SPRING 2010 VOLUNTEERS OF CSRS

This year has brought some incredible volunteers to Creative Solutions. Beginning with Yanna from Holland in January and ending with Alex from Australia in June. And in between we had the students from Vanderbilt University USA, who were funny, helpful and very interesting. Their main responsibility was to teach English to Secondary students. For the first time we offered classes to students still attending school. We wanted to gauge their level of understanding and also recruit new students for our next semester. We had 80 students enroll and 70 completed the two month course. Five of the Vanderbilt volunteers along with their liaison Downs did a fantastic job in the classroom, developing their curriculum and team teaching the lessons. One volunteer worked exclusively with the pre school students, Rachel developed an instant rapport with the children and they fell in love her. We all worked together in the planning and implementation of the Annual Health Fair, which once again was of great value to the community. Among the other projects they completed were the bottle wall around the perimeter of the compound and a beautifully hand painted world map in the classroom. Alex Stewart volunteered for four months and has become a member of our family. She has been instrumental in working with our new staff of local volunteers, and has taken them to a new level of professionalism. Then of course there is Downs who will be leaving us after volunteering for one year here. I cannot say enough about what he has brought to the organization. He will be missed by the entire village, as this has truly become his home. And let’s not forget our local volunteer/graduates who completed their service in June. They took care of the volunteers’ meals, grounds maintenance, the computer center, assisted with teaching English and running the Health Fair.

2010 MANGAPWANI COMMUNITY HEALTH FAIR

ur second annual health fair took place June 7 through 11th. This year we collaborated with the Blood Bank of Zanzibar, Dr. Mohammed Said, and Dr. Nafaul Mohammed of The Zanzibar Outreach Project. We examined 300 people over five days, among the services provided were screening glucose, measuring blood pressure, gynecological exams, ear exams, eye testing, orthopedic exams, STD testing and blood donations. A three day workshop on hygiene and the environment was conducted by Amour and Dulla, which demonstrated several techniques which can be used to prevent common diseases.
Of the patients seen, 109 were 50 years and above, their major problems dealt with eyes, high blood pressure, diabetes and bones. Of the women tested, the results were surprising, as we saw several cases of problems which could be prevented with regular checkups. Patients were advised on diet, exercise and natural cures by Dr. Mohammed, who also had several natural remedies available for sale.
We also had several volunteers who were instrumental in pulling the event together and seeing that it ran smoothly. The volunteers from Vanderbilt University in America and Alex Stewart from Australia were invaluable in the preparation stage. Sanaa Ladhani, also a volunteer from Vanderbilt was this years driving force behind the activities and donations. Julie McGruger and our staff assisted Sanaa with glucose exams and blood pressure testing.

We owe a debt of gratitude to the following sponsors and donors;
Zenith Tours and Travel, Zanzibar KOOL, Stone Town Traders, Rotary Club of Zanzibar, Memories of Zanzibar, ZIFF, Project Care America, Dr. Melody Noah, Alexandria Shirley, Rajan Dang , Helen Peeks, Dr. Mwanaheri, and special thanks to the doctors who volunteered their services.