Busy day for the squad today. Following a hearty breakfast we made a road trip to Kisumu for our medication order, a side trip to the Masai Market for some, and back to Shewye for unloading, sorting and getting bags ready for Day 1 of clinic.
Our med order was packaged a bit differently this year. Due to Covid regulations all meds are now individually packaged rather than in bulk containers. This resulted in 125 boxes that needed to be loaded into a matatu…or 3.
While the boxes were being loaded Lynn and I had the opportunity to visit the pharmacy’s neighbour, Bright Makenzi and his family. Bright runs a Lab Services business. One of the tests he performs is malaria testing. They have seen a rise in malaria cases this year, and this is something CNFA is able to provide treatment for during our mission. Malaria can cause severe illness and can be fatal if not treated. Those at highest risk are pregnant women, young children and infants, elderly and immunocompromised. I’m hoping to get more information from Bright regarding the cost for his services for a little comorison to healthcare in Canada.
The rest of the day was spent lifting, sorting, dividing and packing all the meds, donated clothes, wound care supplies, donated reading glasses and organizing the triage bag…and other duties as assigned.
We’re really not sure what to expect this year in terms of numbers nor how sick people may be. With our absence for the past 3 years we may see an increase…or not, who’s to say…stay tuned for tomorrow’s post.
