Kilimanjaro 2004

A climb to benefit the Neema Project

The challenge of raising money to improve the healthcare status in Tanzania became a personal goal of mine when I was accepted to volunteer for the Neema Project. The thrill of watching the sunrise from Uhuru Peak at 19,335.6 ft. (5,895 m), the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the African continent, was another motivation for my trip to Tanzania. Along with Stuart Bond and other IPSF volunteers, we embarked our journey on the Machame Route. Also known as the Whiskey route, as it is a trail to be savoured, the route provided us with a variety of terrain through valleys, river streams, and a rain forest. Because of the spectacular scenery along this route of Kilimanjaro, we choose this route. The money raised from this charity climb went towards purchasing a vaccine fridge, a microscope, and some much needed instruments for the Neema Project. I just wanted to thank people for supporting my climb and something that I felt that was truly important. To learn more information about the charity climb or my volunteer experience, click on the links at the bottom of the page.

- Dick Nguyen

The Charity

The Neema Village Concept Project (Neema VCP) is a Village Concept Project initiated by two pharmacy students located from different parts of the world. It began as a dream in 1993, and along with the help of the International Pharmacy Students Federation (IPSF) and many others involved over the past years, that dream turned into a reality with the opening of a dispensary in 2001. The main goal of the project is to improve the health status of the villagers residing in and around Kiromo, Buma and Mataya. This is done through various means, including the maintenance of a dispensary and the provision of health education.

The base of the Neema VCP is located in the Kiromo Village situated about 10 Km south of the headquarters of the medical district in the city of Bagamoyo, Tanzania. Pharmacy students from around the world have been working to help design the project and recruit volunteers. The dispensary is not only a place where medication is distributed, but it also serves as a mother-child healthcare centre and facilitates public health education within the villages. Project workers, such as I, hope to prevent and cure the most common diseases prevalent in the area. This includes raising awareness of the population to the most common illnesses and their prevention and treatment, as well as to train the villagers to face and solve the real situation and health problems of their everyday life.

Currently funds are needed to:

• continue supplying the dispensary with medication and equipment
• equip the new building with furniture and fixings
• continue the training of a pharmacy assistant and laboratory technician to work in the dispensary
• pay the local Tanzanian medical officer and nurse and set up a fund for these payments to continue after the handover
• continue supporting education campaigns

Journal of Kilimanjaro Climb