Miwani for Mwanza: First Day of Spring

Friday, March 20, 2009

First Day of Spring

Today is the First Day of Spring - when the Vernal Equinox occurs in the Northern Hemisphere.

In Tanzania, and the southern Hemisphere, it is the First Day of Autumn (the Autumnal Equinox). This means that this summer when we are on our trip to Tanzania it will actually be during their winter.

An equinox occurs twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, the Sun being vertically above a point on the Equator.

The name is derived from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night), because around the equinox, the night and day are approximately equally long.

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Miwani for Mwanza Mission

In July 2009 the “Miwani for Mwanza” mission team from Atonement Lutheran Church traveled from Overland Park to Mwanza, Tanzania. “Miwani” is the Swahili word for eye glasses.

While in Tanzania the team worked with International Health Partners to begin the construction of an eye clinic at the Nyakato Health Center. The eye clinic is critically needed to serve over 200,000 people in the Southern Lake Victoria area.

Dennis and Paula Lofstrom and IHP-TZ oversee the Nyakato Health Clinic through the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania.

In June of 2012 another team from Atonement will travel to Mwanza with the goal to finish the eye clinic as well as to serve in various medical roles. Several members of the M4M team are Health Care Professionals and during the trip will be providing medical & eye exams, treatments and eye surgery for the people in that area of Tanzania.

$36,000.00 US is needed to to purchase the supplies to complete the Ahlrichs Eye Clinic, and $21,000 of that has been raised already through a Golf Benefit last fall and the "Spread Some Salt" Gala & Silent Auction this past March.

Your contributions toward the final $10,000 needed to complete the Eye Clinic are greatly apprieciated by the M4M teams, IHP-TZ and the people of Mwanza. Asante Sana!

Click here to make a donation.