Kipwa Sumbawanga TANZANIA

Sumbawanga is a city located in western Tanzania. It is the capital of the Rukwa Region. The regional population is approximately 150,000 based on a 2002 census. The name of the town translates as "throw away your witchcraft", thought to be a warning from local spiritual "healers" to any bringing in superstitions and practices relating to spiritual healers from other areas; there are still some healers who practice both in town and in the surrounding smaller villages.

Kipwa village is one of the villages in our Kasanga target area. It has a total population of over 2500 people. Its benchmark rating is 2.8 out of 5, and with this rating, the village has neither private nor government dispensary. The only medical service in the village is the CNI supported kiosk pharmacy.

This village is at the Tanzania-Zambia boarder, and there is no road to the village. Communication with the outside world is almost dead. The only means of transport to and from the village is by water. Kipwa village can receive medical services in two ways: by visiting the nearby Kapele dispensary (ill equipped with medicines and personnel) which is over 8 kilometers away or by going to the neighboring country of Zambia at Mpulungu town, a distance of 20 kilometers away.

The lives of these people are put at great risk, especially during the rainy seasons when there are great out-breaks of malaria and diarrhoea. The only available marine transport is not reliable as the boat owners routine is not consistent, otherwise for a quick transport one has to hire the boat which is too costly for the poor to afford.

Compelled by those circumstances, the Kipwa villagers decided to mobilize themselves using their hard-served resources to build the dispensary. They managed to construct a 14-room building, which is now 3 years old waiting to be finished, as their strength to carry on came to a stand still. So the villagers started seeking support from some donors and other people to finish the dispensary building.

This is a picture of the construction that the villagers had just started .  Cantwell (Community Builders PiF Coordinator), David (Community Builders intern) and  CNI staff had gone to pay a visit to the villagers.

After a tragic deaths event in September last year, which claimed the lives of the lives of 2 pregnant women and 13 children en route to Kapele dispensary, CNI immediately passed on this information to Community Builders. With utmost concern and importance, Community Builders responded by providing the financial support with the roofing of the building. CNI received $2500 from Community Builders which was  used to purchase the roofing.

The construction is still on underway as seen in the above picture.

The is still a lot of work in order to complete this dispensary,  the below picture show some of the mothers of Kipwa vilalge at the local Authority offices in Kipwa receiving medical treatment for their children.  The office rooms are being used temporarily as the dispensing rooms as seen in the picture below.