Monday, January 28, 2013

The Health Center at Kizara








The village of Kizara is located in the Eastern Usambara mountains at the edge of the Nilo Nature Reserve. This reserve was established in 2007 as a haven for almost 800 species of plants (including 8 species of African Violets) and 100 species of birds. This mountainous rain forest has been a traditional source of firewood and food for the local inhabitants and plays a critically important role as a water catchment area. Bishop Weston was a frequent visitor to these mountains and the village of Kizara. Three Kilometers from Kizara village is the site of a Holy Water Point. Local legend has it that water first began to flow from the point after a thirsty bishop (Frank Weston) blessed the area.

The original Kizara clinic, a dispensary, was established over 100 years ago near the site of the Kizara Anglican Mission. It served the area well until 2002 when the villagers realized that they needed a new building to serve the health needs of the growing population of Kizara and surrounding villages and, in view of their remote location, to provide better health care for pregnant women, women in childbirth, children and people with HIV/AIDS. The plan that was developed envisioned a modern village health center with three buildings: a main building housing examination rooms, a surgery, laboratory and pharmacy; a maternity unit to provide prenatal care and a delivery ward; and an in-patient building with wards for women, children and men.

The Anglican Diocese of Tanga provided the land and the government of Japan provided an initial grant of $36,000. In February 2008, following a mission pilgrimage led by brothers of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist, members of the mission group, along with others, decided to adopt the Kizara Health Center as a fund-raising project. In 2010 this group founded the Friends of Tanzania that, in turn, adopted the Heatth Center as its primary project going forward. Since March, 2008, almost $96,000 has been raised for construction, equipment and supplies.

Donations have come from a variety of sources including the three founding parishes of the Friends of Tanzania, friends from Texas, Massachusetts Jubilee Ministry, and United Thank Offering of the national Episcopal Church. The UTO and Jubilee grants supported the installation of solar power and water at Kizara while the remaining funds were used to complete the building phase, to buy medical equipment and supplies and to reimburse expenses incurred by our local project manager (Father William Mbuji).


In December, 2012 Bishop Tom Shaw of the Diocese of Massachusetts led a mission pilgrimage to Tanga. One of the highlights of the trip was the blessing and dedication of the Kizara Health Center by Bishops Shaw and Mndolwa on Friday, December 7th. Bishop Shaw preached at a High Mass celebrated by Bishop Mndolwa in Saint Francis Xavier parish church followed by the blessing service and lunch in the parish church. The group returned to Korogwe via the Nilo rain forest conservation area with spectacular views of the plains below as far as the city of Tanga and the Indian Ocean.




Photos: Colin Johnstone, Heidi Marcotte, Sara Irwin

No comments:

Post a Comment