A Two-Hour Window


	Bill Norton prepares to transport a young AIDS patient to a hospital for treatment. (Photograph by Arthur Berry)

our years ago, when Bill Norton arrived at the Seventh Day Adventist Kibidula Farm in the southern highlands of Tanzania, conditions were rough. He had no telephone, running water, or electricity. The nearest post office was an hour's drive away, and mail delivery was slow and unreliable. Today Bill continues to live at Kibidula and still gets by without a telephone. But thanks to a satellite that connects him to the Internet, he's now able to keep in touch with the rest of the world.

Each day during a two-hour window when VITAsat, a low-orbit satellite, passes overhead, Bill sends and receives Internet messages between his Seventh Day Adventist Kibidula Farm and the outside world. He relies on this faithful cyberlink to receive important medical information for the doctors in Kibidula.


	It's not unusual for Norton to have to clear an impromptu runway for his self-built Zodiac two-seat propeller plane. (Photograph by Arthur Berry)


	Norton watches as a male nurse attends to a sick child in a remote section of Tanzania. The airplane used to ferry passengers sits in the background. (Photograph by Arthur Berry)

Because road conditions and high-fuel costs make overland travel in Tanzania difficult, flying is cheaper than driving. Bill recently ordered an assemble-it-yourself Zodiac two-seat propeller plane over the Internet. He relied on his wireless Net connection to stay in touch with the manufacturer, Zenith Aircraft Company of Mexico, Missouri, whenever he encountered construction problems. Now the finished airplane allows Kibidula doctors to fly into the Tanzanian bush twice a week to visit remote clinics.

The Internet has also allowed Bill to stay in touch with people he cares about. "You cannot imagine how dramatically the ability to communicate has changed our lives," he exclaims. "By being reachable through the Internet, I have seen a surge of support from family and friends scattered around the globe. People who only sent Christmas cards at best are now in touch every week. We feel as close as if we were living in the next country. It is truly amazing!"

http://vita.org