Kirwara Hospital

A week before May 17th, I made my decision to go ahead and
make a trip to Kenya to in preparation for the big medical mission.

I called a high official in the Kenyan Government whom I had met February 2012 in Las Vegas during the rugby seven tournament. By the grace of God, he was very responsive and connected me with a doctor in Gatanga constituency in Muranga Kenya who was also quick to respond to my phone call and email. Prior to this I had met another young man in a Kenyan church in Hayward California who talked about a sister (Nun) in Kenya in a place called Ikiinu in Kiambu District who runs an orphanage. He related how a group of them got together and decided to visit the orphanage and give what was needed. As I listened to his story about the experience, the spirit of God was with us, especially when he revealed that the sister was sleeping on a hard floor in order to give up the beds to the orphans.

After listening to the voice of God, I knew that these were the people I needed to visit in order to accomplish my vision for the 2013 mission. God is never late. At the very last minute, and yes, I do mean the last minute, I got all the connections I needed. I booked my ticket on May 9th to leave May 16th 2012. I had six days to get ready. I called a good friend and a co-worker Alice who is also Kenyan, and told her that I was leaving on the 16th of May. I also called a ****** in San Leandro who helps those going on medical missions with supplies, usually for a donation of 75 dollars per 50lbs of medical supplies.

I also called a production company that had previously accompanied me while volunteering in Med-Share and asked for the donations that they had pledged. I went there with two Kenyan nurses (Alice and Wanjiku) with a list of the requests that Dr. Maina and I had emailed.

Wednesday the 10th of May 2012, came and I had to be at the airport early, at five in the morning. By Thursday the 17th of May at 9pm, I was in Kenya!! I rested on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On Monday the 21st, I had to meet with the popular radio station that was to interview me and introduce me to a V.I.P T.V announcer formerly from CNN. I met with them and I will meet them again on my next trip to Kenya. That same day the high government official welcomed me via text.

On Tuesday May 22nd Dr. Maina picked me up from Maki estate Thika to take me to Kirwara hospital. He appeared so young!! He was neatly put together and humble. Our spirits connected very well. We drove about 20 minutes or so to the hospital. He had briefed the staff beforhand that there would be a visiting volunteer from America. I thought it funny that they were expecting a white person. I introduced myself in my native language. Somehow they were shocked that I spoke the language. This was a confirmation for me that Kenyans need to go back home and help. It shouldn’t be a shock to our fellow Kenyans when a native goes back to share skills gained from countries abroad.

I was welcomed by every staff member in the hospital with such love that I immediately felt accepted. I told them that the reason I was there was to gain a skill from them, and with their permission, give back what I had learned. The day started with visiting the entire hospital. It is a small hospital but was been kept clean and friendly. I visited urgent care (casually), pharmacy, lab, maternity, mother-child ward, IVT (HIV clinic), physical therapist, lab ward, then the operation room (theatre). I later went to Dr. Maina’s office where we had tea with chapatti. During this time, I asked Dr. Maina what had been the most challenging case he had had recently. He told me about an 18 month old girl who had been raped that Monday while her mother was in the garden. Now, more than three weeks after leaving Kenya, I am still numb. Shortly after that, a nurse came in reporting that a woman had been in labor for a while but was still not near full dilation. It was her 3rd child and she had had 3 c-sections. I was told to scrub and get in the theatre with the team. I did just that. The team was so content and worked so well together. I went back to the Doctor’s office and we talked about how they run the hospital. It is a government hospital that is run with a very small budget but somehow, they manage it. Shortly after lunch, the doctors were called again for an emergency c-section. We scrubbed again and another little girl was born. Time passed by quickly and after making rounds, it was already time to leave. In this rural area, transportation is limited to about 7pm. It felt like a whole day of work and was especially emotionally draining knowing how limited they are in resources. However the feeling of compassion and commitment shared by the entire staff in Kirwara hospital was inspiring.

Thursday the 24th:I met with my friend Cathy who had returned to Kenya two years earlier and had started a prison ministry for the youth. She asked me if I would join her for a visit and give a talk of encouragement at the maximum prison. I humbly accepted. We drove to the Kamiti Maximum security prison, located about 30 minutes from the city. I had never been to a Kenyan prison before and was again shocked by the experience. The young boys were in detention for anything from petty thefts such as stealing a loaf of bread, or a rabbit, to drug use. I shared the word of God with these young men. Afterwards, I requested that the boys be given a chance to speak. One young man raised his hand and asked if we would be able to assist them in recovery, skill building and procurement of housing upon their release from detention. I knew God was in the works, for my vision for Mapenzi Africa foundation is to collaborate with the government in order to start a skill center for the undeserved in the community.

The mission for Mapenzi Africa is not just teaching how to fish and trade, although this is important component of the mission. We also aim to give skills in self-awareness, with the hope that they will become champions in their health and find their own individual purpose. This empowers them to become more active citizens in building their communities. We had brought milk with us and we served them with great honor.

After visiting the juvenile detention, we headed to Ikinu in Kiambu district to Fanaka orphanage accompanied by My brother James,My Nephew Dan and my Dear friend Cathy. Alice from california, a nurse and a dear friend of mine was kind to donate towards the orphanage. I had called sister Easter and asked her what she needed most. Her response was Food!! We drove to the orphanage where we were met by the sister at a green gate. She opened the gate with a huge smile and when I got out the car to meet her, I could truly feel the spirit of God was in her. It was about 3pm when I arrived. I hugged her and the bond I felt was real!! We progressed to the brick house that was well decorated with pictures of Christ’s last supper and gates of heaven. I felt love, peace and calmness inside the house. It was nicely put together with lots of love all over. I could hear kids singing in kikuyu, “we have guests, we have guest!!” Shortly after one young girl came to the living room peeping by the wall. I asked her to come in and say hello. She came to me and gave me a big hug, then more kids came out and held me by the leg while others climbed to me. Right then I knew I was part of their lives. It was as if we had known each other before. This was my first time meeting all of them but sure enough, all the prayers and fasting had connected us in spirit. I cannot fullyexplain how I felt then, or even how I feel now, but there was a definite sense of belonging and purpose.

The sister served us warm milk that tasted so creamy I had three cups. So did my brother James and Dan. That must be the milk that God talks about when referring to milk and honey. We asked the sister were she did her food shopping . She said that she liked to shop locally so as to support the businesses around the area. She directed my brother and my nephew to stores where they could buy the food that the kids needed. My brother and nephew left and I stayed behind with my friend Cathy, the children, and the Sister. While we were visiting with the Sister more kids came out of school. It was very interesting to see how those kids took care of each other. Each older child was assigned to a younger one. The older kids made sure that after school the younger children change clothes and assisted them with showering and putting on their night gowns. I asked the sister for permission to record our conversation and take pictures, which she warmly agreed to. The sad story behind each and every child was too much to bear and included rape, assault, abandonment, orphaned by HIV, post-election violence. e.t.c. At the time I was numb but when I got back to the States it all hit me!! I called the sister just about every night and she gave me courage. Maybe you are reading this blog and feeling as I feel. I kept asking myself why, but no answer came to the question of "why".

I prayed and the answer that came to me was "how"? How can I serve God through these children? Well, I called the sister and asked her how we could make a difference. She responded that it was a prayer answered to find a partner to serve the undeserved!! We are now working to purchase 5 acre of land and build a home specifically designed for their needs including a school and other facilities focusing on teaching self reliance. Thus the orphanage will expand with an academy that will have the highest standard of education in Kenya and a will include a faculty for counseling the children and whatever else God has planned for us.
That Thursday, I went home feeling drained but with a great feeling of fulfillment.

Come Friday, I had to be up by sunrise in order to drive from Karen to upperhill to an area near Nairobi for a radio interview with Truth FM. My nephew Dan came and picked me up at 4am to be at the radio station by sunrise for live broadcasting. Traffic was heavy but Dan took the back roads and we made it on time. I was introduced to the broadcaster, a young Christian man named Peter Kamau who happened to have grown up in the same area where I had grown up. My cousin who I left when she was a baby was an intern at the station. 8:10am came and we went into the studio. This was my first time on the radio!! I texted my family and friends and told them that I would be live on the radio. Interestingly, I was not anxious at all!! I later came to learn that when something is in your heart and have a passion for it, you become a natural. My vision and passion to serve others is in my heart. God has given me the desire to serve him humbly and his word is the truth. None of the words I spoke on the radio were rehearsed: it all flowed out naturally!! When my interview ended, I received a good response from the listeners who called the station wanting information on how to volunteer and help Kenya.

Afterwards I needed to use a computer to check my email. This meant driving to Sarit-Centre (mall) to Domans coffee (Kenyan Starbucks) to use their Wi-Fi. I managed to check my emails and then had to proceed to Muranga to Kirwara Hospital. There I met with a patient who was diabetic and had a wound that was not healing due to lack of proper dressings and treatment. We then drove to Muranga and I was behind on time because of traffic and because I had picked up lunch for the meeting. I met Dr. Maina and the rest of the staff. I received a warm welcome from all of them. We started with prayers followed by lunch.
The main purpose for the meeting was to hear what skills the hospital needed. We all looked at what was working or not working and everyone had an open mind to change. The floor was open to all. The administration went first and discussed the problem with limited funds.

The medical personal talked about the lack of patient follow up, emergency medicine, counseling services for alcohol abuse, beds for children and adults, preventive and health maintenance especially for chronic illnesses. They also discussed the need for medical equipment and technicians to accompany donated equipment. .Almost every department at the hospital was represented. From the lab, maternity wards, HIV clinic, counseling, theatre, kitchen, physical therapy e.t.c. the staff was looking forward to this meeting. As for Dr. Maina, he was eager to hear about the plans that Mapenzi Africa had to in order to better serve patients, and the community. He was especially in need of medical skills and equipment. He explained that the most needed skills are in surgery, emergency medicine, teaching of patients in self-care, disease prevention, customer service, time management and simple procedures. The doctors do not have the diagnostic equipment needed for blood panels, x-rays and MRI’s scans, Pharmaceuticals, vaccines, proper storage, theatre equipment, such as EKG machines, heart monitors, and sterilizing equipment. Operating theatre clothing and some surgical equipment are so badly needed that they are often reused.

Another area desperate need is in mental health. It is a taboo to talk about depression, domestic violence on men and women, child abuse neglect, and elderly abuse. Home health is needed, especially in meal preparation and care for the elderly . The maternal clinic is in major need for instructors to teach pre-natal and post natal care.