Kibosho + Marangu Hospitals

I visited Kibosho Hospital yesterday. It's one of the more remote hospitals and I've never been there before so I decided to take a cab. On the way over I tried to get a shot of Kili since it was a clear day. This was the best I could do:

For those in Grill lab, Michael is doing well here in Tanzania! He's at Kibosho Hospital and (in my opinion) he and his partner have the hardest hospital based on their living accommodations, remote location, and limited resources. Despite this, they are currently the most successful hospital and have already fixed 13 pieces of equipment!

We worked on an old defibrillator when I visited Kibosho. It's been out of commission since 2004 so I don't have high hopes that it can be fixed...but I do think there is a chance. We found the user's manual and based on the troubleshooting guide, we are seeing exactly what should happen if the battery back is dead. When we try to run the machine, it starts up and tries to charge but then turns off after 10-15 seconds. I think just replacing the battery (which is harder than it seems because it is a very specific battery) may just do the trick. You would be surprised at how many fixes here are based on simple things like shorted/broken wires and dead batteries.

After Kibosho, I went back into Moshi for the night. I got a single room at Kilimanjaro Backpackers hostel for $10/night. True, it was a small room...but it was one of the most restful nights I've had in Tanzania. I was so exhausted from traveling that I slept like a rock.

Just a view of Moshi from the balcony of the hostel. I prefer this hostel over others because of its central location in the city.

I was also planning on meeting Ash and her boyfriend, visiting from Zimbabwe, at a nearby coffee shop. I was looking forward to go to the Kilimanjaro Coffee Lounge, which served the best cappuccinos in town, but unfortunately it was closed down. Based on the cobwebs on the gate, it looks like it had been closed for a while :( Mildly disappointing. I still met up with Ash and her boyfriend for dinner at Union Cafe. Nice guy!

The coffee at Union cafe is amazing. For those who don't know, coffee is very important to the northern Tanzanian region. It makes up a large part of its economy and is Tanzania's largest crop export. There are two varieties that grow in the Meru/Kilimanjaro region called Arabica and Robusta. Arabica is more common but my favorite happens to be Robusta.

After my restful night at the Backpackers hostel, I went to visit the Marangu girls. They are doing very well in their hospital. I've noticed that the hospitals with a fundi (technician/engineer) on staff have been doing well in terms of amount of equipment fixed. I think it's because the staff are more willing to trust the students with the hospital equipment because the staff already trusts the hospital fundi.

After my long day, I am now safely back at my home-stay at TCDC. I'm excited for a relaxing weekend since I'm so exhausted from tavelling this week.