What do a concrete mixer and better cardiac care in Africa have in common? More than you might think. In this blog, you can read how volunteers from the Netherlands, with support from companies such as H.J. Poppink B.V., are contributing to better healthcare in Tanzania.

Concrete mixers for KCMC

Construction company H.J. Poppink B.V. in the Netherlands recently picked up a special load: two large concrete mixers. These were not intended for a local project, but for a hospital thousands of kilometres away – the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) in Moshi, Tanzania.

The concrete mixers are part of a broader initiative in which volunteers collect materials for healthcare institutions in Africa. The coordination is done by Salah Said, who has been involved in medical projects in Tanzania and Egypt, among other places, for many years. Together with volunteers, this time they took on the heavy task of loading the mixers manually, without a forklift or other heavy equipment.

The final destination of this delivery includes the new cardiac centre currently under construction on the KCMC site. This hospital plays a crucial role in healthcare in the region and is struggling with a lack of adequate infrastructure. Although concrete mixers may not seem to have anything to do with medicine, they are indispensable for building operating theatres, examination rooms and patient wards.

‘Without a forklift, it was quite a lot of heavy lifting,’ says one of the volunteers, ‘but the three of us managed it in the end.’ This is typical of the attitude of this team: down-to-earth, practical and, above all, committed to the goal.

The concrete mixers are currently being stored in a warehouse in Holten. Once enough material has been collected to fill a 40-foot shipping container, all goods will be shipped together to Africa. There, a local team will ensure that everything ends up in the right place and is put into use immediately.

Thanks to the willingness of companies such as H.J. Poppink B.V. and the dedication of volunteers, hospitals such as KCMC have the opportunity to expand and improve care for thousands of patients every year.