July 13, 2009

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

The construction of AHEAD's latest girl's secondary school dormitory is now complete!  With hard work and commitment from so many local villagers, AHEAD volunteers, and AHEAD supporters from around the world, this wonderful edifice for living and learning will soon be equipped with furnishing and be prepared to open within a season.  The female students in need of local, safe, and comfortable housing are thrilled to be the first group to christen this new facility.  It not only will serve as a place for lodging, but will also host residential life learning opportunities for its inhabitants.   W.E.B. Dubois once said, "Education is that whole system of human training within and without the school house walls, which molds and develops (wo)men.  Executive Director for AHEAD, Elvira Williams notes, "these all-girl secondary school living-learning centers enrich the education of each student by developing minds outside of the classroom. This facility will preserve the mission of AHEAD not only by enhancing residents’ quality of life, but also by providing a fine learning environment for these young women to grow and succeed."  With a new building, fresh paint, fresh furniture and finishes, this building will serve as a fresh start to a bright future for these AHEAD student-scholars.

"Clean water will be the human rights issue of the new millennium" says Malcom Gee, AHEAD Executive Board Member.  AHEAD recognizes this crisis as it progresses in rural Africa.  With access to clean water for rural communities as one AHEAD's primary focuses, AHEAD has recently partnered with an exciting and innovative company called Seldon Technologies of Vermont (www.seldontech.com).  As a world leader in the development of affordable, environmentally safe, and scientifically proven water purification systems, the leaders at Seldon have recognized AHEAD's commitment to this human rights challenge and have provide mechanisms to help meet that challenge.  In May, Seldon Technologies donated three 'Water Box' portable water purification systems to AHEAD.  This July, AHEAD has partnered with the Ministry of Health and has put these systems in immediate use in the hospitals in the Kisawere District of Eastern Tanzania!  Each device can sterilize up to 700 gallons of water per day, purifying it of 99.99% of all bacteria, parasites and toxic chemicals.  The ability to rely on having a consistent supply of safe and healthy water was a luxury that people of the Kisawere District of Tanzania, previously, could only dream of.  With the support of Seldon Technologies and the Friends of AHEAD-Vermont, AHEAD has delivered a new reality to Kisawere District Hospital and its sister facilities.  This is the beginning of a healthy relationship between Seldon Technologies and the people of Tanzania and the Gambia, bound by access to clear, sterile, clean, readily available water!

In October of 2009, the AHEAD Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Dental Surgery Team, organized by AHEAD Board Member,  Debbie Tuzo, DDS, MPH, will again put their surgical talents and expertise in manifest for the people of Tanzania.  Currently, nurses and phyisicans in various regions of the Tanzanian countryside are identifying children and young adults with surgical dilemmas requiring this teams talents and expertise.  This facinating and extremely gratifying program, the brainchild of Dr. Debbie Tuzo and her colleague, renowned Plastic Surgeon Dr. Christopher Johnson, has grown exponentially from its inception two summers ago, dramatically helping scores of families in need of critical reconstructive surgeries.  AHEAD anticipates over 30 individuals will be scheduled to benefit from these live transfiguring interventions by our all-volunteer skilled surgical team.  The multi-week pre-operative preparation will begin in the early fall, such that these patients and their loved ones will be educated about what to expect perioperatively; and so that they can be optimally prepared physically and emotionally to sail through these challenging procedures and return home better, healthier, and happier.

These are but a sample of the many dynamic programs that AHEAD has implemented within critically challenged communities of the African diaspora.  We afford you this summer 'snapshot', to keep pace with the rapid progress that AHEAD continues to make in 2009 for the communities we serve.   We, at AHEAD thank you for your interest and support of our activities as AHEAD moves forward in saving lives today....building sustainable communities for tomorrow.