FreMo Medical Centre

22 Jul 2011 5 Comments

by Faith Beltz in FreMO, Fundraising, Midwife mission trip, Nairobi

I first heard about FreMo from an email forward relating to an internet competition entry by Vicki Chan, a midwife from Australia. The Sunsuper Dream competition prize was $5,000 which Vicki proposed would pay for one annual salary of two Kenyan midwives needed for the new birth center renovations at FreMo. The dream won and from the moment I read of Vicki’s dream and FreMo, I knew I would have to visit them while in Nairobi.

FreMo Medical Centre was started one and a half years ago by two brothers, Fred and Moffat. It sits on the edge of a ‘slum’ called Kawangware, it’s mission to serve the underserved with care and respect. Vicki learned of FreMo from an article in her home country written by another volunteer, Natarsha Jazepczyk, both felt the same pull to FreMo. I believe there is just something about the heart of these brothers that creates a luminescence that draws you in.

Vicki met up with Natarsha and came to her first sight of FreMo on a mission to help renovate both the building and even ideas for woman who would come there to birth. I was lucky enough to arrive the day before Vicki left, and within minutes of meeting, I felt I had known her forever. This happens sometimes among midwives, probably because we share a place of such intense joy and sometimes sorrow in the circle of human existence.

Vicki and her supporters have left an amazing imprint on birth in Kawangware. A beautiful birth suite, flush toilets, shower, water tank, and more building improvements were just part of the changes. What she was more excited about was witnessing a new attitude to birthing women; where birth attendants encourage the woman to sway her hips to move the baby down while rubbing her back, and fathers excitedly participate in the birth. This is not usually how birth is done here in Kenya, but as you can imagine, once you experience birth with this type of love and reverence, you cannot tolerate it any other way. We all believe the FreMo will become an example for birth throughout all of Kenya!

So, I am just honored to hop on a train with a mission that is reigniting my passion and the beliefs that first drew me to midwifery. Grace and I will stay here in Nairobi for about a month and help at the center. Fred and Moffat have created a space for us to stay in a room they purchased for expanding the clinic. Natarsha will be here during our stay and she is the most perfect birth assistant, most helpful guide and most vibrant force of energy that keeps things moving.

We are using part of the donations and part of our own money to help finance the changes needed to have a second birth room. Don’t know that it will match the beauty of the room Vicki helped create, but we will do our best And of course, I am still desperate to return to GIWA. I will be making some trips out there to make arrangements for us to stay there the rest of our time here.