Taking back the blog – Sunday February 27, 2011

So just to warn those of you that have been following the blog to see what your friends and family are up to while in Kenya, I’m taking my blog back. Feel free to check in if you want to track my travels, as this month will be around the southern US states, but just a warning that it no longer is the official MCOH blog. The tone may become more sarcastic and random. There… you’ve been notified.

(If you are leaving….thanks for reading the blog! I’m sure it means a lot to your people that they know some of your stories already!)

Stalling before getting on combis

So on the drive back to the airport, it was long. Really long! We were hoping to lounge by the pool at the safari until 2 in the afternoon, since it’s a 4 hour drive and our flight isn’t until midnight, but our drivers were worried we were not leaving enough time, so they changed it to eleven. Well poo. That’s barely any pool time! Oh well, we made the best of it and the combi I ended up in had so many fun people in it, that we had a blast on the drive. I had my music playing on the laptop for the first two hours, then when the computer died, we took to singing ourselves. We sang every song anyone knew at least three of the lines to, from country to the beatles, p!nk and even lion king. I feel bad for Greg and Charlie, our male companions, and Heather who were very good sports, and even helped out with a line or two. Adrian, Courtney, Jenn, Shawna and I had the best time belting out songs that made the long, hot, dry drive go much faster than I ever thought it could.

I loved everyone in our combi and could have spent another month with them without any qualms. That was one of the best things about being on this trip: you’re surrounded by kind, loving people with the same desire as you, simply to help people, for a whole month! It’s so great to be around so many nice genuine people for such a long period of time, that it seems odd to join the real world again and get shoved in the airport line or to say hello and not have someone even acknowledge you said something. It’s also really nice to have such a single-minded focus and purpose. To know exactly what it is you’re doing – anything this poor town needs to improve: schooling, food, health concerns, etc. It’s such a selfish thing to go on these missions, because while you’re there, life is so easy. Sure you’re busy, barely sleeping, eating weird food, totally thrown out of your comfort zone, and working 24/7 in some capacity, but there are so many benefits that you reap, it no longer seems like altruism, the only word to describe it is selfish. Odd, huh?

There was some virus that hit almost everyone during the three weeks. There were a few of us who avoided it though, and oddly enough, it was the people who drank the most that were immune. Karen attributed this to the alcohol itself, but I disagree. I think it’s because we all took a few hours of each day to gather, giggle, relax, and unwind from a hard day. Laughing is a great thing, and I think it is what protected us from the explosive bug that rendered the unlucky patients to stay within 10 feet of their longdrop for a day or two at a time. Ick! I bring this up because some people were unfortunate enough to be experiencing this on the long drive. I don’t envy them at all and vow to laugh more to keep my immune system up! I may go back to my normal drinking habits of once a week or so, as my liver can’t take the Mikinduri routine for a long period.

We went shopping once we arrived 3 hours early in Nairobi. I’m not complaining that nothing went wrong, but frankly I would have preferred 3 hours at the pool watching animals. We had a great Brazilian steakhouse dinner, which if you’ve never been, is an endless array of different meats on spits. The Kenyan version of this was camel, goat, lamb, beef, chicken, and sausages. You have a little card on your table that when the green side is showing, they keep bringing you meat until you flip it to red. Basically it’s a buffet you don’t even have to stand up for. How gluttonous and delicious! I was especially fortunate to sit with more of my favorite people at dinner, and just savored the last few moments of friendship on this trip, before I went my separate way. At the airport, everyone else flew together to Montreal (with a few exceptions) so they still have a long day together, but I left an hour before they did, so I had to say goodbye early. This year there were no tears as I was actually able to say goodbye. Last year, I had planned to meet up with them after security, but since that never happened, I was suddenly in a solitary state after being one of 30 for a month. It was such a shock in London when I arrived, I could do nothing but cry at my sudden seclusion. This year though, was great to give everyone a hug, get closure, and plan to see them soon. A month from now I’ll be back on PEI so will get to see many of them again, whereas last year I just had a tentative plan to move to the Island, which even my mother thought was just a retreat high and would eventually dissipate. Some things just stick.

In London airport, I was treated to wait my 7 hour layover in the lounge. I arrived a 5am London time after 9 hours on a plane, and wasn’t scheduled to leave until noon. The first plane ride wasn’t too bad, despite being squeezed in between two tall men, one of them being both wide and tall and needing to use the bathroom every two hours, forcing me to wake the poor sleeping tall man next me on many occasions. That was a long 9 hours; not going to lie. Luckily the lounge was peaceful with no announcements and even fantastic free food. I got up to go to the bathroom at one point and stumbled across some showers. Oh my! I had the hottest, most rejuvenating shower, and it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time! It was the start of a new day and this evening I would see my sister and mom! I was even able to brush my teeth, dry my hair, put on make-up, and put a new shirt on that I had bought just to feel clean! This was the start of a great day, even if it was only separated by a catnap to the last day.

It’s funny the things you appreciate away from Kenya (and thus back in civilization). I had a toilet in the bathroom. I know! It wasn’t just a hole in the floor. I still get excited when I see that pristine porcelain luxury. I hope that takes a while to wear off as it’s great to be excited that many times a day. Plus…I was in London! That means candy, chocolate, and gummies! The three years I lived in England in high school, I learned more about the sweets than anything else, and it’s what I remember most! I filled up a nice big bag of snacks, and hopefully there’s even one or two left by the time I get to Phoenix to share with Ma and Linds.

So random story. (Just for Jamie…she likes random stories). All my gadgets are breaking. My headphones don’t even work. How is that even possible? Within the last 10 hours, my crappy backup headphones broke, my fancy noise reduction ones don’t work, my ipod has called it quits, and the light in plane over my seat went out halfway through the flight. What is up? I am fearful to use my computer or kindle for too long as they might succumb to the virus. Hey –maybe I successfully avoided the flu everyone had but my gadgets caught it. Oh no!

The flight to Philadelphia has been less eventful, though equally long as the first flight, and my computer is telling me I would be going to bed now in Nairobi instead of landing in Phili with 9 hours left in the day. Huh.

Plan for the next month: Phoenix for a few days, San Antonio for a few days, Alabama girls trip for a few days, Washignton DC spring break with the other girls, then back to PEI for end of March. Oh yeah, my birthday is somewhere in there too! This is an exciting month! Oh and did I mention I’m driving for all of that. The idea of sitting in a car after all the combi and plane time does not sound appealing, but since twitching my nose doesn’t have the same effect that it does for Elizabeth Smart, I suppose I’ll drive.  Oh – coming back to civilization also means returning to my cell phone. Bummer. I didn’t miss it. I love this blog as I feel like this is communication. Why do I need the phone too? If everyone just kept a blog, I wouldn’t have to call anyone at all. Get on it people.

Safari! Friday, February 25, 2011

Sweetwater on the equator!

Friday morning we packed up, had our last meal in Mikinduri, and split ways. One combi went to tour a mission hospital called Chaaria. Two combis went to do a bit of shopping in Meru, and one was an express to the safari. In Swahili, ‘Safari’ just means journey, but we were on a safari to what we call a safari! We had a beautiful two hour drive and along the way, saw wild baboons, giraffes, and a huge change in landscape from a tropical green to an arid dryness you expect of Kenya. You could see Mount Kenya growing closer and clearer. We arrived at the safari site Sweetwater and they welcomed us with a cool wet towel to wash our hands and a nice fruit drink. Our rooms are tents, but only because they’re surrounded by canvas. They have nice bed, sheets, plush pillows, granite showers, and electricity.



giraffes!



The rooms open up to the wide open plains, separated with a small ditch and unnoticeable electric fence. As a result, there were animals including giraffes, zebras, impalas, wart hogs, and many different birds wandering only 30 feet in front of us! We sat on our front porch watching our own private nature show! We were so pampered there with a beautiful pool that overlooks a water hole where animals gather. The food was a huge buffet with different cheeses, pompadoms, Indian food, Canadian food, African food, desserts, and salad! Oh how I have missed leafy green salads! The food has been great up until now and we’ve been well fed, but there has been a large concentration on carbs and fruit, not many green vegetables. We were all craving a nice leafy salad for the last week, and oh boy did we enjoy it at the lodge!  

Fantastic tree with Adair and Courtney

A few people went out for an evening safari to find animals. The combi’s that we’ve been riding around in have a top that pops up so you can stand inside the van and look out at the animals. Our drivers went to school for two years to become qualified and knowledgeable in everything Kenya, so any question we had they answered. That group saw giraffes just outside the fence and even a cheetah that evening. We had a wonderful dinner, and all ate quite gluttonously trying a bite of every dish, savoring the flavors we had missed. We all went to ask Grania for advice on dessert as she sampled every one and informed us which were the best! After dinner we quickly dispersed and enjoyed our nice soft beds that were mosquito net free! Some people recalled stories of waking up in the middle of the night all rolled around their net and some even finding they had torn it down! It was a treat to sleep without one again.

Baby Zebra

We all woke up early Saturday morning to go on a safari to look for animals. When you unzipped your tent and came out, everything was so serene, and you could see the sun just starting to come up over Mount Kenya and the animals coming out for their morning coffee. We jumped in the combis full of anticipation and armed with sweaters as it was really cold. You could see your breath and with all the windows open and the top up, it was a chilly drive! Right outside the gate, we saw a cheetah enjoying breakfast, the white rear end of the gazelle. While we were enjoying the view and snapping pictures, a few jackals arrived to finish what the cheetah didn’t want. You could practically hear the British commentator describing the scene on the National Geographic channel.



Sunrise!



 In the next hour, we saw giraffes, zebras, water buffalo, wart hogs, gazelle, impalas, a few rhinos, a baboon, and we thought we had hit the pinnacle of our trip when we saw a zebra nursing, but were soon proved wrong. On the way back to camp, we saw a lioness! She was sitting with her back to us and laying 100 feet away, completely unconcerned with our presence. It was incredible! The people who have been on multiple safaris even commented that this was the best safari in terms of the variety of animals in the 5+ years they’ve been coming! We felt so fortunate and the day wasn’t even over!

beautiful bird

We came back to the lodge, had a wonderful breakfast, and went about our ways to get maximum relaxation. Some of us had luxurious massages, some lounged by the pool, and the more energetic of the group went to a local Masai village where they show you all about the Masai culture, the huts people live in, dances, clothing, and how they make their livelihood. We met back up for a great big lunch, unsure how we could possibly fit more food in our stomachs, but insistent to try the different delights.

That afternoon we went to the Jane Goodall Chimpanzee Conservatory just a few minutes away. They have 41 chimps on the huge facility, each of them rescued from a bad situation. One of the chimps Pogo was subjected to a cage where he could only sit or stand for years at a time until he was rescued. When he came to the camp, he had to be taught by the other monkeys to run on his hands and play. While we were there he stood so erect that you were sure he was a very hairy human. Each one had a similar story that was just heartbreaking, but at the same time it was so comforting to know there was somewhere these monkey could go. The chimps all came to the fence of the enclosure to say hello. They had so much understanding and wisdom in their faces, you could see the distinct personality in each one. One of the monkeys had a stick and was trying to dig his way out of their huge 100+ acre enclosure, that was surrounded by an electric fence. He was so intelligent that he was using one stick to dig and the other to push the electric wire up so he wouldn’t be shocked. It’s not surprising that there’s only 1 small chromosomal different between humans and chimps.

They then walked us around the corner and we saw a hippopautumus in the water! There were actually a few of them! These are one of the most dangerous animals in Africa because they are mean, and if you’re in between them and the water, they have no problem running you over to get there. We headed back to the hotel and relaxed with each other, trying to savor the last moments of each other’s company and the Kenyan landscape. It’s such a huge dichotomy compared to Mikinduri that it took a bit of time to adjust, but don’t worry, we eventually got used to the pampering.

Just before dinner there was traditional Masai dancers in their tribal wardrobe, and many of the Canadians joined in the dance. The women wore a great multitude of beaded necklaces, to the point that their neck becomes weak if they’re removed. I was told that the women with colored beads are married and those with plain necklaces are single. Since a man is allowed to have multiple wives, the women who decide to leave the arrangement let him know by leaving all of her colored necklaces in the hut and returning to her parents. The man is then forced to go to the parents house with a cow to try to win back her affection! We then enjoyed a traditional African dinner and although it was delicious, we had been eating that for a few weeks so it was not quite as exciting and scrumptious as for those tourists just there on holiday. I did enjoy the chapatti, arrow root, and pawpaw (papaya) mousse, and of course the cheese selection! We went our separate ways that night a bit sad that our vacation was over and we would be parting ways, but a bit excited to get home to our families.

On Sunday we have the 4 hour drive to Nairobi with a little time for last minute shopping and a nice meal before getting on our midnight flights. We savored the last few minutes of pool time watching a herd of zebra getting a sip of water, before climbing into the combis to leave. We’ll see you all soon and thank you for your support of Mikinduri and Chalice. We saw many wonderful things, met amazing new friends, and were all touched at many points. Please ask us about our experiences as everyone has so many stories about patients, local Kenyan friends, and new Canadian friends!




A cheetah and its kill

 



The reflection of a tree in the water

 




A lioness!

 

Last Day of Clinics - Thursday, February 24, 2011

Lions Club Cataract Surgery patients

Our last day of clinics was spectacular! We had a half day and were all ready to fit as many patients in as we could. We saw 60 in medical, mostly young children, 15 in dental as Bill was the only dentist, and 150 in vision. When I arrived, there were 60 people waiting in the medical tent, about to be taken by matatu (Kenyan taxi) to Nairobi for cataract surgery! Our partnership with the Lion’s club is immediately benefitting 60 people!

We also had a public teaching area that Jenny was in charge of to teach the importance of mosquito nets, washing hands, and other information that is so obvious to us that has never been taught to the Kenyans. They go to this tent after registration before going to the specific clinic. In the medical tent, they then speak with Adrian and a Kenya nurse to determine whether or not their case is serious enough for the doctors. Adrian describes this triage area as being a pied piper. Every time she moves slightly, all the people follow!         

We had a great day at clinics, and just before lunch I went with Father B to make a speech to the crowd of patients still waiting. This was something that I expected to be in Ted or Greg’s job description as administrators of the camp, but they were both on medical runs! So I walked out with Father B to address a crowd of hundreds patiently waiting to be seen. I started with ‘Thank you for coming’, then moved on to ‘Sorry we are closed for the year’.  Saying no to patients has become way too easy to easy! I then referred them to the Lion’s club and APDK clinics that are now regularly scheduled, and I encouraged them to support each other in the community to push our community based health care initiative. Somehow, I developed political abilities as by the end of the speech, everyone was smiling and left quietly even though they weren’t seen. Great!

After lunch we tore down camp, did inventory and packed everything up. A few people went to experience the Mikinduri market, a huge flurry of activity, like any market, but this has the bonus that every person there is staring at the crazy looking wazungos! They bought machetes, sarongs, amazing blankets, jewelry, wood carvings, and avocados for only 5 shillings (8 pennies!).

We went to Father Bernard’s complex for the going away party! It was fantastic fun filled night with dancing with the locals to Kenyan, Jamaican, and American music. There was a great goat feast and an open bar. While we were all too tired to do any damage, we did share a drink with the Kenyans. Many of us also received beautiful gifts from the locals, included beaded jewelry, a wooden rosary, etc. They’re so sweet and were so gracious about the difference we made while we were in Mikinduri. We assured them that their town is beautiful and thanked them for being so welcoming.

Libby and Adrian with Local Kids

It is impressive the difference MCOH and Chalice has made in Mikinduri. The children are nourished, there are many more children in school, parents are happy, and based on the welcome we received, we think the people are happy as well. In the 9 days of clinics, we saw 3800 patients! 800 in Medical, 800 in Dental, 1800 in Vision, and over 1200 people got prescriptions from the pharmacy! It’s fantastic to be able to help so many people in a small way, and give 34 volunteers the experience of a lifetime! Helping people has been so rewarding and learning so much about the different Kenyan cultures has been fantastic!  MCOH has made such a difference in this little town’s existence, and what has been especially encouraging for them is that there is a place across the world that cares about them and want to see them succeed. My thanks goes out to everyone who has supported us financially and emotionally, and I wish you could see the impact it has made! Please continue your support as only $20 goes so far in Kenya. We’re all tired and ready for a safari rest, but also anxious to come see our families. We’ll see you in a few days. Thanks for your support! (Www.mikinduri.com)

Routine…for Kenya - Wednesday February 23, 2011

What a cutie!

Our translators are completely awesome! Last year many of them were good, but some had problems being on time and took long lunches. This year, the local MCOH team (Francis and Antony) has done a fantastic job of organizing the patients and volunteers. Things have runs so smoothly all week due to their efforts. The translators arrive before we do, stay until the end, work very hard all day long, and have fantastic translating abilities. You can tell they’re proud to help their community. The patients have  been coming in an organized fashion, with little of the bedlam from previous years, so I have to applaud the fantastic efforts of Antony and Frances, because logistically, this clinic has been so smooth!



Keloid on ear



We had a few hospital runs today, with two little babies covered in burns, a man with suspected TB, though it turns out he was a preacher and had been fasting for two weeks, and a few more minor cases. Luckily, it was a benign day! Today was one of those days where you get to see a big difference made in someone’s life, for very little time and money. In an effort to best utilize the doctors’ time, as it is most demanded during the clinics, we have tried to keep cosmetic surgeries to a minimum as they can be quite time consuming and are not for life threatening conditions. However today, Greg and I intervened for a 15 year old girl that melted my heart. We saw her at the end of Monday’s clinics and she had a keloid on her ear. This is a growth of scar tissue that had grown after getting her ears pierced. There’s no pain associated with it, but this girl was so embarrassed, she kept a sweater draped over her head at all times. She had seen the doctor before but could never afford the surgery. We told this girl to come to the clinic the next day and gave her a referral form. On Tuesday she was referred to the local hospital, since we were minimizing surgeries. On Wednesday she came back. Quite often persistence at the clinics is seen as time consuming and frustrating, but with her it was touching. Dr Jurgen performed the surgery for her within 15 minutes in a room lit only by the window.



Girl without keloid!



 Afterwards, she had the biggest smile! It was fantastic to be able to help her and make a big difference in one person’s life, especially since we had to turn so many people with similar problems away. People often ask what’s the biggest impact of the clinics for me, and the answer is always for the one or two people who’s lives we’ve been able to change in a big way. We see thousands of people that we can help in a small way, but for the few we can help more, it feels fantastic knowing their lives are better because the clinics are there.

In the dental tent today, Nancy mentioned that there was one little boy that was called in for the Kenyan dentist, but he requested to have the ‘mazungo doctorie’ instead. The Kenyan dentist was happy to comply and the boy sat there patiently waiting for Bill’s chair to open up, with a big smile on his face even with all of the screams and cries of those around him. He was just thrilled and Bill was pleased to be able to make the little boy’s day!

When we got back to our hotel, a local merchant had set up wares inside the hotel, so we were able to shop on the ground floor in pajamas if we wanted! It was great and everyone got to see the local crafts and art. During dinner that night, many of us realized that the trip was quickly coming to a close, and while we’re all anxious to go home and see our families, we’re quite sad to leave Mikinduri and the friends we’ve made here. One woman found out via email that her grandchild is telling everyone that ‘her Grammie and Grampie live in Africa’. It must be time to go back! Only a half day of clinics on Thursday, followed by inventory of the supplies for next year, putting everything in storage, then closing with a big celebration with the translators!

The Circus is in Town - Tuesday February 22, 2011

This was a much better day, with less severe heart-wrenching cases, but I did feel like the circus arrived due to the oddity of events. We saw 120 people in Dental, 200 in Vision, and 80 in Medical. We were so efficient we were able to see all of these patients by 4pm! This is the earliest the Medical clinic has ever closed with that multitude of patients. 

Tent for registration, public teaching and waiting

In vision, the Lion’s club has been here all week. They are based in Nairobi and have a clinic that travels all around Kenya with optometrists, ophthalmologists, nurses, and refractory technicians. We melded our clinics together, and have learned quite a bit from the lion’s club. The Canadian team in now in charge of reading testing and distribution of glasses, sunglasses, and hats. The Lion’s club screens for eye diseases and performs refractory (distance) testing. If someone has cataracts, they are selected during screening for surgery in Nairobi. The Lion’s club will pay for the surgery and 3 days of a hospital visit, and MCOH will only have to pay half of the travel costs! This is such a great partnership as previously, people with eye problems were told we couldn’t help them and given reading glasses. Now many people will be able to see again! Additionally, the Lion’s Club announced that based on the great need, clinics will continue in Mikinduri while we’re gone!



Bill and Shawna at work in Dental



In dental, Bill has had one Kenyan doctor consistently with him every day and sometimes more. Today three dental students arrived for the morning and were able to learn while helping the community. Bill sees about 30 people per day and each Kenyan doctor can see 50! It’s amazing to watch how quickly they work!

Today’s patients were from Kaguwru, the town we visited on Saturday. We have the patients come in on buses so that we are getting the most feeble and poorest, the ones that may not get to a clinic otherwise. It was very encouraging because while a handful of the children were malnourished, there were ten times more children last year that were severely malnourished. This shows great progress with the feeding program in Kaguwru!  Additionally, I saw my aunt’s sponsor child Isaiah that day. He had a benign issue, and looked fine in the morning. When I saw him around lunch, he was laying on the ground, looking completely miserable. I was about to be worried when I saw his mother laughing. Apparently he was very hungry! How fantastic is it that he is now not used to missing a meal! He left, got bananas, and brought me one. How sweet is that!?

Now onto the circus. The day started with a woman being carried in. She was apparently too weak to walk. We got her in, and it turns out she had a slight stomach ache and as soon as she saw the doctor, she pepped right up! How dramatic! Later, there was a father who tried to sneak his children in. I say sneak because many of the patients were pre-registered and his children appeared quite healthy. Since it’s hard to know though, I sent his teenage son with a mental disorder who had a stomach ache through. Later on, I walked into the medical clinic and saw 10 translators holding down the son who was screaming. It turns out he was coming down off of drugs. As I walked by, he reached out and grabbed my arm and I was now involved. Greg was able to calm him down and the three of us walked into the dressing room where the Kenyan doctor gave him an injection to calm him down. Quite a circus! He was later totted off to the hospital along with a sweet little baby who had meningitis.

That evening for dinner, there were 5 people missing. The flu that has been passed around took out 5 people for the night! Our team is so hardworking though, you would never know that people are not feeling well while working at the clinic, you just see it when they come home. They’re being taken care of though, with the fantastic soup at dinner and amazing nurses in the hotel. Luckily everyone has recovered.

Clinics Day 6 – Just because we’re there – Monday, February 21, 2011

If you have a soft heart, you may want to skip this blog. This was a hard day with shocking cases. In an effort to share the highs and hard times we experience, I’m going to include it.

The day started with an emergency run for a 4 month old to the hospital. He was taken to Chaaria mission hospital. Bea was sure that the child had something more serious than malaria, which can already be deadly for children. They were taken in immediately. The baby coughed and cried hysterically the entire ride over. He wouldn’t eat or feed. Then there was 5 minutes of deadly quiet silence.  Ted called this the longest 5 minutes of the drive, and he was never so happy to hear a baby cry again. Within two minutes of arrival, the forms were filled out and the child was seen. They quickly realized the child had meningitis so went to a different hospital for further tests. This child’s life was saved because so many things fell into place: we were holding our clinic, they were first in the gate, the doctors saw them first, there was an ambulatory vehicle which is not normally available, and the hospital saw the child first. A few hours more, and the case could have been deadly.

That was just the start. On the drive there, Ted and Bea noticed a man carrying a woman with blood streaming down her face. They telephoned back to the clinic and a combi went to pick her up. Her story was much sadder than mere cuts and scrapes. Her boyfriend came home and beat her so badly with a machete that the community intervened. They tied his hands together and tied the woman to his back and had him walk her down the road to get medical attention. The combi picked her up, brought her back to the clinic were some of her wounds were sewn up. The police arrived and took her statement. Apparently in Kenya, before any medical attention can be sought, the police need their statement first. So odd considering her injuries were so severe, but you have to work within the system. She was sent to the hospital in Meru, accompanied by Heather and Ted. She had a broken arm, fractured leg, fractured jaw and many cuts. She’s living with her mother and now her boyfriend in police custody for an unknown period of time. Again – had we not been holding clinics that day, who knows what would have happened.

The next extreme case was a little girl who had been raped a week before and was having urinary problems. I was standing near the front gate when someone walked up and asked if we handle rape cases. Um, what? I was expecting a sad woman to come in who needed medical attention, and when this little 9 year old walks through the gate my heart broke in two. Ted immediately walked up to the girl, took her hand, and walked her up to Shirley, in such a sweet tender manner, I will never forget it. Shirley counseled the girl and her mother before the examination. Afterwards, Greg and I walked the little girl to the police station accompanied by her mother and neighbor. Apparently the neighbor was necessary as the facilitator. The mother alone was not sufficient to report the issue to the police, because she was so poor, so the neighbor was necessary to act as a sponsor. The girl was clutching a little doll that Shawna had given her. We talked to the police officers and they sent a few officers to go find the offender before he caught wind that she had gone to the police. It turns out that he had raped her months ago as well, but there was no one to stand up for her. Again – why is it necessary that the white mazungos be involved to get attention that should be deserved. Such a sad story, and the man has yet to be found. If the community gets a hold of him, I’m told the custom is to put a tire around him and light him on fire. Wow.

The rest of the day was just filled with waiting for the next shocking moment. We are so glad we were able to intercede to help these poor people, but so very sad it had to happen to them, and that the system that is in place required our presence. Please pray for all of them tonight and those we missed!

Babies! Sunday, February 20, 2011

Sunday morning started late. We got to sleep in for a 9am breakfast! But with church at 7am, few of us were able to enjoy the extra rest.  Church is a beautiful occasion in Mikinduri. I attended the Catholic mass across the street from our hotel, but no matter which denomination you went to, there were joyful songs erupting for hours all day long! The sermon was partly in English, with the remaining of the mass in Swahili. It gave you time to contemplate life and enjoy all the differences in the mass. For example during offertory, people walk up to the front to give their money, and it’s quite an honor to be able to walk up to the front, because that means you’re wealthy enough to share your money. Women sit on one side, and men on the other. They come and go throughout the mass with no turning of heads for late comers. Most people didn’t arrive until the gospel reading. The mass ended with a huge litany of announcements about the upcoming saints days and events.

After breakfast, which was a particularly fantastic crepe/pancake combination, a few of us hiked up the mountain next to NoName Hotel where we eat. It was 30 minutes of a straight climb, and so worth it! You could see for miles around! Once we got to our destination, we realized there was a higher peak, so we went about 10 minutes further. This wasn’t hiking like you’d do in Arizona with a marked trail, oh no. We headed straight up the mountain behind a church, among a bunch of corn fields. Some machete wielding children followed us and ended up being our guides the rest of the way. They also answered our silly mazungo questions about the different crops we were passing, which included maize, aloe vera plants, and a tree.

On top of the mountain. Wow!

We saw a huge hawk fly right by us! It’s so easy to see the awesomeness of God, when you overlook such a large green valley! So appropriate for Sunday! On top of the mountain I tried a yoga pose I had always wanted to do randomly in a serene location, and had a picture taken. Though the picture turned out cool, I had to try it in more appropriate yoga attire, which is shorts and a yoga top. To get down to this level, I had to take off my outer shirt, and I could just hear all of the locals talking about that blonde mazungo that took her top off, oh my! It was worth it though. The picture was exactly what I had hoped for!

Shirley and a cutie!

After a quick (very cold) shower and lunch, we headed off to an orphanage. There were adorable children near Meru who had been abandoned. The sisters took them in and with only 12 adults, care for 58 children, most under 5. There were a few older girls who helped look after the younger ones. We passed out balloons and got to hold babies for hours! Ewan was especially adorable playing with all the little ones. They were enthralled with him! We handed out teddy bears that say ‘God loves you!’ and got to see the children sing and dance.

This is Ken. oh my!

It’s such a joyful culture and every child even as young as 3 has the innate ability to sing and dance. It’s not reserved for a few like it is in our culture, it’s a tradition that is shared for everyone! I think that’s fantastic!

A few people went to Chaaria hospital while the rest of us were at the orphanage. There is a patient there who MCOH helped last year and he needed attention. Dr Jorgen attentively went to the patient to see if anything could be done for his sores. Meanwhile, Dr Tiffany was at home caring for those who caught a bug, either from too much sun the day before or the flu. Apparently you can even catch a flu in Kenya! Everyone is doing well though and recovering.

We loaded into the combis and headed to Meru for some shopping and supplies. A few people wandered around Meru, which is a large town. It seemed a bit sketchy in places but was a neat adventure! One more person joined our team and Charlie, Adrian, Heather, and I waited for him at the Nakumatt. We got a ride home with John, the man who sells us the touristy wares in our hotel, like African masks, jewelry, and bowls. The man who joined our group followed us on a motorcycle that couldn’t have had 125cc’s. I can’t imagine how two people made it all the way up from Nairobi on this vehicle! We pushed it’s limits going 45mph on the ½ hour ride to Mikinduri! When the five of us arrived at dinner, everyone was already settled and we were pleasantly surprised with French fries! The food has been quite good and includes local food like ugali, rice, maize, stew, and a fantastic soup every night, but there was something so exciting and comforting about French fries!

People dispersed early for bed that night as we were excited about another week of clinics, and curious about what was to come!

School fun! - Saturday, February 19, 2011

Kids receiving uniforms

Saturday morning, we headed out to Kaguwru to see the children there. There is a primary school there that MCOH supports. MCOH has a farm that provides food for the feeding program, which is self-sustaining and the parents of the children work in the farm land. That way the parents learn good farming methods, which crops to use for the specific season, and also support their children. MCOH also installed a water pipeline from springs up the mountain and built a kitchen and storehouse. This is one of the sites we’re most proud of, because the children were so impoverished only a few years ago, and now that they get two meals a day, are quite healthy! This year we arrived and provided them with new school uniforms. Since the feeding program, the school attendance has increased by 50% and children are coming from far around. They gave a demonstration for making coal and a tour of the farm, including a new magic tree called Moringa. It has amazing properties and is very fast growing. (7 times more Vitamin C than orange juice, grows 15 feet per year, draught resistant, etc).

It is neat to be immersed in the Kenyan customs. There were two school teachers talking to me, and holding hands. They were both male. In a country where being gay is illegal, it’s so interesting to see men walking down the street holding hands. You will never see a man and woman holding hands though.

Veronica in her study room

We had a few complications throughout the day. On the ride there, the combis were overloaded so Adrian and a few others sat on a case of water in between two of the bucket seats. One of the combis stopped to visit a young girl Veronica who is friends with Nancy and Bill Allen. They met her the first year they were in Mikinduri, while assessing the need for dental extractions. They referred her to get her molars out. Every year since she comes to visit at the clinic. Last year she asked to get help into secondary school, and they said no, because she needed to get her marks up. So she retook 8^th grade and this year her marks are great! She wants to go to provincial school, which is better than the district school, because then they have the opportunity to go to university. She’s very ambitious and hard working. Her mother has 4 children and her father went off to a younger wife, had six kids with her, and dumped his first family. Veronica has a study area where she can hardly see, and yet she’s so determined, her brother and sister in district school have been teaching her. She is studying 10 different subjects on her own right now and has saved every paper from school. Nancy is considering giving her a scholarship which they’ll fund through the MCOH scholarship fund, which comes with expectations for grades. Provincial boarding school is only 24,000 kenyan shillings ($300), plus uniforms, sheets, etc. The MCOH staff think her marks are really good in the standardized exams, but the most inspiring part of her story is that for a woman to get her education past 8^th grade, it’s an inspiration for the whole community.  

Isaiah, his family, Ted, a random little girl, and I

I was able to see my aunt’s sponsor child while we were there as well. His name is Isaiah and his family gave me a chicken last year as a gift. The children in his family are so much more plump than last year and his younger sister Joy is nearly as tall as him. It just shows you that the whole family really benefits from sponsorship. I brought him, from my aunt, school supplies, clothes for his family, and a really cute book bag. It was fantastic to see him again and see the progress his family has made.

Baby who had heart surgery sponsored by MCOH

While there we also saw a little girl that was now over a year old. The previous year we saw her while visiting the school and MCOH paid for her to have surgery to fix her newborn heart. The girl is alive and well, and quite happy! It’s so nice to see a success!

After handing out the uniforms, toothbrushes, school supplies, and toys, and feeding the children a stew with maize, pinto beans, and other fiber filled foods, the entertainment began. The children performed a song that was written by St Andrews that was translated to Swahili. It was a beautiful song! Then the dancing began. The women all collect in a few lines, singing and chanting.  They wear large green leaves as a skirt, and use different musical instruments. They then grabbed a few of us and brought us into the circle to dance with them. It was fantastic fun joining in the local custom, and the women were thrilled to have us join in! Unfortunately, it was a very hot day and a few of our people needed a break because of the heat.

Thuuri Mountain Kindergarten

Afterwards, we went to Thuuri. This is a mountain town where the children walk down the mountain 40 minutes to the school in Kaguwru and back up in the evenings. The children cannot start school until they’re 10 years old because in the rainy season it is too dangerous for them to walk to school. It was quite a hike, and as people started complaining, a 4 year old child walked by. Really puts it in perspective of what we’re used to compared to the life they endure from so young!



More uniforms!

Once we got up the mountain and were reveling in the gorgeous view, the Chief of the area and other officials who had never been to Thuuri, arrived on the mountain as well. They saw this small kindergarten school which is used to educate the children before they turn 10, and they realized more was needed. They pledged to give 5 acres of land for them to build a school for grades 1 – 3 until the children are able to walk down the mountain to Kaguwru. This is a huge success for the town, and bringing light to the poorest of the poor villages, just because a bunch of wazungos walked up there.  The school has been sponsored by a church on PEI, which paid for the installation of latrines, a daily feeding program, and is in the process of running a pipe from the spring for fresh water.

Charlie and Charity

While there, Charlie shook the hand of a 90 year old woman, who was blind and had never touched a white man. She held on to his hand for 10 minutes and wouldn’t let him go, and was able to pull him around even though he was more than a foot taller and 100 pounds heavier. What a neat woman! She asked Charlie for coins to walk down the mountain and have tea in Kaguwru!

A different world

We enjoyed sugar cane while on the mountain, as a refreshing snack for the walk back. It was fantastically sweet and filled with juice, but if you took a few too many chews, it was the most fiber filled, dry plant. As we arrived back at the combi’s, there was a little girl who was maybe 7, with a load of sugar cane on her head and a huge machete in her hand. I’m not sure if I was more shocked to see the large knife or heavy load she was managing! That evening we had a nice quiet time around the hotel and rested up for what we knew would be a busy week.


A big load of sugar cane, big knife, and a little girl



Wrapping up the week – Friday February 18. 2011

Friday was a fantastic day for clinics. We saw 100 people in medical, 80 in dental, and 100 in vision, though vision’s numbers were substantially low and due to lack of patients.

In the medical clinic, Adair recalls an elderly lady with a large gaping wound on her leg. When I say large, it was 10 inches long and two inches wide, the size of her leg. She had the wound for two months. The only course of action was to dress the wound, instruct her on how to keep it clean, and give her antibiotics.  This woman showed it to every white person who walked by hoping they were the doctor! (I was grossed out by it a number of times...)

There was a boy who arrived on his mother’s back. He must have been 14 years old and had a serious mental and physical handicap. He was groaning loudly as he arrived, and was sent up to dental at his mother’s request. After realizing he didn’t need a tooth pulled, Nancy Allen sent him down to medical and we were able to give him a wheelchair so he didn’t have to be carried on his mother’s back. They were also referred to the APDK clinics in March that are a now monthly occasion.

The vision team has been newly coined “The Nakematt” team as they were lucky enough to stop at our local ‘walmart’ on Thursday on the way back from Kangetta when the rest of us stayed in Mikinduri. The name has stuck, and we laugh every time we say it.

I have been working the registration desk, which has interesting challenges. There are so many people trying to come in for medical to see the doctor, but only 100 can be seen per day, so the people employ many sneaky tricks to get in and be seen. For example, they say they want to come for vision, then once they’re there and have perfect vision, they request a referral to medical. They then return to the registration tent and I have to decide whether or not they really need to be seen. Weighing the load of the doctors and the possible hidden emergency in front of me can be quite difficult. As a result, I ask what is wrong with them, and for most of the people, it’s a joint complaint or headache, but in some cases it is more serious: a man showed me this golf sized bump on his head that I’m told was removed later that day in surgery! I suppose someone has to be the gatekeeper to keep everyone sane, but I just pray that God gives me the wisdom to know who to say no to, because I have to say no 300 times a day. If we had a team of 30 doctors, we wouldn’t be able to see everyone that arrives!

After the clinics ended – a long yet exhilarating week, we had a nice dinner and headed out for a night in Mikinduri! We went to the local bar to say goodbye to Cheri and Jack. They are a great part of the team as much for their hard work as for their fantastic spirit and kindheartedness, and will be sorely missed.  We went to the hot spot on the Mikinduri streets. The poor locals were shocked to see all 30 of us arrive and boy were we surprised to know everyone in the bar. There was no dancing or music as it would create too much dust on the clay floor. The bar had a tin roof, was very dim, and had no posters on the wall. You wouldn’t even know it was a bar as there was no bartender or bar to walk up to, and you just had to know which guy to ask for a drink and pay. They brought around goat on a skewer for everyone to sample. We were soon in bed but all enjoyed a bite of goat meat and one drink each, some getting back later than others.

Clinics Day 4 – New Site! – Thursday, February 17, 2011

We spent Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at Kangetta. We drove the 75 – 90 minutes to the site each morning, and it seemed to take forever because we were so excited to start the clinics. The days were great but long. We helped many people: 350 in Medical, 120 in Dental, and 530 in Vision. The medical team was divided into Ear Nose and Throat, Elderly, and General. There was also a separate pediatrics clinic, dental clinic, and vision clinic. The ride home every evening was filled with laughter and so enjoyable! One night, two of the combi’s even saw wild elephants along the road, stopped and took pictures! How fortunate!



Adair and David



Adair shares a story from Kengatta: there was a 13 year old boy that had fallen and badly damaged his knee in December, and had been hobbling on it since then. The x-ray of the knees showed the bones turned out nearly 30 degrees and hurt so much! The boy walked to school every day on it without a stick and never took so much as a tylenol. He will be staying at the mission hospital until his leg can work again, which may require surgery. Ida came over and did physiotherapy on his leg. He looks after his grandmother who is a laborer with elephantiasis, where the legs look as large as elephant trunks. When he and grandma work in the summer, they have money for food, but when he’s in school and due to the grandma’s condition, they eat what they can the rest of the year out of the small local garden. When Adair saw him, he hadn’t eaten in 2 days. Someone dropped their pen and he hobbled over, picked it up, and gave it back. What a sweet boy! His mother died in childbirth and the father left.  His tribe tells them to follow their paternal side, so he is kicked out of his family at 8^th grade when he leaves school to go and live on his father’s land, a man he has never met. But, if he is sponsored and can stay in school, he will be able to stay at the home he knows. Anne Josiah, who works for Chalice, was explaining how unlikely it will be that he gets sponsored since he’s old. Adair immediately jumped in to sponsor him. She said “yea! For $30 a month, of course!” The grandma was most happy that he would get to eat every day. When the boy and grandmother realized that the sponsorship was coming from Adair, he hobbled over to thank her. She said they acted like they won the lottery! What a special story for a boy who is the top of his class and before today, had no hope to continue in school! When he was going to get an x-ray, he was so patient and nice, and explained that first he had to go tell the principal that he would miss school and needed to get his homework. Adair told the grandmother that she had to sponsor him because he was so nice and the grandmother raised him so well. When asked if the grandma cried, Adair said , “Yea we both cried!”  How very special!

Today, we held medical and dental clinics in Mikinduri at the Dispensary. Here in Kenya, the country is divided into markets, towns, and bigger divisions. Mikinduri has been a market and as such only has a medical dispensary: an L shaped building with 6 rooms, a lab, a pharmacy, and a brand new maternity ward. There is a nurse and a clinical officer at the dispensary (which is a nurse who can prescribe medication). When the Prime Minister came, he declared Mikinduri a town, which requires a district hospital. This could mean a lot for this small area, including bringing doctors and specialists permanently to the hopefully upgraded hospital.



Jenn and Nancy doing a sealant



The dental team is set up in a tent and has the advantage of the bright sun and nice breeze, without the heat or sunburn. They served 70 people, starting the day with a large group of school children. Heather and Penny worked sterilizing the equipment with Nancy, who spent Tuesday doing sealants until the power surge broke her machine! She had planned to seal children’s teeth the entire trip but since the machine broke, she is back to assisting in dental. Bill said they had a good day but hope there will be more people the next day. That’s the spirit!



Rosa in the Lab



The medical team is situated in the L-shaped building. They had 2 Canadian doctors, one Kenyan doctor, 6 Canadian nurses, 6 Kenyan nurses, an occupational therapist, a Canadian lab tech, a Canadian and Kenyan social worker, a Canadian pharmacist, and a Canadian physiotherapist! They saw 100 patients, including a little 11 month old that was rushed to the hospital with malaria, which can be deadly for infants.



Karen and Virgil



The vision team stayed in Kangetta one more day because they had 300 people lined up! The Vision team has been averaging 250 people per day, so they were thrilled for the challenge, and ended up exceeding it! They saw 325 people in between 9 and 4! That is a lot of people who can walk away with glasses now with the ability to see. Cheri said there was one man who was not happy with any pair, and she finally fitted him with a -5.00 in one eye, and -0.25 in the other eye! His face lit up and he looked thrilled to be able to finally see! She also recalls one woman who had -7.00 glasses for distance and -4.00 for reading. Most people use a +2.00 for reading and it’s rare to give anything bigger than -2.00! Cheri said the woman looked at her face once she put the glasses on and had a grin creep across her face until her whole face was one great big smile! Everyone who came back from the vision team had the same expression: exhaustion and exhilaration!

What an exciting day! We have one more day of clinics, then the weekend to relax and experience Kenya and Mikinduri before starting all over!



Karen and Libby "busy" at the vision clinic



Clinic Day 1 - Monday, February 14th 2011

Grania and Ken with a translator and patient in Vision

Clinics have finally arrived! I’ve been in Kenya for two weeks waiting for this exciting day! Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday will be in Kengetta, a town about an hour from Mikinduri. Since it’s such a small town, we commute to it every day and stay in Mikinduri. Monday was a half day to get set up in the  morning and have a clinic in the afternoon for the elderly and children. The site is the Blessed Heart School, run by a group of nuns and sponsored by Chalice. We have a medical building which houses the medical, dental and pharmacy crews, and a school room for vision clinics.

A very happy patient!

In Vision, there was quite a large team. We had 60 patients, which is pretty good for a brand new team and in a 4 hour period! We love to help the elderly as they see such an obvious improvement with glasses.  

Adair, Adrian, and Marian were the nurses in Pediatrics. They saw 40 children over 4 hours, ages 2 - 17. There were malnourished children that were referred for sponsorship. A child that was having seizures once a week that could have been a number of things, and she will receive further treatment. They saw a twelve-year-old girl in a dilapidated wheel chair that was referred for sponsorship. The wheelchair pads were all gone, the tires were flat. She had clearly been using it for years and needed a new. She had cerebral palsy and thought the medication (Vitamin A and de-worming) was poisonous. She refused to take it, but they got her younger brother to take the medication first to prove it wasn’t. He wouldn’t leave her side. It was adorable! She was referred for physiotherapy. Adair wanted to add that in the morning people handed out suckers and gummi bears for Valentine’s Day, and lunch was decorated with hearts and pink spoons!

There were ten children sent for Malaria treatment and testing. There was a girl that was burned in a fire at 4 months old. She was six years old and was missing part of her nose, most of the skin on her face was scarred, and she had parts of her hair permanently burned off. They gave her and her sister a knitted doll and took her picture. Typically in Kenya, we immediately show the children their picture because many of them rarely get to see themselves on the camera. We hesitated showing her the picture, because her scars were so prominent, but the smile on her face was so huge when she saw what she looked like, that we knew that it was us that had the problem, not her.

There was a girl who had very big sweet eyes and complained of a headache. When asked more details, they found out that her head hurt in the afternoon and evening because she only got one meal per day. She was severely malnourished and was referred for sponsorship through Chalice. Her problems were so much bigger than a headache, but that’s what she found to complain about, not her hunger!

Oh and Rosa finally got her bag! She had been borrowing clothes since she arrived since the airlines left her bag in Charlottetown! What a Valentine’s treat!

We had a really big day and were excited to see so many patients! We had meetings in the evening discussing the day and finding ways we could refine the clinics to improve efficiency. At one point Ted slipped and asked about the ‘hypocritical oath’….ooops! He meant hypocratic! We’re looking forward to the next day of clinics.