Life is Short
03 Jan 2012 6 Comments
in IDPs, Midwife mission trip Tags: malaria
I have been in shock since the phone call I received yesterday from Shalom. It was David’s father letting me know that he had suddenly passed away the day before. Even now, trying to write, I can hardly put my feelings into words. Grace and I are mourning and all I can think is how much I wish I was there at GIWA. It is proving to be very difficult to have those you consider family on two different continents.
For those of you who have not been able to get my “in-person” updates, we did find a placement for David before we left. It took many days, a lot of traveling and even more waiting; but we finally found the only school in Kenya specifically for children with cerebral palsy that was willing to accept David as a boarding student even though he would require more attention than most of the other children there. We were overjoyed as we watched the donations come in for the exact amount need for his tuition. When we left, all things were in place for David to begin school in January. We had delivered the long list of supplies he would need including a mattress and diapers for the year, as well as the costs for one of the parents to travel to the school on the monthly visitation days. Through the Catholic Diocese of Nakuru, he was supplied a properly fitted wheelchair, which we hoped would enable him to propel himself one day.
We and his parents were all so excited by the opportunities we hoped this would give to him and we shared our hopes for his future over the rare dinner of rabbit they prepared for the occasion. At 11 years old, this would be his first time to receive any schooling or therapy. David’s father told me that there had been many mzungu over the years to take his picture and make promises, but this time help was really happening.
The parents are handling the loss with courage and faith as Kenyans always do. Contrary to what many westerners seem to say and think, death is not easier for people of Africa. Yes, they experience it more often and they have a magnificent way of rising above their difficulties, but when a mother looses a child in Africa, she is no less broken. From what I can understand, he died from malaria.
The family hopes to bury him tomorrow. I am trying to contact the school for a refund of the year’s tuition in order to help with the hospital bill and cost of transporting him to Shalom.
I am sad. All I can do is try to help however I can from here. I am so grateful for knowing David. His smile, his warmth, his laugh.. we will never forget you.
Merry Christmas!
23 Dec 2011 1 Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: Africa healthcare, fundraising, IDP camps, video
True Thanks in Giving
29 Nov 2011 3 Comments
in Africa birth, Family, IDPs, Midwife mission trip
Grace and I have safely returned home! Just in time for Thanksgiving and I don’t know if I have ever spent the day so truly thankful for my friends, family, and all the blessings in my life. The trip home began with a 12 hour wait in the Nairobi airport and continued with inconveniences and delays. At one point we both cried, our hearts so anxious to see friends and family, but we knew, ultimately, it would be just another lesson in patience and endurance. Africa was abundant in lessons, the greatest classroom I have ever known. 
When people ask me, “How was It?”
I find myself saying, “Harder than I thought it would be.”
The other side is that it was also more life changing than I ever thought it would be. The difficulties that I experienced in Africa were many… physical discomfort, physical labor, lack of access to resources, overwhelm at so many needs, and most of all isolation. But what I gained in return is the most pure form of gratitude and joy that I have ever known. I understand a new depth of how blessed I am and how much my happiness in life depends on my appreciation of that fact. The people of Shalom know this and showed me what life is like when you make the best of what you have. I have made a p
romise to myself and my friends in Kenya that I will never forget them and what they have taught me.
Over the next few months, I will take time to tell some of the stories from Africa to keep me connected as I also prepare to embark on my next chapter in life. I have decided to close my midwifery practice because my heart tells me that it is time to do other things. I am not sure what that will be yet, though I do have a strong suspicion that women, birth, volunteering and Africa will all somehow be involved. Those things are a part of me that will never leave.
Again I have to give the most sincere “Thank You” to all of you for your prayers, friendship and support. May you also be filled with incredible joy that comes through Thanks and Giving!
Final Days
07 Nov 2011 9 Comments
in Fundraising, Goat Project, IDPs, Midwife mission trip
Well, I could not stay away from the computer for long. Things have remained peaceful in our area and the initial fear we felt has subsided. However, we remain very careful and are still planning to come back home early.
We made the long journey to purchase the goats. What a trip it was. I will never forget the smell of traveling almost four hours in a matatu (the public transportation vehicles which are the size of a VW bus) with 10 goats and 7 people! But we made it all the way back to the other side of Kenya
with pedigree Kenya Alpine Dairy goats for both projects. Some of the females were already producing milk and some are already pregnant, which means that they are already benefiting the members. One mother cried when we delivered her goat. We have set up training for the group which will be ten 2-hour lessons to start this week. I pray that these projects are a success and that one day it can be replicated to eventually result in health and income for the entire community.
Now our focus is on placement for David, pictured below with his family. He is 10 years old and has Cerebral Palsy, likely due to his birth which was unassisted. He cannot speak but is very responsive to sounds and touch and he has the most beautiful smile. He spends most of the day inside an
d I have found that some of his neighbors do not even know of him. This is probably due to the fact that disabilities are still often viewed as a curse here. There are almost no government services and very little general understanding or acceptance. I was able to bring him and his family to get an assessment. Now I am heading to the social worker again today to try and get him a placement in a small home for the disabled which I am hoping will also provide his first opportunity for any type of therapy or learning. So far, each time I have been to the social worker’s office, she is not in and they tell me that she is the only person in this area that can place him. I have learned that the cost for such a home will be somewhere around $300 – 400 per year and I have told the family that I will find sponsorship.
The cost of the goat projects were more than we expected and totaled $2,500, but thanks to the generosity of many of you, we had the funds to complete it. I have $150 in contributions left and need to complete the home for Agnes, a single mother of four still living in a tent, and sponsor David.
So, I am asking again for you to donate if you feel led or pass this on to anyone you may know.
As Grace and I prepare to come home, we are already reflecting on the things we have learned here. We know that we are forever changed by this experience and will never take so many of the blessings we have at home for granted. We also talk daily on how we might continue this work once we return because our extended time here has taught us a lot about what we feel the people really need.
We cannot say thank you enough for all of the love and support we have received. I hope each of you do understand the very real difference you have made for the people of Shalom and Kawangware. This mission was only possible because of you. May you all be richly blessed in return!
We go with Love until we see you again on our home soil!
Praying for Peace
27 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
From the time I first felt led to come to Africa, I have tried to remain open to spiritual guidance. I have watched God open doors and have felt angels protecting us. Now with the escalating war here and threat to westerners, I cannot ignore the feeling pressing on me that it is time to finish our work and return home. I have decided we will leave in just a few more weeks since our last month was meant for traveling anyway.
We feel very safe out at Shalom, but from now on I will avoid coming into the city and so will likely not be able to post again until we are safe at the airport. Today we carry back almost 20kgs of nails and other materials for the goat pens which are already being built. From now on our food supplies and other materials will come from the nearest small town.
We are going to work double time to complete the following projects before we leave:
- Build 11 goat pens for the single mother’s group
- Complete purchase of materials for 10 goat pens for the HIV group
- Finish bylaws and registration of groups
- Travel with livestock officer to other side of Kenya for purchase of goats
- Mud houses for two single mothers who are still in tents
- Complete building of kitchen example structure
- Find placement for two handicap children at Shalom who cannot attend the regular school
- Deliver fruit and visit with CTC International/ Malaika Kids school
- Organize and begin training with livestock officer for care of goats
All the while we will also be continuing the clinic as we have a mother due now and more sick people to tend to.
So, with that said, I have to go get back to work. My love and gratitude to all of you. Please keep us and all of Kenya in your prayers.
Shalom. May Peace be with You.
Ups and Downs
22 Oct 2011 3 Comments
in Africa birth, Family, HIV Africa, IDPs
It has been quite a week for us. The clinic is in full swing. We try to limit visitors to Wednesday and Fridays, but we still have people knocking on our door day and night. We assisted with another beautiful birth on Tuesday. A baby girl to a couple that we have grown very close to after the father was in a motorbike accident for which we provided emergency care. Grace remains my faithful assistant, she has become so knowledgeable and continues on even when tired or ill. When I get home to computers that work, I plan to devote a post to her. There will be so many stories to tell and pictures to share when we return.
Friday I traveled with the Chairman of Shalom to visit with the District Livestock Officer and look for supplies regarding our goat projects. Things take much more time and effort here in Kenya it seems. There is no “Home Depot” where you can shop, order and schedule delivery in one trip. Instead, we traveled to two different towns by motorbike, matatu and alot of walking. Business is done in a matter of referral and negotiation. Luckily, I have learned some of the tricks to avoid being overcharged but I admit I will be so happy to return to a land where the item’s price is just marked and everyone charged the same.
We have other hoops to jump through now to make our single parent and HIV groups official and registered so that they may receive benefits from the government agricultural department such as training. But at the end of the day we were unloading timber for 21 goat pens and promised to be allowed to purchase 6 purebred milking goats and 1 purebred buck. If this project is successful, it will mean a life change for some of the most vulnerable members of this community. One pure breed goat will sell for about half the annual wage of a middle class worker in Kenya. We have alot of work yet to see it complete, but we are determined!
Today there was a change in mood as we visited with two families in wake. One older couple, Nyaga and Beatrice, have been our friends since my first visit in January. We see Nyaga almost every day as he passes by our house on his way to the “shamba” (farm) to work. He carries only his “panga” or machete, no water, no food, and always wears his same sports coat. He has shared his story of the conflict with us, when his home and vehicle (which was also his income) were taken. He has showed me pictures of his youngest child who died at a young age from some sort of accident as best I can understand. Now, his oldest son has passed after being attacked by thieves and left for dead. He was in a coma for three days before dying. We donated money for them to travel to the far town, pay for the hospital bill and bring the boy back for burial. We sat and cried in their home as neighbors came by to offer condolences and their own donations. It is wonderful to be part of such a large community but also means you experience more loss.
As much as we miss home, we know a part of our hearts will remain in GIWA.
Going where needed
01 Oct 2011 3 Comments
in Africa birth, HIV Africa, IDPs, Midwife mission trip Tags: Africa healthcare, malaria, typhoid
I had a long post prepared describing the births at Shalom thus far and some about the culture of birth here in Kenya. I know many of you are waiting for those stories. But again, those posts will have to wait. Our plans for the day have changed as it appears there is a small outbreak of Typhoid in the upper camp.
Last week I took Margaret’s 9 yr. old daughter, Virginia, to the hospital after she had been sick with fever for several days. She tested positive for malaria and typhoid. My rapid malaria test had tested negative a few days prior. This morning I went to check on her and found her mother unable to move with similar symptoms for three days. Luckily I had more treatment medicine to give her. She has three children, the youngest is 8 mths. As you can imagine, with mother so sick, there was no water, no clean dishes, no food prepared for breakfast.
Virginia is still weak, but was well enough to help me get a fire going. I called and paid for water to be delivered and set into preparing some rice that I also brought for them. Many single mothers only have the maize and beans that they have harvested from their shamba to eat. Fortunately for the rains, they have that. When the dry season comes, life will be even harder.
I have heard that there are others that have come down with the illness, mainly in the upper camp. These residents are about 2km from the water source, making it harder to stay hydrated and clean and therefore more valnerable to disease.
So, Grace and I will buy many extra medicines today in town and begin walking through the camp to find the ones that are ill. We will pay the 15ksh needed to deliver 25 liters of water to those that have none and give instructions for boiling. We will also deliver some food to those in most need because a family cannot regain health without it.
Any other plans of ours will just have to be put on hold, walking in gratitude that we are currently in good health. May you all be in good health too!
P.S. I am happy to say that the Goat Project for the HIV group is under way. We have enough funds to purchase all the materials and begin the building of pens. I continue to pray and hold hope that the rest of the funding will come by the time we are ready for the goats.
I am also thrilled to announce that a generous donation by Motherly Way Maternity will fund another goat project for single mothers. I am convinced this is one of the best chances these people have for a healthy and prosperous future.
We will send the updates and eventually post those birth stories!
Keep us in your thoughts and May you all be blessed!
The Goat Project
19 Sep 2011 1 Comment
in Fundraising, HIV Africa, IDPs, Midwife mission trip
If only I had better access to a computer, so much happens here that I could write a post each day. Since I last wrote for example, we have provided first aid and paid for care of a man and ten year old child after a motorbike accident, cared for dozens of children with colds and infected sores, checked on a postpartum mother who delivered alone in her home, provided free malaria tests and prenatal care, and assisted with our first birth at GIWA (now known as Shalom).
But, when you only make it to town once a week and have to walk almost an hour to the road, wait for a matatu with free space, navigate through the busy streets of Nakuru, buy supplies in various markets, pay per minute to use a not-so-fast computer and make it home before dark; it makes for a busy day. I guess those stories will have to wait until I return home to my laptop and a way to upload pictures.
For today I want to tell you all about the Goat Project. I made contact with the HIV support group that meets regularly at Shalom. The current elected leader (chairman) of Shalom began a group back at The Showgrounds, which is where the IDPs first fled during the clashes of 2007 . He continued a group at the next camp Mawingu (where residents from Shalom were moved from and where IDPs are still in tents), and now at Shalom. The group is small, only about ten people currently. We know there are more in the village and the meetings are discrete and confidential, but as you can imagine due to stigma and shame, very few HIV+ people are willing to come forward.
I have felt very welcomed and bonded easily with the group. The chairman is such a kind and gentle man and it is obvious to me that he has earned and deserves the respect and trust of residents at Shalom, especially in a land where corruption and greed are common. The language barrier makes it difficult for me to talk much to the group, but I can see in their eyes how much they appreciate just being noticed and treated with respect.
At the last meeting, I relayed my desire to fund an income project for the group. I told them it would be up to them to decide what the project would be and to make the funding estimates and plan.
They have decided on goats. They realize the benefit that goat milk will provide for their health as well as the opportunity for income for their families. They also chose goats because they have a shorter gestation and will not require a lot of physical labor to upkeep, which is difficult on days when their disease might keep them in bed.
So, my goal is to fund the building of a goat pen for each member and purchase three goats. The goats will be a specific pure breed, of which there is already a male for breeding in the village. The babies will be given to members in a predetermined order and then once everyone has a goat, they will each be free to do what they wish.
Here is a breakdown of the cost:
- Iron sheets for roofs $16.00
- Post timber 7.70
- Cut timber for floors and walls 12.00
- Nails 2.80
- Hardware (hinges and locks) 1.50
Total cost for one pen = $40.00 Cost for ten pens = $400.00
- Goats $120.00 each x 3 = $360.00
- Transport – goats and materials = 40.00
- Transport – 3 people to town = 8.00
Total Cost of Project = $808.00
I am allocating $400 of the donations I have already received. I need to raise the rest of the cost so that I still have enough funds for the clinic and hospital bills before I leave. So, again I am requesting your participation in this effort. You can click the donate button here to fund a pen or a goat or just give a dollar if that is all you have. Every cent will count and it will be a very joyous day when the goats arrive!
Love and Blessings!
Settling in at GIWA
29 Aug 2011 5 Comments
in Africa birth, FreMO, Fundraising, IDPs, January Trip, Midwife mission trip
It has not yet been two weeks since we arrived from Kawangware to GIWA, but already we are starting to feel at home. Margaret was so generous to make space for Grace and I in her mud home. Margaret is the single mother that I transported to the hospital the day I left Africa in January.
She was past her due date and her baby was not engaged in the pelvis at all and I was beginning to worry that her placenta could be low and be the cause. It is such an adjustment to assist women here where it is so rare to get an ultrasound in pregnancy. So, that morning, we rose early and headed to Nakuru. I asked her to bring a friend because I would have to move on to Nairobi to catch my flight that same day. It was quite an adventure getting there because neither of us knew exactly where the government hospital was located. We took the motorbikes to the highway (yes, an overdue pregnant mama on the back of a motorbike) then the matatu to Nakuru, then boarded another matatu that told us it was headed in the direction of the hospital. I will never forget my frustration when we realized that the matatu was not heading in the right direction. January is very hot here and I couldn’t believe the driver had taken advantage of our lack of knowledge. We lost precious time and money, plus had to walk in the heat. Unfortunately, you come to learn that it is common here for people to take advantage of others to gain profit. Luckily, just when I am at my wit’s end with this practice, someone who is generous and kind will come along.
We did make it to the hospital that day and I guess the car ride jiggled the baby into position. So, with the baby now engaged, there was no ultrasound ordered and Margaret was instructed to return when she was in labor. I have since found that it seems to be common for babies not to engage until even labor here, maybe it has something to do with all the lifting and physical labor they continue with until delivery. I treated them to a special lunch and then left her with enough money to cover the cost of a vaginal delivery in the hospital ($30). We both cried and I promised her that I would be back.
There is one thing for sure about Kenyan culture. They very much expect you to make good on your promises, they will not forget. Margaret had been waiting for me since July. I was not able to afford for Grace and I to stay in the volunteer house through the organization, so it was a great relief to know that we had a place to stay since I desperately wanted to return to the people of GIWA.
Our stay at Margaret’s actually ended up being very brief. The volunteer house completely burned just weeks before our arrival along with everything in it, including the boxes of medical supplies that I left. I decided that the best use of our money for accommodation would be to reconstruct part of the volunteer house. This would also provide us with security since the “Corporal” would share th
e house, plus privacy which was becoming a necessity for me. The volunteer house it located away from the main camps and between the two. It was humbling and gracious to be housed within the community, fed and fussed over. But on the other hand, Grace and I did not have a minute to ourselves and found there were constantly a group of woman and children asking for things, trying to talk to us in Swahili or just watching our every move.
The work was completed quickly thanks to David, the contractor who I worked with at FreMo. We made the least burned side of the house livable in just two and one-half days. The small 8×10 room that used to function as the volunteer kitchen and then housed the Corporal and family after the fire is to become my small clinic. I have had a bed made and am stocking it with medicines. Already people are coming by like the 9 month old with severe burns on the arm of which I am changing his dressings often. This week we will begin the prenatal and first aid clinic on Wednesdays and Fridays.
We will only plan to travel to town once a week for supplies. Unless something comes up. Like today. We are in Nakuru to meet a father who approached me about helping with his wife’s hospital bill. She started labor at the small local hospital in Rongai, where most women of GIWA go to deliver. That hospital is a one hour walk or you must hire a motor bike and they do not have facilities for surgery. I do not yet know the full story, but apparently this mother had to transfer for cesarean for her third delivery on August 9. Fortunately, she and the baby are well but they have not been allowed to leave the hospital until they can pay their bill. This is common practice. Sometimes, a woman is not given care at all unless they put down a deposit. So, she and the baby have been waiting in a ward until the family can raise the balance of equal to $150. That is a very large amount of money for them. I told them I would pay half of the bill if they could raise the other half and they have done so. Today Grace and I will meet them at the hospital and witness her release and happy reunion.
That is the type of thing that the donations are going towards. I am not paying children’s school fees or buying uniforms or any of the other many needs of the community. I am only spending the money on medical needs. Here is a general breakdown so far.
- Supplies and extra baggage cost from home $400
- Construction and supplies of second birth room at FreMo $800
- Cash donation to VICDA for ground breaking of hospital at GIWA $225
- Re-construction of Volunteer house and clinic room $1000
- Medicines and supplies $150
- Hospital bill for Virginia (above) $75
Total donated $4000. Total spent $2650. I have spent my own funds on our tickets, shots, accommodations, food and personal supplies totaling around $4800. I will continue to keep track and continue to ask for your support. I have many ideas that I hope to implement such as holding community health classes and community income projects for the HIV+ and single mothers of GIWA. Plus I will be traveling once a month to other IDP camps in the area for mobile clinic days.
Thank you again for being a part of this mission. Rest assured that your money is doing very good work for the people here in Kenya. Please spread the word and keep your thoughts, prayers and financial support coming. Thank you!
New Perspectives
10 Aug 2011 5 Comments
in Africa birth, IDPs, Midwife mission trip, Nairobi
I imagine many people must wonder what led me to rearrange my life, move out of my home, leave my friends, and go without modern comforts and security while exposing myself and my daughter to possible disease and difficulty in order to spend every dollar I have on serving people who I do not know and may never see again.
I can tell you that it not for the reasons that most people seem to think. I am not some sort of hero or saint and it is not easier to attend births in Africa.
You see, somewhere inside of me there is a drive that doesn’t allow me to live a quiet and predictable life. There have been many times that I wished I was different. But for as long as I can remember, I have been seeking new perspectives in a quest to learn more about life and myself. And my soul cannot rest when I know that there is so much need and injustice in the world.
Yes, I am in Kenya to teach and to share, but I am also here to learn.
Even here in a slum of Nairobi, I am feeling blessed in abundance after visiting GIWA for a few days. There I slept on a dirt floor and shared food with those that had none. I reunited with mothers who told me their complications of birth of which they were lucky to survive and saw children with signs of malnutrition.
We cooked in the closed mud house which made our lungs ache and our eyes water from the smoke. I was shown scars that remained on those attacked in the post-election violence. I checked on orphans I know and met more.
Despite these hardships, the people greeted us with huge smiles and warm hugs. My friends from my previous trip went out of their way to welcome me and Grace and make us comfortable. You find the children laughing and playing even if they are cold or hungry or working harder than most adults I know in the states.
It was wonderful to be there and Grace and I can’t wait to return. We have decided to leave Nairobi and FreMo clinic with all of our things next week. We were asked for many things from people at GIWA and I know it will be difficult to face the fact that we cannot help them all. But, I will give all that we have. Because, that is the only thing that my conscience will allow me to do.
So, for now our double room of cinder block and tin, without running water or electricity here in Kawangware feels like a luxury hotel.
That is New Perspective.
