Since this experience was for our community class, one of the biggest things we did was assess the community. We assessed Madizini like one would assess a patient; we looked at community history, disease risk factors, and living conditions to obtain an idea of how the residents of Madizini lived. Through this assessment, two of the biggest problems we noted were the presence of trash and high amounts of standing water. Both of these factors put people at risk for water and vector borne disease, such as typhoid, malaria, and yellow fever. We also visited the homes of residents to try to see their living conditions. Most residents suffered from a lack of space, food, water, and money. Alongside the Tanzanian students, we identified these problems and then created interventions to hopefully help the residents live a healthier life.

The school assessment was another big component of our time in Madizini. The school in Madizini was a short walk from our lodging, and it served about 1500 students from ages 4-14. During our school visit, we looked at ratios of students, staff, and equipment. We learned that the school has a teacher to student ratio of 1:50, and that they have limited desks and bathrooms. We also analyzed the quality of education as well as the provision of resources such as uniforms, clean water, and food. After our assessment, we debriefed with our fellow Tanzanian nursing students, during which time we were able to compare our education in the US to their education in Tanzania. We found pros and cons of each system, and through this discussion we created feasible interventions for the Madizini school to implement to improve the health of their students.

We also visited the health center in Madizini. We each had the opportunity to shadow in the health center for a day, where we watched vaccines, prenatal assessments, and explored the health center itself. This health center serves anyone for any reason for free, however the vast majority of patients we saw were women seeking prenatal care. We noted a lot of similarities but also a lot of differences. One of the things that stuck out most to me was the lack of hand hygiene and needle precautions in the health center. Another difference is that the health center used exclusively paper records, whereas everything in the US is digital. 

One of my favorite things we did was visiting Kairuki University (KU) and Kairuki Hospital. The university and hospital are actually both in the same building. It’s an eight story building with the first four stories being the hospital and the second four stories holding the university. KU offers education for students in a variety of healthcare disciplines, including but not limited to medical students, nursing students, and physical and occupational therapy students. On this day, we were able to tour Kairuki Hospital, shadow in a cadaver lab, attend an academic nursing lecture, and present our travels to a group of Tanzanian nursing students. We were able to see how advanced their medical services are, and how in depth their nursing classes are. It was truly so interesting and eye-opening.

After spending about ten days out in the Madizini community, it was time for the relaxing part of the trip. We spent two days on the island of Zanzibar which is a two-hour ferry ride off the coast of Tanzania. This island holds a rich history and is dazzlingly beautiful. During our time, we were able to meet the giant tortoises, snorkel in the Indian ocean, explore the quaint streets of the island, and have dinner on the ocean. We also had the opportunity to visit the slave market museum, which is located on the site of a former slave trading hub. Zanzibar itself was a hub for the Indian Ocean slave trade back in the 1800s, and learning about this history was a beyond valuable experience that I will never forget. Our time on this island was short but so beautiful and memorable.

For my final experience, I’ve saved the best for last. During my time in Tanzania, I had the privilege of working alongside some of the best people I’ve ever met. Between my fellow UC CoN nursing students, the Tanzanian nursing students, gracious UC faculty, and Madizini residents, I’ve built relationships that will last a lifetime. We did hard work together, but we also had so much fun and grew in tandem. I’m beyond grateful for the kind, hard-working people I met and all the things we got to experience together.