01 June 13

Happy Madaraka Day!!!  Today is the 50th anniversary of self governance and freedom of speech for the country of Kenya.  In 1963 the British turned over responsibility (madaraka) to the Kenyan people on this day.  On 12th December they will celebrate complete Independence...the day the British flag came down.  This picture is of the people from our 19 health units who attend a meeting together every four months.  I salute them and all the health workers of the Archdiocese of Mombasa who try to provide good quality health services to all, especially those in need.
Kenya still has its struggles.  On 28th May there was no electricity in the entire nation for five hours.  The clinic I worked in on Friday was without electricity for two whole days.  On Thursday the national hospital of 2000 patients in Nairobi had to stop doing surgery because they had no water!  The exact reasons for these problems are not entirely clear.  But if we are clever we can find a way around some of them.
     In April a mother, Asha, brought her one year old son, Seif, for two days of diarrhea.  This is her first child and she and her husband are doing their best.  But the child had been losing weight for 6 months and now weighed only 12 pounds.  Despite bringing the child to be weighed every month no one had done anything about his failure to gain weight. His muscles were so weak he could hardly sit up and he couldn't stand at all. I was concerned about several serious problems and referred the child to a pediatrician at the provincial hospital.  The first time she took him the doctor wasn't there.  The second time the doctor was in but had no time to see him.  The third time I'm not sure exactly who saw the child but they told the mother that she had to go to a private hospital with 4000 shillings ($50) for lab tests because the lab couldn't do them at the government hospital.  So ,she trusted me enough to get in my car and we went to a lab that I know does good work and I spent 1240 shillings ($16) to do one test that gave me the answer...the child has low thyroid hormone.  I thank the pathologist who gave me a 10% discount on his charges.  On Friday we began giving him thyroid hormone and hopefully he will start improving.  And I thank each of you who contribute to our ministry so I can find a way around some of these challenges!
     I will try to make an entry to this blog on the first of each month. We lay missioners in Kenya have also committed ourselves to focus on peace on the first day of each month through our prayers and our actions. So when I go to Mass this evening I will not only be praying for the people of Kenya who are celebrating their freedom but especially for continued peace...despite the continuing challenges!