somewhere deep inside, something’s got a hold on you

the day finally arrived! my very own medical camp, made possible through the generous donations of all of you and the amazing anna.

the days leading up to saturday saw us getting more and more excited; anna spent a good couple of hours sticky-taping a toothpaste box to the back of a toothbrush (all 200 of them), last minute phone calls from marcus telling me about the shit he had to deal with from certain organisations (this country can be so exhausting), heading into the city centre in heavy traffic to buy stethoscopes and BP cuffs to use on the day and then to give as donations for the future medical camps… it was as exciting as it was stressful. but it was so goddamn worth it.

rubiri primary school grounds

I hardly slept on friday night – partially due to the fact we had a few beers with some other volunteers at our local bar & may have been a bit inebriated – but also because I was so excited. something we had been planning for a while was finally happening and was now coming to life.

a very early morning saw me up at 6am (although I was awake well before then) and getting a matatu with anna and her friend nikki, who helped out, to meet the other volunteers (ashley, richard and sarah) at the local shopping centre just before 7am so we could get going, naivasha is about 2hrs from nairobi in good traffic. we arrived just after 9am, and the best part was seeing patients already waiting when we arrived. I was actually a little worried, partially due to the fact that the camp was being held in a really rural location – rubiri primary school, on the outskirts of naivasha – and for patients to get there, they would have either had to get a piki piki (motorbike) which would cost money that not many people have, or to walk for quite a few hours. so seeing people there made me grin like an absolute loser.

patients already waiting to be seen

the biggest thing I’ve learnt about medical camps is that it’s not about the number of people who come. you don’t want to have huge huge numbers of people who come because you’d be so pressed for time and resources, they wouldn’t get the care and treatment they deserve. it’s about the quality of the care they receive, that each patient is listened to and treated accordingly.

a slightly negative part of the lead up to the camp was the crap marcus had to deal with from certain groups of people – apparently there was some shit storm about the people who we had organised to do the HIV testing, apparently the certificates held by the ‘testers’ were different to what is normally accepted and the testers would have to be met to assess their ability; ridiculous, considering these people are qualified and would have been doing what they do for quite some time. it sounded like they weren’t happy about us having HIV testing available at the camp… and this only came to light a couple of days before saturday. we couldn’t take away the HIV testing only a few days before; it had been advertised in the flyers we had printed and via the community health workers who had a loud speaker and we going through the surrounding villages and towns telling people to come on saturday. there’s a massive importance on the role of trust; patients have to feel as though they can trust whoever is treating them, otherwise they would never come back to another camp. if we took away something we had promised would be at the camp, would these patients trust anything we said again? simply put, no. there was a lot riding on this camp too as KCC are hoping to build a primary school just next to rubiri primary school. this was to be the chance that the people in the area would get to know KCC and what they’re all about, and they would trust that we’re delivering what we say we will deliver. and seeing the amazing work that KCC has done in their early development schools, for them to have their own primary school would be amazing; hence this camp being a big deal.

a classic example of the political bullshit we have to deal with here in kenya. it’s so hard to do something good for others when you’re jumping through hoops trying to make everyone happy.

the camp started at about 10:30am, a little bit behind schedule but there was lots to be done once we arrived. even though marcus, anna (a different one) and steinar, plus a few others, were already there and had clearly been getting things organised, we had to sweep the floors of the classrooms we’d be working in, figure out what classrooms would be used for cervical cancer screening and HIV testing and black out the windows for privacy, set up the registration area (and later a tent to protect flavia and anna (the norwegian one) from the blazing sun), set up the pharmacy with all the medications we had in stock, organise desks into makeshift tables for doctor/patient conversations etc etc. lots to do, but lots of hands make light work. and man, did we have a lot of hands!

getting organised!

after the debacle of gaining a medical licence for the day (the kenyan government got incredibly strict about ensuring only qualified medical professionals work in a volunteer capacity, enforcing that volunteers need to ‘purchase’ a licence in order to work here. it is a really important thing that has happened though, which I’m glad to have been to first one to get it organised so future medical volunteers can easily get it sorted.) mine cost $100 which covers me for a month, even though I only needed it to work one day – and even then it wasn’t like I was doing anything that would put anyone’s lives in any danger, all I was just gonna do was work in triage – taking patients vital signs… that’s hardly cause for concern. bloody political drama, but that’s a story to be told another day with a few beers.

triage, hectic as per usual

little leo had his first ever checkup

patients receiving their uji/porridge

the day flowed really well; richard, ashley and nikki helped with the public education forums and did a fantastic job. we had oral hygiene, hand washing, germs and reproductive health (a lady from kenya red cross did that talk) and every child got a toothbrush and toothpaste, then we had enough for almost all of the adults.

the tooth brushing talk

the hand washing talk

handing out toothbrushes and toothpastes

anna practising hand washing with some kids

statistics wise, we had 229 patients who registered: 50 women had cervical cancer screening, 50 patients volunteered to be tested – 31 of which had never been tested before… that is an incredible result. to have 31 people now know their status when before they had no idea is fantastic! there was also a room for family planning, we also had immunisations should any kids need them but only one had a measles injection – didn’t have any other kids needing any. but at least we were prepared.

eating lunch while we work

cleaning the uji cups

sah hipster

we saw our last patient at about 3:30pm, although I’m sure a couple of extras came later on. the long task of packing up everything, including medications that we’re left over (counting them as well), putting the desks back into the classrooms, taking down the blackout shades, cleaning all the dishes from the day. by the time we had our debrief, it was time to head home. anna and I were going to go to a festival that night but decided against it a few days prior, as I was leaving so soon and wanted to spend as much time with my host family as possible. turns out we were so exhausted we probably would’ve collapsed the second we had a beer and listening to some music! it always surprises me how tired I am after medical camps; this was my fourth one in four months, and each time I feel like I come home and pass out. whether it’s just the long day in general, or having to use the ‘medical knowledge’ part of my brain – which I’m not really using here – I always sleep like a log that night!

we were definitely delirious by this stage

honestly this camp couldn’t have been done without the huge support and organisation of marcus, of the KCC slum project. the fact that he can organise a medical camp amongst all of the other work he does at KCC is amazing, and hugely appreciated. also a big thanks to the volunteers from NVS, staff from kijabe mission hospital, district ministry of health, NHIF, kenya red cross, the public health office, area administration and of course, where we held the camp, rubiri primary school.

and of course, you guys. all of you who donated to my “taking healthcare to kenya” fund, this happened thanks to you. what I’ve done in kenya over the past 4 months hasn’t been as medical as what I thought it would be, and you’ve all been so supportive of ‘little ray of hope’, where I’ve spent the majority of my time, and some of the donation money. but I was over the moon to do something medical – your donations went towards the meeting that was held a month ago with all of the above mentioned organisations, buying medications for the patients, ensuring we had an allowance for the staff members who worked during the day (only kenyans received this), printing flyers to give to the kids at rubiri primary school to give to their family and neighbours, purchasing enough toothbrushes and toothpaste for almost every patient, buying the HIV test kits, mobilising community health workers in the days prior with loud speakers to get the word out, purchasing my medical licence so I could actually work during the day, ensuring we had food for the patients during the day, transport of goods and volunteers, providing lunch for the staff who worked during the day… there are so many more things but I honestly can’t think of them now (when the report of the day is written, then I can let you know!)

the a-team

thank you, thank you, thank you. I can’t say it enough.

there must be sunshine beyond that rain

finally finished all of the children’s profiles this morning, here’s a sneak peak at one…

christabelle, a beautiful three year old girl whose mother was 14 when she gave birth and passed away. she loves colouring and skipping rope. when she grows up, she just wants to be smiling.

have a look at little ray of hope school under ‘our children’ to see all of the profiles on our kids. it’s so hard reading some of their stories, but these kids are so resilient and each one deserves the whole world.

if you had one shot, one opportunity

september is already amazing; part I.

this week has only just started and yet it has already hit the mark of fan-bloody-tastic. I hit AU$4000 in donations, which is – quite literally – out of this world. even people I’ve never met have donated. so a huge thank you to my family and friends who have spread the word of what I’m doing. really, all of you are my backbone here in kenya.. I wouldn’t be able to help the people I’m helping without the selflessness of you all. so here is my thank you #1.

there’s a quote by mother theresa which says something like, ” if you can’t feed the world, then just feed one person”… I’ve slightly adapted it to, “if you can’t help the entire world, then focus on one small part and do as much as you can”. that’s how I feel about the ray of hope school. my amazing uncle ron is back home making skipping ropes to send over for them because I said they use old wires instead. this is everyone’s project, everyone who has donated, not just mine!

so as I’ve let you all know, I’ve already used a fair bit of the donation funds here in kenya – particularly on stationary, books and necessities for my little angels at ray of hope, as well as at other medical camps and donations to slums I’ve visited. however I didn’t realise that gofundme (the website I use to fundraise) and paypal both take a percentage of these funds. but that’s life, nothing comes without a small fee! anyway, long story short, I still have approximately $2700 – an incredible amount of money – for this medical camp; which brings me to the second part of this post.

september is already amazing, part II.

I met a pretty awesome norwegian girl called anna, who volunteered here in kenya last year, and loved the country so much that she’s now moved here for university. I was telling her about my goal of running my own medical camp, and she said she was really happy to assist with funding the camp with some of the money she raised for separate volunteer projects… approximately $850. I was speechless. and then finally, when I found my voice, extremely thankful! how on earth did I get so lucky with such generous people in my life? cue part three…

september is already amazing, part III.

yesterday I met with marcus, the co-founder of KCC slum project, to discuss my medical camp. he was at the last camp I did in naivasha, and knows a thing or two about the organisational side of things. anna came with me, so she can know where her donation money is going too.

he was blown away with the amount of money I managed to raise and was excited at the concept of how far it will go. usually volunteers organise one day medical camps, but he is certain that these funds can make an entire weekend-long medical camp, on october 26-27. that’s huge! the potential number of people we could see in two days is phenomenal, hundreds and hundreds, at least.

I let him know that I would love it run just like the one in naivasha as it was so so organised, but would love it to be for everyone, not just women. still have triage and doctors (maybe even specialists) and a pharmacy and voluntary HIV testing, also cervical cancer & breast cancer screening stations… but I would love to include dental in it as well. he loved the idea, as he had been brainstorming places to have the camp, and came up with a school on the outskirts of naivasha with a huge number of pupils, which would ensure we had a huge turnout. and I loved the idea of ensuring kids had dental checkups, as well as adults. some of the kenyans teeth here are shocking, I’ve seen in the past two months, which is what inspired me to have a dentist at this camp. I also thought of having little take home packs for kids after having a dental checkup, you know like a toothbrush and toothpaste (maybe a sticker or two), like we used to get when we’d go to the dentist as kids.

so marcus is going to get in contact with the local hospital, the school and then give me a run down of a potential budget for the camp. and then everything will start from there; getting staff, organising volunteers to help out, getting medications, getting equipment ready, making flyers & posters to spread the word throughout the entire area of naivasha and the surrounding villages and towns. it’s going to be a huge job, but it will be so worth it.

september AND october are going to be amazing

I don’t know if there’s a way to describe how inspired and excited I’m feeling right now. words are failing me! this was my goal, my dream. running a medical camp for the people who can’t easily access or afford healthcare. it’s my passion, what drives me every day here in kenya.

marcus said to me today “I remember you saying you wanted to fund a medical camp on your very first day in kenya”. this was my goal, and it is actually happening. my ‘one shot, one opportunity’ (cheers eminem). but it’s not just my medical camp, it’s ours. anyone who has donated, this is your medical camp that you’re helping run so that hundreds of hundreds of people can have medical attention, for free, close to their homes.

so now is the time to share my story, if you haven’t already. share what I’m doing with your work colleagues, your parents, your extended family, your children, your aunties brothers sister-in-law’s step-daughter, your boss, your favourite barista, your tram driver, your great-grandma with a huge estate and is unsure of how to spend it, your school, your basketball team or your church… this is it. if I raise any more funds between now and october 26-27, my idea of sending kids away with a toothbrush & toothpaste could come to life. I’d love to have vitamins for children as well (a new idea I just thought of), we’ve not had them at any other camp – and so many kids are malnourished, vitamins could do the world of good. and I am very open to suggestions, the brainstorming starts now!

if you’ve donated and want to again, or haven’t yet because you’ve waited until the right time, this is it. this is where all of the donation money is going (except for the little bit I’m saving for the clinic in Tanzania). this is your chance to directly help hundreds of kenyans, adults and beautiful children, reach healthcare. click on this link:

taking healthcare to kenya

asante sana, from the absolute bottom of my heart. ♥