Asante Sana!!

To Our Supporters: ASANTE SANA!!

No Jill, you can't keep them.

           Asante Sana (Thank you so much). We're back in Vancouver and it's if nothing has changed; this couldn't be further from the truth. For many people in Tanzania, thanks to you, everything has changed. We're talking about real people with real issues, who with your help have less to worry about today than they did yesterday. The work crew, including Duncan, Monty and even Jill one day, has (mostly) assembled a new daycare area for the Prevention through Empowerment Women's centre which they'll move into come April. The Medical Caravan saw close to 2000 patients which wouldn't have been possible had they been without Jill, Monty, Connie and all the logistics personnel to keep everything moving in the controlled chaos. The Tanzanian patients range from those who are there for a routine check-up to those who may not have lived another week without the care and treatment that the Caravan provided. People of all ages who have never had the opportunity to have their eyes tested get to put on a pair of glasses and walk away in awe with the ability to see clearly for the first time in their lives. Women who come in with their children to get HIV tests for either the reassurance that they're healthy or for the crucial counseling and Antiretroviral medication that can allow them to lead a long and healthy life. Doctors diagnose, Pharmacists distribute medicine and at that moment their lives change for the better. Thanks to you. So.... Asante Sana!

The Crew: Roman, Paul, Brian, Jeff, Yasini, Daudi, Dunc, Kassim, Monty, Naiman and Peter

         As you can probably imagine, we have some amazing stories to tell; disintegrating sunglasses, Cheetah-Wildebeest takedowns, toothless smiles, Swahili lessons, dust soccer, Tanzanian construction practices, wormbutts, heart-warming, bone-chilling, hard-bardering, dust-eating, warm-beer drinking stories... so stay tuned. We decided that the best way to do that is to write a few blog entries over the next little while to share with you our challenges, successes, lessons and laughs from our experience as there's no way we could have done any of it without the strong support we had from all of you. Whether you contributed to our cause, wished us well or are just reading our entries we thank you for supporting us and know that you've made a difference in thousands of real lives in Tanzania.