues to be in 2014.  We are grateful to all of you for allowing us to serve the people of Bwambo Village, with whom we share friendship, love, and mutual support. We are not on a mission to “save” our friends in Bwambo. (We have realized, it is we who need “saving.”)  We are merely answering God’s call to share our lives and resources with our cherished brothers and sisters in Tanzania. We could not think of a better calling. 

Merry Christmas and may God continue to bless you abundantly, The Druffner Family