Scenes from Mukuru...
The Medical Clinic...
...and the Dental Team....
... and "yours truly..."
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Friday, October 10, 2008
Scenes from the Mission...
Below are a number of pictures from the mission ...
... and "yours truly..."
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... and "yours truly..."
Monday, October 6, 2008
Thanks to our great Team!
Our eyecare team was fabulous!! I appreciated working with Dr. Bob McClenathan from Lancaster and Dr. Amy Spotts from York who had previously worked on eye missions with Rotary. I learned alot from the ol' seasoned veterans. I also enjoyed working with our 4 colleagues from Denmark - Jesper, Henrik, Suzann, and Lise.
Kaye McClenathan did a fabulous job as "gate-keeper" in the clinic and she was the one that performed auto-refractions on most of the children - a fairly difficult job with young people who have a hard time fixing their gaze on one spot for the necessary time period. Connie Spark and Mark Warchol were busy fitting and dispensing glasses.
Mark was previously at Rotarian in York and now is a Rotarian in Texas. He also lives part-time in Russia. He is a metallurgist and engineer who works mainly with aviation materials. He is truly a MacGyver -able to fix anything. I understand on one previous Rotary mission he completely dis-assembled a surgical microscope overnight and rebuilt it. He has legendary stature in Rotary mission work.
Bob Elser and Pete Lutz from York East Rotary and Nigel Foundling from North Lebanon and Mary Anne Eckert from Boulder, Colorado were our visual acuity screening team. They worked closely with our local volunteer/translators, most of who were local university students and Rotaract members.
The final 2 days of the mission...
First of all, my apologies for the gap in posting. I did not have internet access for the last week I was in Kenya.
Last Monday and Tuesday were the final 2 days of the medical mission in Mukuru. At this point we were running as a fine-tuned machine in the eye clinic. Although we had lost 3 of our helpers as the water project finally got off the ground (more on that later), we were allotted new volunteers and things ran smoothly.
On Monday I saw an infant who had congenital cataracts in both eyes. This means that the baby is blind and the sooner the cataracts can be removed, the better sight can be restored. We did find out that there is a Lion's Firstsight Eye Hospital in Nairobi, so we made a referral to this hospital for the baby. Our understanding is that the child will receive the care she needs at no cost, so hopefully she will be cared for.
On Tuesday, the eye team was down 2 doctors. Both Dr. Bob McClenathan and myself were sorry we had eaten the cream sauce at the Italian restaurant the night before and spent the day in our hotel room. My understanding is that all went well without us.
I have not been given the final numbers at this point. Over our 8 days in Mukuru I would estimate that were saw (including simple vision screenings) around 2000 children and treated with medications or prescribed glasses for hundreds.
It was a great experience working with the children and their teachers and parents. They were all very thankful and gracious.
Last Monday and Tuesday were the final 2 days of the medical mission in Mukuru. At this point we were running as a fine-tuned machine in the eye clinic. Although we had lost 3 of our helpers as the water project finally got off the ground (more on that later), we were allotted new volunteers and things ran smoothly.
On Monday I saw an infant who had congenital cataracts in both eyes. This means that the baby is blind and the sooner the cataracts can be removed, the better sight can be restored. We did find out that there is a Lion's Firstsight Eye Hospital in Nairobi, so we made a referral to this hospital for the baby. Our understanding is that the child will receive the care she needs at no cost, so hopefully she will be cared for.
On Tuesday, the eye team was down 2 doctors. Both Dr. Bob McClenathan and myself were sorry we had eaten the cream sauce at the Italian restaurant the night before and spent the day in our hotel room. My understanding is that all went well without us.
I have not been given the final numbers at this point. Over our 8 days in Mukuru I would estimate that were saw (including simple vision screenings) around 2000 children and treated with medications or prescribed glasses for hundreds.
It was a great experience working with the children and their teachers and parents. They were all very thankful and gracious.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Press Release
Here is an article about the mission which showed up in the press last week...
Rotary volunteers lead international medical team to Kenya
Multi-specialty initiative provides preventive care to children in Nairobi slums still recovering from post-election violence
NAIROBI, Kenya (Sept. 22, 2008 ) -- About 70 volunteers from 11 countries arrived in Kenya last week to provide preventive health care services to thousands of children in the poorest neighborhoods of Nairobi, a city still recovering from the post-election violence of December and January.
The international team includes health care professionals and non-medical volunteers from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, India, Japan, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, United Kingdom and the United States. They include physicians, dentists, dental assistants, paramedics, registered nurses, optometrists and opticians. About two thirds of the volunteers are members of Rotary clubs.
The medical mission, which runs Sept. 22 -30, will focus on the health needs of children living in the Nairobi slums of Mukuru, Mathare and Korogocho, where the poverty rate is high and access to preventive health care extremely limited.
According to UNICEF, the widespread rioting and violence that rocked Kenya in the wake of the disputed Dec. 27 presidential election "took a particularly high toll" on the residents of Nairobi's slums, where almost 60 percent of the city's population eke out an existence on personal incomes averaging less than $1 a day. As usual in such circumstances, children were among the most vulnerable victims.
According to team co-leader Connie Spark, an optician and Rotary club member from York, Pa., each child will be screened to prioritize his or her most pressing needs -- dental work, vision problems, malnutrition, injuries, infection, etc. -- then sent to the appropriate specialty stations. Spark says the team is prepared to see as many as 3,000 patients a day, and the total value of services and supplies to be delivered is estimated at $1 million.
Local physicians and other Kenyan health care professionals will participate to ensure that patients will continue to receive appropriate care after the mission concludes. All unused supplies also will remain in Nairobi for that purpose.
The international team will be hosted by Kenyan Rotary club members, many of them members of Rotarians for Fighting AIDS (RFFA), an international organization for Rotary members concerned about the HIV/AIDS pandemic. RFFA has been especially active in Kenya, where it will function as the "mobilization partner" for the medical mission, handling logistics such as transportation, housing, food and security. In all, about 125 Kenyans will participate, including Rotary-affiliated volunteers and health care professionals.
In cooperation with RFFA, the international charity Hope Worldwide will offer HIV testing and counseling during the medical mission, according to RFFA founder and chair Marion Bunch, .a Rotary club member from Dunwoody, Ga.
The medical mission is supported by a $38,000 matching grant from the Rotary Foundation. Also contributing funds are Rotary clubs in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Kenya and the Coca-Cola Africa Foundation.
Rotary volunteers lead international medical team to Kenya
Multi-specialty initiative provides preventive care to children in Nairobi slums still recovering from post-election violence
NAIROBI, Kenya (Sept. 22, 2008 ) -- About 70 volunteers from 11 countries arrived in Kenya last week to provide preventive health care services to thousands of children in the poorest neighborhoods of Nairobi, a city still recovering from the post-election violence of December and January.
The international team includes health care professionals and non-medical volunteers from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, India, Japan, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, United Kingdom and the United States. They include physicians, dentists, dental assistants, paramedics, registered nurses, optometrists and opticians. About two thirds of the volunteers are members of Rotary clubs.
The medical mission, which runs Sept. 22 -30, will focus on the health needs of children living in the Nairobi slums of Mukuru, Mathare and Korogocho, where the poverty rate is high and access to preventive health care extremely limited.
According to UNICEF, the widespread rioting and violence that rocked Kenya in the wake of the disputed Dec. 27 presidential election "took a particularly high toll" on the residents of Nairobi's slums, where almost 60 percent of the city's population eke out an existence on personal incomes averaging less than $1 a day. As usual in such circumstances, children were among the most vulnerable victims.
According to team co-leader Connie Spark, an optician and Rotary club member from York, Pa., each child will be screened to prioritize his or her most pressing needs -- dental work, vision problems, malnutrition, injuries, infection, etc. -- then sent to the appropriate specialty stations. Spark says the team is prepared to see as many as 3,000 patients a day, and the total value of services and supplies to be delivered is estimated at $1 million.
Local physicians and other Kenyan health care professionals will participate to ensure that patients will continue to receive appropriate care after the mission concludes. All unused supplies also will remain in Nairobi for that purpose.
The international team will be hosted by Kenyan Rotary club members, many of them members of Rotarians for Fighting AIDS (RFFA), an international organization for Rotary members concerned about the HIV/AIDS pandemic. RFFA has been especially active in Kenya, where it will function as the "mobilization partner" for the medical mission, handling logistics such as transportation, housing, food and security. In all, about 125 Kenyans will participate, including Rotary-affiliated volunteers and health care professionals.
In cooperation with RFFA, the international charity Hope Worldwide will offer HIV testing and counseling during the medical mission, according to RFFA founder and chair Marion Bunch, .a Rotary club member from Dunwoody, Ga.
The medical mission is supported by a $38,000 matching grant from the Rotary Foundation. Also contributing funds are Rotary clubs in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Kenya and the Coca-Cola Africa Foundation.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
The Children of Mukuru
As our bus pulls into the dirt paths in Mukuru, the children come to life.
We've been there six days and every day is the same. They come running out to the street with great big toothy smiles, waving furiously and chanting "How are you?....How are you?"
Some of the boys run alongside the bus and try to stay with the bus until they stumble or run into a cabbage cart.
In the clinic, the Kenyan children are soft-spoken, especially the girls. They are well behaved and respectful of elders. Outside the clinic, they happily run and play like children anywhere else.
The girls wear dresses. During the week the schoolchildren are dressed in their uniforms. Each school seems to have a different color scheme - blue, green, red, etc. The uniforms typically consist of checked shirts, solid sweaters (yes - in the African heat), and solid skirts or shorts.
We've seen girls as young as 8 or 9 carrying babies on their backs.
The Kenyan children, and the Kenyan people as a whole, are physically beautiful.
In the midst of such astonishing poverty, these children are generous in their smiles and waves. I can't help but to think of that as an reflection of God's grace!
We've been there six days and every day is the same. They come running out to the street with great big toothy smiles, waving furiously and chanting "How are you?....How are you?"
Some of the boys run alongside the bus and try to stay with the bus until they stumble or run into a cabbage cart.
In the clinic, the Kenyan children are soft-spoken, especially the girls. They are well behaved and respectful of elders. Outside the clinic, they happily run and play like children anywhere else.
The girls wear dresses. During the week the schoolchildren are dressed in their uniforms. Each school seems to have a different color scheme - blue, green, red, etc. The uniforms typically consist of checked shirts, solid sweaters (yes - in the African heat), and solid skirts or shorts.
We've seen girls as young as 8 or 9 carrying babies on their backs.
The Kenyan children, and the Kenyan people as a whole, are physically beautiful.
In the midst of such astonishing poverty, these children are generous in their smiles and waves. I can't help but to think of that as an reflection of God's grace!
Days 5 and 6
The eye clinic has seen about 600 children in the past 2 days.
We improved our testing of the children that are faking the vision screening to get glasses. We now have "magic glasses" which look like normal glasses but have no prescription. If one of the docs has scoped and determined that the child has little or no refractive error, and still the child can't see the big letters on the eye chart, we put on the magic glasses and miraculously the child can see 20/20.... they're busted!!
Interestingly, we have seen 3 albino children in the past 2 days. Albinos typically have very poor eyesight because the lack of pigment impedes the development of the eyes. They also are very light sensitive which is not a good trait to have in equatorial Africa. We were able to give these albino children prescription glasses and prescription sunglasses as well as several pairs of large sunglasses that fit over regular glasses. I suspect that there is quite a stigma for an albino child in African society as it appears that the very dark African mother has given birth to a white child.
Another intereting case we saw was a younger child ( about 10 years old) who had cataract surgery when young but did not receive a lens implant and received no glasses. He has essentially been blind since the surgery without having glasses and glasses will improve his vision to at least 20/40. This will make such a difference in this child's life!!
We improved our testing of the children that are faking the vision screening to get glasses. We now have "magic glasses" which look like normal glasses but have no prescription. If one of the docs has scoped and determined that the child has little or no refractive error, and still the child can't see the big letters on the eye chart, we put on the magic glasses and miraculously the child can see 20/20.... they're busted!!
Interestingly, we have seen 3 albino children in the past 2 days. Albinos typically have very poor eyesight because the lack of pigment impedes the development of the eyes. They also are very light sensitive which is not a good trait to have in equatorial Africa. We were able to give these albino children prescription glasses and prescription sunglasses as well as several pairs of large sunglasses that fit over regular glasses. I suspect that there is quite a stigma for an albino child in African society as it appears that the very dark African mother has given birth to a white child.
Another intereting case we saw was a younger child ( about 10 years old) who had cataract surgery when young but did not receive a lens implant and received no glasses. He has essentially been blind since the surgery without having glasses and glasses will improve his vision to at least 20/40. This will make such a difference in this child's life!!
The Slum of Mukuru
As you enter Mukuru you are struck by the poverty.
The slums consist of sheet metal and wooden shantys, squeezed together side-by-side separated by narrow pathways and small, unpaved heavily rutted streets.
Every home/shanty seems to have a business of some kind in front - selling tomatoes, cabbages, butcheries, hair salons, selling plastic bottles or fried dough to name a few. Every "shop" has a sign with a unique name, mostly in English. One of my favorites is "Waka-Knife the Butcher".
Plastic garbage is everywhere. The paper trash is burned and the roaming goats eat the organic waste.
The slum is filled to the brim with people. Some are busily walking, some manning the storefronts, others just sitting and watching. The children are emerged in dust, stagnant water, and trash.
There are rows of sheet metal outhouses that serve as latrines...nothing more than holes in the ground with a little privacy. Those fortunate enough to have private latrines keep them padlocked for their own use. The less fortunate use plastic shopping bags which are heaped in large piles. These are often called "flying toilets."
The air is filled with many smells. The most prominant smell is that of dusty stench. As you pass by different areas of the slum you may smell the frying dough, or 2 day-old fish heads that are for sale, and of course there are the latrines and flying toilet piles.
Goats and chickens roam the streets among the mobs of people. Handcarts are the main transportation system within the slum, transporting anything from cabbages to plastic jugs of kerosene.
It is surprising the density of people in this slum, especially with the expanses of open land surrounding Nairobi.
The slums consist of sheet metal and wooden shantys, squeezed together side-by-side separated by narrow pathways and small, unpaved heavily rutted streets.
Every home/shanty seems to have a business of some kind in front - selling tomatoes, cabbages, butcheries, hair salons, selling plastic bottles or fried dough to name a few. Every "shop" has a sign with a unique name, mostly in English. One of my favorites is "Waka-Knife the Butcher".
Plastic garbage is everywhere. The paper trash is burned and the roaming goats eat the organic waste.
The slum is filled to the brim with people. Some are busily walking, some manning the storefronts, others just sitting and watching. The children are emerged in dust, stagnant water, and trash.
There are rows of sheet metal outhouses that serve as latrines...nothing more than holes in the ground with a little privacy. Those fortunate enough to have private latrines keep them padlocked for their own use. The less fortunate use plastic shopping bags which are heaped in large piles. These are often called "flying toilets."
The air is filled with many smells. The most prominant smell is that of dusty stench. As you pass by different areas of the slum you may smell the frying dough, or 2 day-old fish heads that are for sale, and of course there are the latrines and flying toilet piles.
Goats and chickens roam the streets among the mobs of people. Handcarts are the main transportation system within the slum, transporting anything from cabbages to plastic jugs of kerosene.
It is surprising the density of people in this slum, especially with the expanses of open land surrounding Nairobi.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Tuesday - Thursday
It's hard to believe but days 2, 3, 4 are in the book!! On Tuesday we saw about 300 children in the eye clinic, 350 yesterday, and about 250 today. Many children are able to pass the initial screening for vision and do not have to see the eye docs.
Today was an early finish because we have been invited to a reception by the US Embassador and needed to get cleaned up and out early to beat Nairobi rush hour.
The entire count at our location which includes the medical, dental, and eye clinics has been roughly 1700 children seen per day! Every child is getting medicine for de-worming.
In the eye clinic we have seen some interesting diseases , but surprisingly this popular of children have pretty good eyesight as a whole. We have also had to deal with a number of children "faking" poor vision in order to try to get glasses. This makes it harder for us because we need to make sure that there is no health concerns that is making it so they can't see.
Nonetheless, the children are very well behaved. They also are soft-spoken, which is a little tough in the noisy clinic building.
Today was an early finish because we have been invited to a reception by the US Embassador and needed to get cleaned up and out early to beat Nairobi rush hour.
The entire count at our location which includes the medical, dental, and eye clinics has been roughly 1700 children seen per day! Every child is getting medicine for de-worming.
In the eye clinic we have seen some interesting diseases , but surprisingly this popular of children have pretty good eyesight as a whole. We have also had to deal with a number of children "faking" poor vision in order to try to get glasses. This makes it harder for us because we need to make sure that there is no health concerns that is making it so they can't see.
Nonetheless, the children are very well behaved. They also are soft-spoken, which is a little tough in the noisy clinic building.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Traffic in Nairobi
First of all, sometimes my posts may be a day or so behind. The 'small internet cafe' at the hotel is actually 2 slow computers in a closet. With 60 some volunteers staying at the hotel, getting internet time has been difficult.
Traffic in Nairobi is terrible. There are no freeways in this national capital and all traffic flows around 'round-abouts' or traffic circles. Obviously, this system locks up during rush hour. We have altered the times we start and end our mission work each day to try to avoid rush hour as much as possible. Yesterday we sat still, waiting to enter a traffic circle for about 15 minutes.
The roads are very primitive also. The buses bounce around unmercilessly. There is no such thing as a smooth road and often people are scooting around on the brim of the road since there are no lanes. They drive on the left side of the road like other British colonies.
The 'road' through the Mukuru slum is dirt with many deep rutts. Driving through a Lancaster County cornfield would be smoother. The path through the slums is essentially 1 lane. While there are few vehicles, there are thousands of people walking or riding bikes on the same path way.
Traffic in Nairobi is terrible. There are no freeways in this national capital and all traffic flows around 'round-abouts' or traffic circles. Obviously, this system locks up during rush hour. We have altered the times we start and end our mission work each day to try to avoid rush hour as much as possible. Yesterday we sat still, waiting to enter a traffic circle for about 15 minutes.
The roads are very primitive also. The buses bounce around unmercilessly. There is no such thing as a smooth road and often people are scooting around on the brim of the road since there are no lanes. They drive on the left side of the road like other British colonies.
The 'road' through the Mukuru slum is dirt with many deep rutts. Driving through a Lancaster County cornfield would be smoother. The path through the slums is essentially 1 lane. While there are few vehicles, there are thousands of people walking or riding bikes on the same path way.
First Day of Mission
The local rooster woke us up at 5:30. There are no alarm clocks in the rooms but the rooster is very dedicated...and he has no snooze button!
We got off to a slower than expected start. The mission has 3 different locations which involves coordinating the delivery of supplies and medicine .. and people to the right location. Monday morning was a little chaotic, as we didn't get away from the hotel until after 11 am.
The Eye Team is serving in the slum of Mukuru which is also the location of the medical and dental parts of the mission. The other 2 sites are in other slums and are only dental.
The initial trip into Mukura was very eye-opening. The poverty and living standards are incredible. I'll write more about that later.
Our first day involved mainly figuring out how to set up our clinic and training the non-medical volunteers on how to assist with checking visual acuities, registering children, etc.
We saw only about 30 children on the first day. My first child was a 4 year old who complained of a hurting right eye and I found he had a small gnat-like bug in his lower cul-de-sac which I easily removed with a little anesthetic and swab.
We got off to a slower than expected start. The mission has 3 different locations which involves coordinating the delivery of supplies and medicine .. and people to the right location. Monday morning was a little chaotic, as we didn't get away from the hotel until after 11 am.
The Eye Team is serving in the slum of Mukuru which is also the location of the medical and dental parts of the mission. The other 2 sites are in other slums and are only dental.
The initial trip into Mukura was very eye-opening. The poverty and living standards are incredible. I'll write more about that later.
Our first day involved mainly figuring out how to set up our clinic and training the non-medical volunteers on how to assist with checking visual acuities, registering children, etc.
We saw only about 30 children on the first day. My first child was a 4 year old who complained of a hurting right eye and I found he had a small gnat-like bug in his lower cul-de-sac which I easily removed with a little anesthetic and swab.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Greetings from Nairobi
Jambo means hello in Swahili. We left York on Friday morning at 10:30 am, drove to JFK, flew to London, flew to Nairobi and then arrived at our hotel just before midnight on Saturday night. Nairobi is 7 hours ahead of Elizabethtown. It was indeed a long journey!
On the way from the airport we saw a heard of zebra grazing by the road the way we see deer.
Today we are organizing our equipment and we will set up our eye camp tomorrow morning. Everyone is very excited to get started!
On the way from the airport we saw a heard of zebra grazing by the road the way we see deer.
Today we are organizing our equipment and we will set up our eye camp tomorrow morning. Everyone is very excited to get started!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Article in England newspaper...
The following article about Peter Sotheran, our mission coordinator, appeared in his local newspaper...
Mission to help thousands of Kenyan families
Sep 4 2008 by Mike Morgan, Evening Gazette
TEESSIDE Rotarian Peter Sotheran is banking on a crash course in Swahili as he prepares to support an international aid mission to Africa.
The long-standing member of the Rotary Club of Guisborough and Great Ayton has been selected to take part in a mission to Kenya, where most of the locals speak Swahili.
Peter, a past president of the club and well known for his involvement in charitable causes, travels out to Nairobi in Kenya in five weeks’ time.
His job is to co-ordinate a 70-strong team of doctors, dentists and opticians [optometrists in USA] at three campsites in the slums of Nairobi. He said: “My job is to integrate the international volunteers with local voluntary help and many of the locals will have limited command of English.”
Known as a health and hygiene mission, the aim is to screen and treat several hundred young people each day, targeting 12,000 in the two weeks of the mission.
Patients from infants to 20 years of age, plus young mums will be checked and treated.
Two dental clinics will be set up in schools on the edge of the slums, and will be geared to treat around 200 patients a day.
The optical team is equipped to examine up to 25 patients an hour, will produce prescription spectacles within the hour and treat minor eye infections.
“Restoring a patient’s vision restores their independence and enables them to contribute to the family and community,” explained Peter.
Special attention will be given to children in local orphanages, most of whom have lost their parents due to Aids.
Working alongside each of the teams will be a specialist HIV/Aids counselling and treatment unit.
More than 25% of the population of Nairobi (850,000 out of 3.2m) live in the timber and tin-sheet shanties of the slums.
“So many infants are born with Aids-infected blood, we need a massive intervention to try to create an Aids-free generation,” said Sally Platt, a Rotarian from Marietta in Georgia (USA), who is leading the mission.
The project is the pilot of a five-year programme that is funded by the US Government and a host of international corporations.
The 70 volunteers converge on Nairobi over the weekend of September 20.
Mission to help thousands of Kenyan families
Sep 4 2008 by Mike Morgan, Evening Gazette
TEESSIDE Rotarian Peter Sotheran is banking on a crash course in Swahili as he prepares to support an international aid mission to Africa.
The long-standing member of the Rotary Club of Guisborough and Great Ayton has been selected to take part in a mission to Kenya, where most of the locals speak Swahili.
Peter, a past president of the club and well known for his involvement in charitable causes, travels out to Nairobi in Kenya in five weeks’ time.
His job is to co-ordinate a 70-strong team of doctors, dentists and opticians [optometrists in USA] at three campsites in the slums of Nairobi. He said: “My job is to integrate the international volunteers with local voluntary help and many of the locals will have limited command of English.”
Known as a health and hygiene mission, the aim is to screen and treat several hundred young people each day, targeting 12,000 in the two weeks of the mission.
Patients from infants to 20 years of age, plus young mums will be checked and treated.
Two dental clinics will be set up in schools on the edge of the slums, and will be geared to treat around 200 patients a day.
The optical team is equipped to examine up to 25 patients an hour, will produce prescription spectacles within the hour and treat minor eye infections.
“Restoring a patient’s vision restores their independence and enables them to contribute to the family and community,” explained Peter.
Special attention will be given to children in local orphanages, most of whom have lost their parents due to Aids.
Working alongside each of the teams will be a specialist HIV/Aids counselling and treatment unit.
More than 25% of the population of Nairobi (850,000 out of 3.2m) live in the timber and tin-sheet shanties of the slums.
“So many infants are born with Aids-infected blood, we need a massive intervention to try to create an Aids-free generation,” said Sally Platt, a Rotarian from Marietta in Georgia (USA), who is leading the mission.
The project is the pilot of a five-year programme that is funded by the US Government and a host of international corporations.
The 70 volunteers converge on Nairobi over the weekend of September 20.
A great confluence!
Rotarians from 10 different countries will be converging on Nairobi to make this mission happen - United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, South Africa, Brazil, India, Denmark, Nigeria, and Kenya.
The mission team members from the United States come from Pennsylvania, Georgia, Massachusetts, Colorado, North Carolina, Texas, and the District of Columbia.
The mission team members from the United States come from Pennsylvania, Georgia, Massachusetts, Colorado, North Carolina, Texas, and the District of Columbia.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Fast Facts about the Mission...
Nairobi is home to one of the largest populations of children orphaned due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Most of them live in extreme poverty in child-headed or adolescent-headed households or with grannies who have no means of supporting them.
Education is the only way out of poverty, but unless they are well enough to attend school, that opportunity is lost. As well, many of these children have only one meal a day, which they receive at school. Thus, keeping them in school is very important.
During this mission, the children will be screened and treated by pediatricians, dentists and eye care professionals. They will also receive health education, including proper hand washing, tooth brushing and HIV/AIDS prevention information.
I will be part of the eye care team. I hope, but won't be sure until I get to Nairobi, that I will be able to keep you informed of our mission via this blog.
Education is the only way out of poverty, but unless they are well enough to attend school, that opportunity is lost. As well, many of these children have only one meal a day, which they receive at school. Thus, keeping them in school is very important.
During this mission, the children will be screened and treated by pediatricians, dentists and eye care professionals. They will also receive health education, including proper hand washing, tooth brushing and HIV/AIDS prevention information.
I will be part of the eye care team. I hope, but won't be sure until I get to Nairobi, that I will be able to keep you informed of our mission via this blog.
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