Year Joined MKLM: 1995
Country: Tanzania
City: Mwanza
Focus: Education, Healthcare
Project(s): Director of Uzima Center, Ilemela
People Served: 300 HIV+ adults and 30 HIV+ children; 144 orphans and vulnerable children
Project Goal(s): To enable people living with HIV/AIDS to achieve the highest quality of physical and emotional health as possible, and to assist orphans and vulnerable children so that they may have the same quality of life as other. |  |
Personal Data
Joanne Miya has lived and worked in Tanzania for over 20 years. Before living in Tanzania she resided in Victorville, CA where she participated in the Diocese of San Bernardino. Joanne earned a BS in Microbiology from San Diego State University and enjoyed a career as a Laboratory Technologist.
Her volunteer and mission work prior to joining MKLM includes service with the Catholic Worker Soup Kitchen in San Diego, and with Los Ninos, a program stationed in San Diego which serves Tiajuana, Mexico. Joanne also lived in the Panama Canal Zone as a military dependent for 4 years, which is where she first experienced overseas immersion.
Joanne came to MKLM in 1983 and served an initial three year contract. She remained in Africa and rejoined the organization in 1995. Joanne is married to Martin Miya, a Tanzanian community leader and the couple has five children.
Current Ministry
Joanne’s current ministry is as director of a project which serves people living with HIV/AIDS and orphans. At the Uzima Center, 88 orphans/at risk children are in primary school and receiving assistance, 50 orphans/at risk children are in secondary school, and 6 orphans are in vocational training programs in the community. Uzima means wellness in Swahili. The Uzima Center facilities are located on the parish grounds of Sacred Heart Parish in the Ilemela district of Mwanza.
Workers at the Uzima Center aim to delay the progress of the disease by providing nutrition, medicine, and education so that families remain intact longer. For the orphans and those who have lost one parent, workers hope to help them receive an education and to provide the emotional support necessary to become adults who are able to sustain themselves and contribute to society in a meaningful way.
All the orphans/at risk children live with one parent (other parent deceased), an extended family member, or other guardian. We hope to provide them with the same access to education and health care as other children and a chance for a better future. All people living with HIV/AIDS who have joined the program have done so because they are unable to meet deal with this burden alone. The emotional support and medical care they receive makes the difference.
Child beneficiaries of the center receive tutoring in math, geography, writing, reading, and grammar (English and Kiswahili). Morning and evening sessions are held four days each week. On Saturday mornings, one a month for each gender and age group, group activities are planned which focus on life skills. Students are also provided with school fees and uniforms. Children who make the commitment to come to Saturday events are also provided with notebooks. The adults that attend the center are provided with workshops about living with HIVAIDS, the need to take the ARV medication and its effect, and living responsibly.
Two nurses and a medical officer are on staff at the center. They help answer questions, provide medical advice and referrals to the local hospital, and medications when appropriate. Patients are also helped with the cost of transportation to and from the hospital. Food support is given on a “prescription” basis – each month the adults are weighed and provided beans, lishe flour, and vitamins, based on their personal state of fitness and health.
One staff member makes regular visits to the homes of the children enrolled in the program. An effort is made to make sure that the home environment is a positive one and that the emotional and physical needs of the children are being met. The schools are also visited to make sure that the children are attending and to indicate to the schools that we are interested in their education.
Once a month, the center hosts a gathering of all the children’s guardians so that they can talk with one another about problems, seek advice and assistance, and provide emotional support to one another.
In addition to her medical training, the most valuable experience Joanne brings to this ministry is her 26 years’ experience as a resident of Tanzania, being married to a Tanzanian for 23 years, and her experience of having raised her children in Tanzania. Joanne feels that these have given her a very different set of experiences than most missioners, especially in areas of language, culture and customs. HIV/AIDS is a medical challenge but an even bigger social challenge. It helps to have an understanding of both.
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