Canadian Nurses for Africa has been working all summer to get ready for our medical mission to Kenya in April-May of 2011. We will be asking for your support again this year. Every dollar you give us for this mission will make a huge difference in another person's life. Never will so little, buy so much, and do so much good. Please sign on a blog follower so you can follow our progress this year.
Our mission ended on Sunday May 9, 2010. Sunday evening was spent organizing our leftover medication and trying to find someone who would store it for us until next year. Just as we were leaving the guest house on Monday morning, loaded down with our suitcases (some empty now), we were met by a church group from the Kakamega slums. They presented each of us with an African purse and African cloth. They wound the cloth around us and along with their thanks and hugs, we left Kakamega for the last time. We stopped at the 2 pharmacies who had benefited from us this year, and they both gave refunds for the leftover medications. This will be a help for next year.It took 12 hours to travel to Nairobi, which included a quick boat ride on Lake Victoria to see the hippos. The road hadn't changed since our initial journey, and the Toyota van still operated with no dials and limited shock absorbers. We had two windshield wipers though, one attached to the vehicle and the other lay on the dash. The day gave us rain, sunshine and dense fog.The 12 hours in the van gave a lot of opportunity for conversation. We treated a…
We are on our way to Nairobi and wanted to take a minute to let you see our photos. Enjoy!
Sunday May 9, 2010Happpy Mothers Day to our followers and our nurses. Today was our last clinic. We treated 473 poeple today. One little girl had a fever so high, we were still talking about her at breakfast. She was treated immediately. Our clinical adventure started with the drive to the clinic. We had to take a dirt road that shook the van so hard, some of us may have to visit our dentists when we get home to check if our fillings are still seated. The road was red clay and very steep. It was the type of road that if it rained.....mmmm.When we arrived at the clinic, there was no one waiting for us to help set up except two boys about 12 years old. One of the buildings had bunkbeds in them and they were covered with blankets. It was obvious they were living there. A large building at the rear of the property was selected for the clinic, and by then some women had arrived. They swept the floor with branches; the boys brought in the old style writing tables, and we were set up. The crowds were all dressed up in their Sunday best, and I would guess they had…
Saturday May 8, 2010Today we left the guest house just after 8a, picked up meds and headed out to our clinic which was held at a Quaker Church. Registration was outside with triage, the doctor's rooms and the medication room inside. We treated 621 people today, a record. It was only through a great effort by everyone that we managed to process so many people. The patients appeared to have a little more than many of the patients were have helped recently. The helpers were had yesterday came of their own accord to help us today. With their experience with registration and crowd control. the clinic went much smoother. The patients panic thinking they won't get through the clinic and the crowding can become daunting to say the least. Another first is we treated everyone who was in line by 4p. Again I saw 7 year old children at the clinic by themselves and others near that age bringing along their siblings.At closing today, we were helped by a downpour of rain which slowed the crowds. There is always someone who comes late and wants to be treated but no children were left behind. It was satisfying. Trish and Lynn ate dinner then headed to…
Another day is done and we treated 426 patients today. We started out this morning at 8a, picked up more medication, dropped off about 200 pairs of glasses at an eye glass clinic, several 100 lenses, and various eyeglass parts. We arrived at our clinic, which was situated near a school. We occupied what appeared to be a church at the front gate. We looked out and the majority of the school children (about 262) were in line for treatment of worms and ringworm. The line seemed to be endless. Everyone was barefoot and the uniforms were dirty and threadbare. We had a lot of infants today and small children. As usual, we were unable to complete the line up and once again had to deal with the upset. Gail went out into the crowd and brought in the infants, who were given treatment. There is so much need here; the end is never be in sight. But it does upset us as we wouldn't be here if we didn't care. Today, we transported two patients to hospital and paid their fees. I know I am repetitive, but thank you to all of you who made this possible.As I mentioned earlier, children do not smile…
Just to let you know we are all well and will be in touch. Two of the nurses leave tomorrow so we will have to do the best we can. It will be all hands on deck for sure. Take care.
Another day has finished. We managed to start earlier as the clinic was in Kakamega and so we finished earlier this afternoon. We were actually back at the guest house by 5p and now it is only 9:30p, a far cry from the 1:00a postings. Today we saw 430 patients. The people of Kakamega are as poor as the rural people only a little more sophisticated. We managed to hand out a few toys to the smallest of the children today before the clinic started, and the photos show the awe they have. They can not believe their eyes and it takes a moment before they realize that what they have is a toy. Their mothers smile and one little boy was sent back to say thank you, just like in Canada! Little children do not smile easily and it is very difficult to coax a smile from a 10 to 14 year old. The lack of hope in this country hangs like a fog.We saw more infants today than usual-so many babies with fevers, coughs, and abdominal complaints. When we finally closed the doors today, we managed to register all the babies that were left. The hardest part of this mission is to say…
Today, we started our new clinic in a tin hut. We are getting meds again and have a few minutes to post. Hopefully, you will see photos. Take care.
We managed to quickly post the blogs from the last few days, but there hasn't been time to tell you what our clinics have been like. On Monday, we set up a clinic (as mentioned previously mentioned which is the site of a new clinic and hospital. Today, Dr. Ottichilo, the Member of Parliament from this area, stated there had been eight such clinics set up in this constituency, but he has no staff to run them. The medical care isn't free and the cost of the drugs are unaffordable for the average Kenyan. There is no middle class in Kenya, only the very rich and the very poor. The unemployment rate is 80%, and the average worker makes $1.00 a day. The price of maize, a food staple, for a family of 4 to 5, is $2.00 a day, and the average mother has 6 to 8 children. It doesn't take a math degree to realize that someone is going hungry tonight.During our clinic yesterday, we saw 400 people. We drove for about an hour over the roughest roads I have ever experienced. Canadian potholes take a backseat to the continual pounding the passengers and our Toyota van took. We worked at a local…
We are purchasing new meds and have found a cyber cafe. The keyboards letters are worn off so excuse errors. We are all fine and have been working very hard with very full days. We are ending the day with the toys you have donatd. So many smiling faces, so many children with so little. Thank you to the donation of sanitary pads and baby blankets. The women are overjoyed. We must get more people making the pads.Must go. Will post again when possible.
7:00 am this morning saw us all up and ready for breakfast. We left the guest house later than expected as time doesn't seem to be as important to the Kenyans as it is to Canadians. We arrived at Emusire, the site of a hospital and medical clinic, which is about to open. The government officials were present and proceeded to take as much credit for the clinic as was possible. We had a large banner stating Canadian Nurses For Africa. At one point, we paused registration of the 400 people who were present when we arrived to watch the governor of this province cut a blue ribbon, and shake hands with us in the presence of television sets. Right now as I write this, I have four to six young children sitting beside me, and one little girl named Euice Kageha reads English as quickly as I write it. She is bright as a button and one day, I believe she will be very special to this country.This was day one of our medical mission. We treated about 300 men, women and children. The majority of them were very ill, with malaria and malnutrition being the main diseases. The line ups were long and…
We have been travelling since Friday afternoon, although we are now at the Sheywe Guest House in Kakamaga. On Saturday night, we arrived in Nairobi at 10:00 pm. After considerable delay, six out of the eight of us were re-united. It took awhile to get the10 bags (to date), and eight persons, including Aggrey and our driver, into the van. About 45 minutes later, we arrived at the Rosa Mystica Spiritual Centre for a night's lodging. It is a very simple place, but clean and very quiet. For those of you with a Catholic experience, looking up at the transomed windows and sleeping on very firm mattresses, brought back memories of youth.Morning came with a good breakfast and our last two nurses picked up from the airport. We left Nairobi at 10:30 am after trying to defeat the laws of nature, ie: two objects can not occupy the same space at the same time. Our rented Toyota van has a year or two on me, but with ingenuity,14 seats, 10 persons and roof rack, we left the city and headed west toward Kakamaga. Our 12 hour trip to this huge city, the third largest in Kenya, consisted of stops to see roadside baboons, zebra, and…
Today started with excitement and has yet to end. Our adventure was to start in Africa, but instead it started at the airport. KLM had made a flight adjustment and three of us were headed to London on British Airways, another with Air Canada and the other four to Amsterdam as originally scheduled. After long delays and much anxiety, four of us are still headed to London, but all on the same flight, and the other four to Amsterdam. After we checked our 18 bags of luggage, we stood in security line ups that felt like for ever. I wondered at the time if the lack of fresh air in that area added to security in a way I didn't understand. We finally met up as a group in a small eating establishment. Trish, Blanca, Sherry and Lynn were on the KLM flight, which left two hours earlier than ours. We know they made their flight because the airline finally quit calling their names over the loud speakers. Every one ended up happy: the nurses finished their meals and the plane departed on time. Of course, everyone knows that nurses handle emergency situations in a calm timely manner, so really KLM, what was the problem?Gail,…
Last Monday evening, everyone gathered to distribute the numerous donated items among themselves. Everyone will be bringing two suitcases filled with items. It sounds as if KLM will be defraying the luggage maximum weight limit for this mission, of which we are very grateful. We want to take as many items as possible. In this picture, is Gail and Aggrey, who may look as if they have little to do, but in actuality, are ahead of everyone else with their work already completed. Our deepest thanks to these two individuals, who have been instrumental in making this mission happen. Just three days left or as they say 'four sleeps' until we leave.
Yesterday, the nursing group got together to iron out last minute details. This is the last of numerous meetings that have dealt with fundraising, collections of medical supplies and the numerous logistics of taking such a trip. Each volunteer has had to arrange suitable time off work, ensure passports are current, apply for a visa, get proper immunizations, fund raise, and pack suitcases for oneself and to carry a maximum amount of goods. I want you to get to know us. Gail Wolters, our mission leader, is the founder of this organization. It all started with a fundraiser she organized for the Stephen Lewis Foundation. Through this initiative, she met Aggrey Mulamba, a nurse from Kenya, now living in Canada. He has maintained strong ties to Kenya and has turned his family home into an orphanage and assists a group of Aids widows and widowers. He was very open to the idea of a medical mission and mobilized his contacts, Kenyan nurses, politicians, and family members, all of whom share his passion to help. Without his assistance, Canadian Nurses for Africa wouldn't have been able to work in a safe or effective environment. The mission partners with local nurses. Last year, we put on eight…
Our departure date is coming up fast. Suitcases, which were donated this year, are being filled with various medicines and dressing, along with toys for children, blankets for babies, balls of wool and other yarns, etc.
Megg comes to CFNA with over 25 years of professional experience in various sectors and with various forms of philanthropic giving and corporate partnership work, sales and marketing. Her degree in Behavioural Science coupled with her passion for community lends itself to a focus on organizations that have people and community at the core. CFNA’s work in Africa, building stronger, healthier and safer communities and the ways in which our Canadian nurses further give back to our Canadian healthcare culture are core functions that Megg wishes to drive forward with strategic fundraising plans, and a broader scope for CFNA moving forward.
The mother of four girls in their teen years, giving back, modeling volunteerism, and sharing experiences beyond their immediate scope are further important reasons why Megg is looking to make a difference as a Board Director with CFNA. Megg also serves on other boards that have a community initiative while she works full time and raises her children.
Mary has a range of experience both in the hospital and industry settings. She received her Post Masters Acute Care Nurse Practitioner diploma from the University of Toronto, and spent her nursing career in cardiology, critical care and electrophysiology, caring for patients and managing nursing and technical care teams.
She has a BSc and an MSc in science and molecular biology (also UofT). She retired from a career in clinical research with an international medical company, initially managing cardiac medical device marketing, and then later assuming responsibility for research in Canada and Latin America. She looks forward to volunteering with CNFA, and assisting wherever possible with the mission experience, data management and fundraising.
Lisa Keenan-Lindsay graduated from the University of Toronto in 1983 with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and in 2003 with her Masters of Nursing. She has worked as a staff nurse in a pediatric ICU as well as in all areas of obstetrics (prenatal clinic, labour and birth, postpartum). Lisa has spent the last 20 years of her career working in post-secondary education, teaching nursing students. Her passion is maternal-child health and she has edited 2 Canadian nursing textbooks in this area. She is a past president of the Canadian Association of Perinatal and Women’s Health Nurses (CAPWHN).
Trish has sat on the CNFA board of directors since 2011 and served as Treasurer from 2013 to 2015. Trish has been a member of five past medical mission, as part of the lead team. Present and past nursing experience includes Geriatrics, Emergency medicine, Intensive Care and Public Health. Trish also serves on the BOD of the Geriatric Nurses Association of Ontario, Hamilton chapter.
Trained as a Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Nancy has had a wide and varied nursing career mostly in paediatrics at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Her experience includes Paediatric Critical Care, Emergency as well as providing care to adult patients with cardiac issues. She provides primary care of patients at a Nurse Practitioner Led Clinic (NPLC) and is Director of Health and Wellness at a summer camp in Ontario.
She has lived overseas, providing humanitarian work in the country of Ghana. Currently she is working at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre as part of the COVID-19 response at the Assessment Centre, working with Infectious Diseases and managing COVID patients at home as well as vaccinating.
Nancy has a Masters in Nursing, is an adjunct lecturer at the University of Toronto Bloomberg School of Nursing and has been a clinical instructor at the university level for many years.
She has a passion for women and children’s health in low income settings and conflict areas. She volunteers at a Refugee Health Centre and also for Global Medic, a global disaster relief organization. She has been to Kenya with the 2019 CNFA Medical Mission.
Meaghan graduated with a BScN in 2011 and is currently pursuing graduate nursing studies. Meaghan has been involved in CNFA since 2018 and has been on the past two medical missions. She has work experience in internal medicine, surgery, surgical oncology, and critical care. Meaghan is excited to have joined the BOD and brings a strong passion for nursing and helping her community.
Thirty+ years of experience helping organizations to set – and achieve – specific goals in international and domestic markets. Specialist in helping organizations to make sound decisions based on research, analysis, due diligence, feasibility studies and strategic partnerships.
Significant professional experience in international development, organizing and leading trade and investment missions to and from various countries and regions of the world.
Currently focused on Volunteer work. In addition to joining to the Board of Canadian Nurses for Africa in 2022, I also serve as a Volunteer Advisor with the Canadian Executive Services Organization (CESO), a non-profit agency funded primarily by the Government of Canada. This involves providing time and energy to advance social and economic change working in partnership with international organizations.
Also focused on work with the Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar as a member of the International Service Committee and the Club’s Board of Directors, as well as fundraising initiatives.
Jacinda is one of the newest CNFA board members. Currently, she relishes the challenges in her role as a staff accountant with Henderson Roller Smit Professional Corporation in Oakville. Her skills developed over the past 10 years in public accounting will help CNFA meet its goals and support the organization’s clinical missions to Kenya. She is excited to join the board and is looking forward to the rewards of being one of such a dynamic group of women.
Gail worked as a front line hospital nurse in hospitals across Canada, as well as Northern Outpost Nursing in remote communities of Ontario and Manitoba. She worked in many areas including Neurosurgery, Trauma, ICU and the Emergency Department. As well, Gail has volunteered in a variety of capacities with an array of community organizations.
In 2007 Gail became acutely aware of the poverty and lack of health care in Western Kenya. Deeply moved to make a difference, she founded Canadian Nurses for Africa with the intent to provide free medical care to the people of these communities. As Team Leader, Gail has lead ten successful medical missions to Kenya. She also oversees the implementation and monitors the public health programs.
After ten years of development in the Kakamega and Vihiga regions of Kenya, there is a marked improvement in the overall health in these communities, which local people and leaders attribute to the health care provided by Canadian Nurses For Africa. Gail stepped down from the President’s role in 2021 and the board of directors in 2022. She remains a valuable resource to the board of directors and is now an honorary board member.
Trained as a primary care and acute care nurse practitioner (NP), Patti has worked in a wide range of nursing roles throughout her career, mostly in acute care and ambulatory care cardiology settings. She also has experience in emergency and walk-in clinic settings.
Patti completed her PhD in Nursing (University of Toronto), where she developed and tested a NP intervention for patients following heart attack. Following her PhD she completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship with the Canada Research Chair for Health Interventions.
In her most recent position as a Nurse Scientist, in partnership with McMaster University, she developed an innovative approach to improve patient care by teaching healthcare providers how to integrate research and leadership activities into their practices. Currently Patti is taking time off from her academic work to pursue activities such as the CNFA medical mission work in Africa and becoming a competitive dressage rider. Patti is very excited about being a member of the CNFA team and hopes to contribute to the success of future missions.