project: makurunge dispensary                                                                                             

population: 3,600
location: bagamoyo district
cost:                                    

summary: vaccines are issued once a week in makurunge dispensary, administered by neema mgonja, the head medical nurse at the clinic. each week, an average of 25 children line up to be immunized by government issue vaccines delivered from bagamoyo district hospital, a 30 minute drive away. when vaccine deliveries are delayed, newborn children remain unvaccinated against the diseases that run rampant in their region. villagers walk miles between local clinics trying to vaccinate their children, and some will never receive the immunizations they seek. with solar power in their medical clinic, not only will makurunge dispensary be able to offer well-lit medical care at night, but they will have their own solar-powered refrigerator to store medicines and vaccines. parents will be able to count on vaccines each week, finally guaranteeing the immunization of their children and saving them from preventable disease. 

project: makurunge primary school

 

population: 328 children

location: bagamoyo district

cost:

summary: each september, the children of tanzania take a test that determines their entire future: the national exam. no child can be promoted to the next grade without first passing the test. for weeks before the exam, children will sleep in their schools to prepare all night for the final test. they and their teachers struggle and strain their eyes each night to study by dim candlelight, all in the hopes that they can continue on with another year of school. with light in their classrooms, the children of makurunge will be able to study at night in well-lit rooms for the first time. they will gather together to learn, and know that they too may have a chance at a brighter future.

project: mataya dispensary

 

population: 2,000 people

location: bagamoyo district

cost:

summary: godbless mtega, the chief practitioner at mataya dispensary, treats close to 15 patients per day. he lives on-site at the clinic for medical emergencies, but he is not often woken in the middle of the night. without electricity or money for kerosene lamps after sunset, the remote clinic is nearly invisible to the 2,000 people living in three surrounding villages. patients that would seek emergency medical care at night stay home, risking their lives to wait until morning. with light in their medical clinic, the mataya dispensary will be accessible at all times of day to local people. A solar powered refrigerator will also provide them with storage for lifesaving medicines and vaccines, providing them for the first time with the 24-hour, fully equipped medical care they deserve.