Visit of the Italian Ambassador to Tanzania and to the Dream Center of Iringa
The Iringa region in the south of Tanzania is not as famous for its natural beauties as the Kilimanjaro or the island of Zanzibar, which are tourism destinations. However, it is a beautiful area dotted by high mountains with a very pleasant climate. In Iringa there is a significant presence of Italians, religious missions, NGOs that over the decades have settled in this area and have undertaken various initiatives in favor of the population. It was for this reason that the new Italian Ambassador in Tanzania, dr. Luigi Scotto, enthusiastic connoisseur of Africa, wanted to visit some of these realities, and among them the Dream Care Center and the Molecular Biology Laboratory.
The Ambassador arrived at the Dream Center after having inaugurated the new department of Pediatrics and Maternity at the regional hospital in Iringa, funded by the ASL of Vicenza. Dr. Gaetano Azzimonti from CUAMM accompanied him and they found the staff of the center as well as many patients waiting for them. Dr. Kingaru, medical coordinator of the Dream centers in Tanzania, welcomed them. The staff has then illustrated with passion the work of Dream in all its aspects, from the software to the relationship with all patients, from the delivery of the filters for potable water to the counseling, to the post-enrollment of patients, throughout all the operations of the center.
The Ambassador visited every room and talked with each operator, showing interest in the activities of each one and asking many questions. He focused specifically on the role of the activists, wanting to better understand their activities and the challenges that they still have ahead, in particular in a region like that of Iringa that to date remains the area with the highest prevalence of AIDS in the country: 14%.
Dr. Scotto was very impressed by the high standard of the center and the laboratory, adding that it is one of the finest treatment centers that he saw in Africa.
He then thanked the community for its commitment to peace in the world and the staff for their work.
We accompanied the Ambassador from the Dream Center to the Association Nyumba Ali (The House with wings), a small Italian NGO that deals with disabilities. He met some of the 22 children who attend the day care center for disabled children run by Bruna and Lucio, founders of Nyumba Ali, with which Dream has been cooperating since years. Dr. Scotto appreciated very much this aspect of the friendship and cooperation. Creating networks has always been a priority for Dream, due to its desire to help as many people as possible and it unites us to the many who have the same passion for Africa and its people.