Jess' story .........

I am currently in Kenya and the past 10 weeks I have been doing my Occupational Therapy placement, in the Western province in a town called Mumias. It is beautiful and green here and about 25 or more degrees each day; I usually come home from work covered in dirt, because when it is not dusty, it is incredibly muddy due to the El Nino that is supposedly lurking in the area! The Kenyan people have made me feel extremely welcome in Mumias, and they are fantastic people to work with!

                                        

I have been walking to and from work each day in serious training to hike Mt Kilimanjaro. Often it has been 10 or so kilometers out of the town, this always makes for an interesting walk back! Every form of transport will try to sweep me up – from ‘boda bodas’ (bicycles with a padded seat on the back), to ‘piki pikis’ (motorbikes), to ‘tuk tuks’ (the three wheelers) and even the ‘matatus’ (a van carrying at least 5 more people than seats, having a child or chicken propped on your lap for part of the journey is to be expected, never mind the insane driving you will experience!).

The outreach programs are often some distance away, as one of the main problems causing disability or even death is the inability for the majority of the Kenyan population to access good healthcare. The truth is it is usually only the sad fact that they don’t have the money for the transport fare, let alone medical treatment itself. Neglect for healthcare of children is far too common, and sadly more so for the disabled Kenyan children. Therefore, the cases we come across are interesting and often challenging. There are many Cerebral Palsy cases– caused by women giving birth in their homes and having complications, or from kids developing cerebral malaria in early childhood.

There are also many cases of congenital deformity, malformed limbs and club foot in particular. I have pursued the issue of safety in the kitchens in Kenya, however I have realized this is not always possible. With low standing open coal fires, often families of 10 children running in and out with a young girl manning the stove, sadly burns cannot always be avoided. As a result sadly, I don’t think I go a day without seeing another burns case. During my stay I have treated and splinted young clients whose burn sites are forming severe contractures. Unfortunately sometimes the contractures are so severe that the only option is surgery.

One of the most amazing experiences I have had during my stay has been visiting the volunteer plastic surgeries at Nyabondo. I travelled there along with 8 clients that both Martin (the Occupational Therapist that I work with) and I selected from Mumias. I say ‘volunteer surgeries’ because the surgeon and assistants essentially volunteer their time, and the operative and medical equipment are supplied by AMREF. Fortunately I was allowed to stand in the operating theatre to watch the surgeries of many children from all over the Western province during my stay. It was phenomenal to stand in and be involved in the process – witnessing the transformation of the children and their mothers as they underwent the cosmetic relief from the cleft palate surgeries, or the children with severe burns going under the knife to release their debilitating contractures.

I have since followed up clients in both Mumias and Busia, and little 6 month Zadwati is looking beautiful with her new smile and of course accompanied by her mother’s smile as well. The young boys whose burns have been operated on, I have since splinted and their function and quality of life have been increased dramatically! The importance of these children having access to these surgeries could be described as ‘life saving’, as unfortunately with many disabled children in Kenya there is a stigma attached. Parents or guardians often see the child as worthless or a burden to the family, society is not always accepting either… so where do they go from there? I feel fortunate to be involved in such work; even just knowing that there is hope for many of the disabled children I have come across is incredibly uplifting! But there are many more worthy cases…

              

Jenni (my youngest sister) and I will be hiking Mt Kilimanjaro (the 6 day Machame route), in Tanzania. Mt Kilimanjaro is the highest peak in Africa, standing at a massive 5896m and is higher than Everest base camp. I am realistic that the hike is going to be a massive challenge, but are sure that it will be a rewarding one too! We have decided to hike for the ‘Akhonya Trust’ a UK based charity that feeds all proceeds directly into supporting children who require these life saving surgeries performed in Kenya. I have set up a direct link to the Akhonya Trust webpage it is http://www.akhonyatrust.org/donate.php .

The Akhonya Trust was founded and is directed by an amazing man called Richard whom I have met; he volunteered as a mechanical engineer for 2 years in Mumias. Since then he has hand selected projects to support; including an orphanage for 130 children in Ematundu, ‘SAIPEH’ a project that raises awareness and supports the HIV/AIDS affected community, and also the corrective surgeries, which we would specifically like to support. We aim to raise money for the next orthopaedic and plastic surgery operations that will commence in December and February respectively. We would appreciate any donation or support that you can give; please note that the donation will be in British pounds. Also in the ‘comments’ section of the donation form please state you are supporting Jess and Jenni’s Kilimanjaro hike. All the money raised directly supports the kids in need of surgery through the Akhonya Trust and Martin based in Kenya, including their transport to Nyabondo, operative and post operative requirements.

     

I, Jenni, the Akhonya Trust and the Kenyan kids (small tug on the heart strings) would appreciate any donation that you can make. We will endeavour to keep you updated on the children undergoing the upcoming surgeries; Martin is enjoying his new digital camera donated by ‘Retravision.’ Also fingers crossed a photo of Jenni and I at the Mt Kilimanjaro summit will soon be provided! I have attached photos of the beautiful Kenyan children I am so passionate about supporting and their surgeries that I was lucky enough to attend. Here is the Akonya Trust web link again: http://www.akhonyatrust.org/donate.php

                        

          ‘Asante sana’ (thank you very much) for your support!