Matthew is Determined and Dignified
May 13, 2025
Matthew was determined to get me to an ATM. It didn’t matter that we needed to be at the hospital 15 minutes ago, or the traffic was thirty cars deep, or even that he was in the wrong lane to turn right. Matthew was a man on a mission.
There was no way to tell him that my request wasn’t urgent – we could go later or even tomorrow. I don’t speak enough Swahili for that kind of exchange, and he is limited in English to a boisterous “good morning” (which he proudly exclaimed upon seeing me every morning).
(Side note: Ratish didn’t know that I had asked the Sisters if we could go to an ATM, so I’m sure he was wondering where we were headed at all. Like Matthew, Ratish never complains about any idea I have, no matter how ridiculous it is.)
As I watched Matthew set his jaw and drive the wrong way for a few meters before cutting another car off to get into the correct lane, I marveled at his perseverance. This is our third trip to St. Joseph Hospital in Moshi, Tanzania, and Matthew has been involved with every visit. His official job is not to drive us around and find ATMs – he has worked in the maintenance department at St. Joseph for 10 years. But clearly, even to me as an outsider, he is the type of employee who does whatever it takes to make things run smoothly. (Even if that means beating traffic at 8 a.m. so an American can go to an ATM.)
If I had to provide a blanket description of Tanzanians, I would choose “dignified.” And Matthew, especially, is a man who epitomizes dignity. I’m sure I don’t have to explain precisely what I mean, because you know someone like this too. He looks people in the eye when he speaks, he carries himself with pride and he acts with care and precision. He is, without a doubt, a class act. I’m sure Matthew had other things he needed to be doing at work this morning, but he treated us as though we were the greatest priority he had.
Ratish and I have spent the last two days helping our colleagues at St. Joseph Hospital unload a 40-foot container of medical supplies and equipment that shipped from our warehouse a few months ago. It’s an incredible project to be a part of. The people at St. Joseph’s overall don’t have the same access to warehouse equipment that we do. Their “dock” is a hand-constructed layer of cement blocks. The only time they used a forklift was to transport a 1,700-pound C-arm. Everything else – hospital beds, incubators, EKG units – were unloaded from the container by hand, placed into the bed of a pickup truck, and then carried up flights of stairs to the department where they belong. And, having “helped” by carrying a few IV poles (which is the global health version of “I carried a watermelon” if you remember the movie “Dirty Dancing”), I can tell you that these men did this work with dignity and joy, and you guessed it – Matthew is a leader in the container unloading project.
The team at St. Joseph Hospital doesn’t have the same access to medical supplies and equipment that our hospitals in the United States do. However, that’s the only difference between us. They take the same pride in their profession as our health care providers do, show the same resolve to do whatever it takes to help their patients and have the same high-quality standards for care – regardless of the patient’s ability to pay.
Their partnership with Mission Outreach, now in its third year, attempts to close this health disparity gap that exists with medical material resources. We are blessed to receive surplus medical supplies and equipment from our donors at HSHS, Prevea, Ascension, Mercy Health, OSF Health and other hospital/clinics who are generous to us. Our team prepares and ships these items with care, and we see often that much of what is sent is used immediately – it goes from container to direct patient care, sometimes within the same day.
We also encourage our colleagues at St. Joseph to tell us what else they need – operating tables, infant CPAP machines (for clinical use), fetal monitors, equipment training. We write it all down, and we resolve to do whatever it takes to help them get what they need to provide the best patient care possible, just as we would do for our own families and community.
Our colleagues at St. Joseph thank us, and now I am thanking you, for making this partnership possible.
Like our friend Matthew, we are people are on a mission, united together and committed to human dignity – that all people, no matter where they happen to be born, have the same chance for a healthy and fulfilling life.
Photo Caption: I took this photo last year at the container unloading. Matthew (in the blue jacket) stands in the center of the action.
There was no way to tell him that my request wasn’t urgent – we could go later or even tomorrow. I don’t speak enough Swahili for that kind of exchange, and he is limited in English to a boisterous “good morning” (which he proudly exclaimed upon seeing me every morning).
(Side note: Ratish didn’t know that I had asked the Sisters if we could go to an ATM, so I’m sure he was wondering where we were headed at all. Like Matthew, Ratish never complains about any idea I have, no matter how ridiculous it is.)
As I watched Matthew set his jaw and drive the wrong way for a few meters before cutting another car off to get into the correct lane, I marveled at his perseverance. This is our third trip to St. Joseph Hospital in Moshi, Tanzania, and Matthew has been involved with every visit. His official job is not to drive us around and find ATMs – he has worked in the maintenance department at St. Joseph for 10 years. But clearly, even to me as an outsider, he is the type of employee who does whatever it takes to make things run smoothly. (Even if that means beating traffic at 8 a.m. so an American can go to an ATM.)
If I had to provide a blanket description of Tanzanians, I would choose “dignified.” And Matthew, especially, is a man who epitomizes dignity. I’m sure I don’t have to explain precisely what I mean, because you know someone like this too. He looks people in the eye when he speaks, he carries himself with pride and he acts with care and precision. He is, without a doubt, a class act. I’m sure Matthew had other things he needed to be doing at work this morning, but he treated us as though we were the greatest priority he had.
Ratish and I have spent the last two days helping our colleagues at St. Joseph Hospital unload a 40-foot container of medical supplies and equipment that shipped from our warehouse a few months ago. It’s an incredible project to be a part of. The people at St. Joseph’s overall don’t have the same access to warehouse equipment that we do. Their “dock” is a hand-constructed layer of cement blocks. The only time they used a forklift was to transport a 1,700-pound C-arm. Everything else – hospital beds, incubators, EKG units – were unloaded from the container by hand, placed into the bed of a pickup truck, and then carried up flights of stairs to the department where they belong. And, having “helped” by carrying a few IV poles (which is the global health version of “I carried a watermelon” if you remember the movie “Dirty Dancing”), I can tell you that these men did this work with dignity and joy, and you guessed it – Matthew is a leader in the container unloading project.
The team at St. Joseph Hospital doesn’t have the same access to medical supplies and equipment that our hospitals in the United States do. However, that’s the only difference between us. They take the same pride in their profession as our health care providers do, show the same resolve to do whatever it takes to help their patients and have the same high-quality standards for care – regardless of the patient’s ability to pay.
Their partnership with Mission Outreach, now in its third year, attempts to close this health disparity gap that exists with medical material resources. We are blessed to receive surplus medical supplies and equipment from our donors at HSHS, Prevea, Ascension, Mercy Health, OSF Health and other hospital/clinics who are generous to us. Our team prepares and ships these items with care, and we see often that much of what is sent is used immediately – it goes from container to direct patient care, sometimes within the same day.
We also encourage our colleagues at St. Joseph to tell us what else they need – operating tables, infant CPAP machines (for clinical use), fetal monitors, equipment training. We write it all down, and we resolve to do whatever it takes to help them get what they need to provide the best patient care possible, just as we would do for our own families and community.
Our colleagues at St. Joseph thank us, and now I am thanking you, for making this partnership possible.
Like our friend Matthew, we are people are on a mission, united together and committed to human dignity – that all people, no matter where they happen to be born, have the same chance for a healthy and fulfilling life.
Photo Caption: I took this photo last year at the container unloading. Matthew (in the blue jacket) stands in the center of the action.
