Blog, Mission 2024 Many of the villages we visit are so rural and remote, they are without running water or electricity. One important aspect of the clinics is reaching as many different people as we can, so our medical camps travel to different villages every day. Most villages are within 45 mins-1 hour away from our home base hotel in Kakamega. The Shaywey hotel is a lovely little place to stay, the staff are so kind and attentive to our whims and wishes at breakfast and dinner, offering laundry service and always greeting us with a cheery “morning, morning” often asking us how our day went.  Each morning we load up our van with all of our supplies, medication and materials needed for the clinic and the teaching of the Maternal program and hit the road with our amazing drivers Jeff, Johnston and Evans…. Who I  believe are the most patient men in the country…. They gracefully put up with us all day 😊. Once we are set up and seeing people in that day’s village we are often faced with need exceeding what we can offer in the clinic setting. Sometimes more acute medical concerns come up and we take people to the local hospital for…

Good morning everyone from Kakamega ! Everyone says nurses are the jack of all trades, well let me tell you- this nurse is no IT specialist..we ran into some website hiccups but luckily we are back up and running and we will be able to provide daily updates going forward . Update on clinic day 3 : We had out largest crowd yet at Kigama Friends Chuch, over 600 people seen and roughly 20 wounds addressed and 2 people taken to the emergency clinic and over 30 reading glasses distributed. We held a huddle before the day and opened end up lines of communication even better amongst the whole team and we could tell the different the day went smoothly as we are now in our groove and have developed a good system amongst triage, chief clinical officers and medication distributions . Maternal child program update day 3: The three nurses in this program got the chance to visit the Kegondi Health centre- this facility is where they treat people with HIV, TB and also an outpatient clinic for small surgeries and wound care/fractures they also have a 5 bed postpartum ward equipped with mosquito nets . Update on clinic day 4: Well it was…

Clinic 11...done and dusted. Another mission in the books. We are hot, tired, grubby, grateful to be able to help but ready for a rest. We saw just over 400 people today, sending one person to hospital with a severe case of malaria. Not much to say today, alot of mixed emotions to be leaving. We had to vacate the van to gain more clearance entering the clinic site. Jerry as always is supervising. Referring to the wound care bag as her tickle trunk she has been dubbed Mrs. Dressing Up. Triage Our audience. Data tracking. Lynn receiving a work of art. Registration This made Fatima's day. Jane, Kenyan nurse partner Abel, Clinical Officer L-R Tenga and Isaac Clinical Officers Sarah, Beatrice and Brenda, Kenyan nurse partners Our registration crew I would like to introduce you to Patti Harbman NP-PHC, MN, PhD. She has jumped in with both feet and has done an exemplary job. Planning is already underway for next year's mission and new ideas on how we can continue to serve the people of Vihiga County. She wouldn't stand still long enough to have her picture taken. I would like to leave you with words from Jerry, our country organizer extraordinaire. Jerry has…

Clinic #10. It's been a long haul...the train is almost into the station, nearing the end of the line. Social tanks are overcapacity emotional tanks are running on fumes and capacity for lots of noise has diminished. One more clinic to go. I for one am thankful for my own room here at the Shewye, to have some quiet time to recharge....and write this blog. I'm pretty sure their are others in The Squad that feel the same way. Today's clinic site was probably the smallest of them all...so far, well see what tomorrow brings It's a Catholic church with a school attached to it. The med station is standing room only since we have to use the concrete alter as a table top. Triage is in one corner just beside the registration table by the door and the Clinical Officers are on the opposite wall. There is very little space for the patients, the benches are narrow, rickety and can tip over quite easily. Wound care was squeezed into a corner by the med station. Lighting was at a premium, the room lit only by the windows. Working in such close proximity to everyone makes me thankful for the work space I have at…

Another clinic in the books. This has been our busiest and most attended so far this mission with well over 600 attending and these numbers don't include the Jiggers clinics that are held. It stayed this way allllllll day. Today was so busy there was little opportunity to take a lot of pictures but we did manage a few. Let's talk hypertension. Todays clinc mimicked a hypertension clinic. So many of the patients we see have such high blood pressure I'm surprised we don't see more strokes than we do. We're talking 220/118, 210/1115, crazy high. The majority of these clients are older but there are young ones too. One would think that with the physical labour they do, and having to walk everywhere, it would be a reasonable number. But they have such poor diets, their risk factor increases due to poor nutrition, and the African person is more prone to hypertension. Treatment is sporadic since they may only purchase medications when they have the funds, decide to not take treatment, or there may also be some rationing of meds occurring to make them last longer. We sent a few patients. One young girl, 11 yrs old, with a congenital heart defect. She requires…

I should call this blog Tails From Beneath the Net, since I write this at night in my bed all tucked in under the mosquito net...usually. Beneath the Net Today we headed to Kedohi Friends School for our clinic. When schools are in we will do deworming, if the government hasn't already done it (and they haven't) and hold sexual health classes for the girls at the school. There may be a boys class too, but mainly this is for the girls. It provides information on how they can protect themselves and empower them. Many girls will have had their first pregnancy in their teens, babies looking after babies. During this class reusable sanitary pads are also handed out. Since menstrual products are so expensive and unaffordable girls don't attend school for at least a week per month as they don't have any products to use to contain the flow. Missing that much school they fall behind and eventually will drop out. The provision of feminine hygiene products enables them to remain in school. The pads we take are donated by a group of sewers in Saskatchewan, our thanks and gratitudego out to these sewers. The line that greeted us this morning. Zandra handing out…

As we go into clinic #7 I would like to wish The Squad and all our colleagues a Happy Nurses Week. I have had the privilege of working with so many amazing nurses in my career and the squad is no different. You all ROCK!! The Squad +4 We clean up nice. Today at Chavakali we saw over 400 people. The clinics have been fairly consistent in numbers. This week we will be able to go to the schools to provide services. Last week the schools were on break. Please note that there are graphic images that follow in this blog. At clinic today there were 4 burns that were attended to...several days old burns. Some had gone to hospital but are only dressed with gauze and sent on their way. Without proper care the wounds can become infected, and will heal with a lot of scarring, disfigurement, and can impact function and mobility, which in turn impacts employability. Young children are at high risk for burns due to the open fires that are used for cooking and hot water spills are also common. Several day old burn from hot water on a young child. He will return to clinic during the week to have…

Today was our day off and yay...we got to sleep in...or so we thought...0530 there was the daily call to prayer sounds (this happens every morning), followed by early morning worship services in the vicinity. It was almost like we had surround sound and it was very loud and lasted a few hours. Sound on for worship Part of our group went to Kisumu and visited the Masai Market, Hippo tours and then to pick up a small supply of meds that we had run out of. The other half stayed at the Shewye and took care of some administrative stuff and relaxed. Much to our disappointment....no hippos. Our guide said that where there are hippos there is fish, so they go there and scare them away so they can fish. There was also alot of activity with an number of vendors hawking their wares and visitors to the beach, so may have also deterred the hippos from making their presence known. It was nice to be on the water, a bit cooler with a nice breeze, but....no hippos. We should have saved the market for after and did our retail therapy after the disappointment. Masai Market Masai Market Ahoy me mateys Kenyan Sailboats...fishing boat…

Today we reach the midpoint of our stay. We're all tired, ready for a break. Clinic went smoothly enough but busy. Jiggers clinic also saw several people. From a bit of research I have read Jiggers is more prevalent in the Vihiga district with some hot zones. I believe we have hit a few of these hot zones in the past 3-4 days. The following link is to a blog spot on Jiggers for those of you who would like to read a bit more about it. It's an easy read, not technical in nature, and reasonably short. And written by a reputable source. https://blogs.biomedcentral.com/bugbitten/2019/05/31/jiggers-a-painful-infestation/ Todays clinic was a "half day", yet we still saw over 400 patients. Following clinic we had a staff appreciation picnic. This included all of us (Jeff, Jerry, Johnstone and Evans are included in the 'us'), the Kenyan nurses, clinical officers, and the community workers. The picnic was held on the grounds of a local resident and we thank them for allowing us to invade their yard. It was a beautiful day, beautiful surroundings, turkeys and all, and everyone enjoyed their time.

Today was a day that my get up and go, got up and went, so I stayed behind to get some needed rest and did not attend clinic. By reports from the returning squad it sounds like they had a good day, with less chaos. The location had more space so everything flowed smoother and they saw over 570 patients, with only a couple of hospital visits. The weather has been good to us with the rain coming in sporadic moments. It has been sunny and hot, but there was a breeze today which made it a bit more tolerable at clinic. Rain at the Shewye Team Member Intro: meet Carmella. Carmella is probably the quietest of the squad. Absorbing all the sites and sounds around us she is keen to participate, thorough, studious, and willing to learn. Underneath that quiet exterior there hides a wit and sense of humor though. This is Carmella's first mission. The rest of today's blog will consist of photos taken by the squad, of todays clinic. You know what they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Priscilla, our wound care expert, and other duties as assigned. Jennifer, triaging the littles. Tanya, triaging more littles. The med squad…

Today was a regular start to our day, with no early meetings to attend we arrived at our clinic site on time. Todays clinic opened with drumming and singing. Always a nice greeting first thing in the morning. Here is a short snippet. Solomon leading the drums Chaos. Chaos seemed to be what our day was like. The clinic location was a smaller building and everyone was cramped inside with not much room to maneuver, there was lots of activity happening inside, and outside where a Jiggers clinic was occurring. We saw over 400 people today, and it seemed like every baby from the village was there and all of them were crying, a lot of busyness and noise. We sent a few people to hospital today and had a home visit and that patient will be sent to hospital tomorrow. We like to call it organized chaos. Carmella assisting Johnstone with Jiggers treatment and administering Albendazole, a deworming treatment. Extremely poor water quality and worms are a big problem. Again organized chaos happening outside. Lynn at her finest, she loves the children. She admitted to causing some chaos during clinic today. Another happy person getting her reading glasses. You can see the line up…

Today we had a bit of an earlier start as the whole team was to meet with the Governor of Vihiga County. This is the county that CNFA visits every year, holding medical camps in 11 villages. They reviewed health care programs that had been established since coming into office. Included are maternal & child care, communicable diseases & immunizations, and the training of community health volunteers. Also discussed was the possibility of working in collaboration with CNFA to provide services. The meeting concluded with a photo op with the governor, his administration and the team outside. This led to a late start at our clinic. Government Offices. Entry gate, Office of the Governor The clinic was a busy one, seeing over 500 people. It was wound care day for sure having several during the day. The type of wounds we see here we only see in Canada in very exceptional circumstances...if ever. Jiggers is also an ever present problem in these villages. A sand flea that burrows and causes soft tissue destruction. What I am astonished by is that they live with these wounds for months, sometimes getting periodic (should I say substandard) dressing changes, yet they they don't seem to get septic, which…

Apologies for the delayed post. After taking the scenic route (read took a wrong turn) we arrived at our clinic site more or less on time. A small contingent to greet us, and the ever present Solomon. Clinic was set up and the people came. Today brought joy and gratefulness from our patients, and a few tears for our nurses. We saw approx. 540 patients. The Gift of Vision: As with any other health care needs of the people we see, eye exams and prescription eye glasses are beyond their means. Every year we bring non-prescription reading glasses and are well received. This year we brought over 400 pair. We are very thankful for the donation of these glasses, and the generosity of our donors. When assessing the recipient a bible is used. Today a gentleman received a pair of glasses and cried when he was able to read it. Or the huge smiles when they put on the glasses. A nurse or two may or may not have also shed a tear or two. Thank you Acton Optical Pleased as punch One of our team, Fatima, had the opportunity to do a home visit today. In January the patient had fallen and sustained a…

May 1, 2023 Kigama Friend's Church, our first clinic post Covid. A lot of mixed emotions going into day 1, that of excitement, anticipation, perhaps some fear or trepidation, a fear of the unknown maybe. Some things were much the same since 2019, yet some things were different....and missing. What was the same? The abject poverty we see, in contrast to the happiness and faith the people have remains constant. Another constant is Solomon....the ever present community go getter. Solomon greeted us this morning with his usual exuberance and happiness and gratefulness. We were welcomed with wide open arms, many hugs and greetings were had...it really warms the heart. Solomon . What's different? Progress in the construction of Kigama Friend's Church was beyond noticeable. It has been completed. The community has been busy over the past 3 years. The floors are done, the walls are painted and the windows installed. When last we saw it, there were dirt floors, concrete walls and lots of lumber lying around. Lookin' sharp Kigama. Crowd already waiting. What's Missing? Or more like who's missing. Winnie, one of our valued Kenyan team members who passed away in 2020. She is missed. Solomon paid tribute to her memory with a moment…

Start of our week of clinic. We have had a full building all day and still going.

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. Shewye full breakfast...IG worthy? Fresh avocado anyone...wonder how much guacamole that would make? 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. When your matatu has a sunroof... It's like a game of Tetris. Trish killing time... a little run in with the neighbors clothesline. 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,…

To quote The Proclaimers "I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more..." in our case over 16,000 km to get to our final destination... you do the math...(we would walk how many ??? miles .... "). The day of departure started with a few tense moments, and tears, for one of our squad with the fear she would not make it. She gathered herself together and through the power of prayer, our travel agent & her husband she arrived and the group was whole. After a few bumps checking in our bags, the shenanigans of going through security, with a bag or two segregated....which will be referred to from here on in as the contraband bags (who knew a stethoscope would be cause for segregation) we all made it on board for the first leg of our journey.  Destination...Heathrow, London. After a short layover, on to Nairobi for the night. The Squad Two flights, 12 nurses,  36 (+/-) suitcases, 1 bus ride and a partridge in a pear tree, we all arrived safely.  After all that, only one bag went astray...Patti may have to pillage our bags until her bag catches up with us, hopefully Monday, but no guarantees. If anyone is…