Lydia Hartsell

Anand and I had the first-in-a-lifetime experience two weeks ago when we became the newest recipients of international donor funds.  Our class had traveled to Tanga to gain firsthand experience in health systems management and monitoring and evaluation.  We were told that we would receive payment upon our return.  A week later, the professor called us over and handed each student  US $100!! As we counted the money, Anand and I giggled with glee at the thought of just receiving a good chunk of money for attending an educational conference.  We couldn’t stop smiling;  Christmas had come in May.  On the contrary, our fellow students acted as if nothing had happened.  They remained stoic, if not unimpressed.  Concerned with their unappreciative attitude, we asked them why they were not excited to have just received the money. Most replied that it was the norm to get paid for attending a training or conference and some even complained that the sum was too small.  We both were flabbergasted!  I guess the saying, “Pay for sitting,” instead of “pay for performance,” is really the case in Tanzania.  Health professionals get paid to sit and attend conferences to improve their skills, not in the actual utilization of those skills.  We told our classmates that they should be thankful because in the United States, health professionals have to pay for their own education, pay for continued educational credits, and pay to attend conferences.  Apparently in Tanzania, donor money pays for not only attendance costs, but also per diems to all those in attendance.