Pictured:  This group of biology students from Dordt University spent about 10 days in East Africa doing medical and mission work.

By Jill Fennema –

Three women who were friends in the class of 1963 at SW MN Christian High School recently discovered that their progeny three generations later all had something in common. The granddaughters of Judy (Gilman) Bleyenburg, Rita (Rozeboom) Fey, and Karen (Buys) Rynders used part of their mid-term break from Dordt University to go on a medical mission trip to East Africa.

Three days after Christmas 2021, the three girls – Erica Bousema, Beatrice Rynders, and Sydney Van Hulzen, all passed their COVID testing and left for Tanzania with their biology professor, Dr. Robin Eppinga, and a group of about 14 other volunteers. This was the second time Syndey and Erica had traveled to Africa for this mission. They are both nursing majors. This was Beatrice’s first trip. She is a pre-med student at Dordt.

“When I was a sophomore here at Dordt, I heard about this trip and I knew I needed to be a part of it,” Sydney said. “I’ve always had a heart for missions and for nursing, so this trip was the perfect combination.”

The group arrived in Tanzania on Thursday, Dec. 30. They traveled to Mbuguni at the STEMM Campus. STEMM (Siouxland Tanzania Educational Medical Ministries), is a local US non-profit agency that ministers in areas of addressing the priorities of spiritual growth, medical care, and educational opportunities from a decidedly Christian viewpoint. It’s based in Sioux City, Iowa, and serves communities in northern Tanzania.

One of their first activities was a walking tour of the Mbuguni village and the Mbuguni medical clinic, including the newer birthing center. Hearing a worship service near the clinic, the group investigated and was invited to participate. After that, they toured the STEMM campus and farm.

On New Year’s Eve, they loaded up their vehicles with donations and headed to the homes of local villagers, mostly poor orphans and the extended family who are caring for them. The donations included toys for the children as well as food (rice and cooking oil) to last them the month. STEMM also pays for the children in these families to receive school supplies and medical care.

They went on six family visits that day. Professor Eppinga commented on Facebook that day, “It’s amazing how happy the people are, how welcoming and engaging the children are.”

That evening the group celebrated the arrival of the new year with a birthday party of one of the hosts there. They also had a bonfire and games to play. New Year’s Day began with worship with the STEMM children, followed by an unexpected ox cart ride tour of Mbuguni village and the surrounding area. They also stopped at two open air Maasai markets and learned a bit about Maasai culture. That evening, each member of the group planted a tree on the STEMM property.

On Sunday they worshipped in a remote Maasai church and later set up VBS-style activities for the local village children. Professor Eppinga commented, “It is a gift to see how God is working in this place,”

After the holiday weekend, the group was able to get into their hospital visits. In east Africa, the medical facilities come in four major levels – local village, regional, district, and national research hospitals. They learned and experienced a lot about the multiple levels of the hospital system there.

They toured Machame Hospital first, and discovered how blessed they are to have a good hospital system and available insurance.

The next two days they visited Mt. Meru, which serves a region of about 1 million people. Mt. Meru is a district hospital serving Arusha and the nearby villages in Northern Tanzania. The District Medical Officer opened up the hospital to the group, so the students selected departments and joined the medical students in training.

There were many highlights, including watching a C-section, doing blood draws, a few tonsillectomies, an orthopedic surgery to repair an ankle, internal medicine cases, a 3rd degree burn repair, and a compound fracture left untreated for two years.

The students also experienced radiology ultrasound imaging, a visit to the Occupational Therapy Clinic, and some action in the emergency room. They also got to hold and love some newborn babies.

Later in the week they toured Machame Hospital. Machame Hospital is a Christian hospital at the regional level. They toured pediatrics, obstetrics, pre- and post-natal, orthopedic, trauma surgery, general surgery, radiology, and other departments.

The students learned that there is a need for quality instrumentation and equipment, as well as for a functional insurance system that covers the working poor.

Beatrice Rynders, granddaughter of Karen (Buys) Rynders, is pictured with a child who lives at the STEMM campus.

Erica Bousema (left) granddaughter of Judy (Gilman) Bleyenburg, and Syndey Van Hulzen, granddaughter of Rita (Rozeboom) Fey, hold a set of preemie twins at an East African hospital.