HEALTH CARE KENYA
In October I attended the Annual General Meeting of the Kenya Council of Catholic Bishops - Health Commission. Over 300 members of Catholic Health Units attended. Some of the statistics are impressive. The Catholic Church provides 40% of health care in Kenya. In the first picture I am speaking with the Health Coordinator of the Diocese of Marsabit. He had introduced himself as the leader of the largest Diocese in Kenya. I couldn't believe it. Our Archdiocese is 38,000 square km = 14,700 square miles = a bit bigger than the state of Maryland. His area is 70,000 km2 = 27,000 mi2 = a bit bigger than the state of West Virginia!!! Their roads are worse than ours so I'm not feeling sorry for myself anymore!!!
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| Sr. Consolata and Susan |
The Health Commission was begun in 1957 by expatriate missionary Sisters. Now the entire room is filled with Kenyans, save five or six of us who come from other countries and are all older than 50! The entire leadership is Kenyan.
It was a chance for me to reconnect with people I have worked with since coming to Kenya in 2003. I was very happy to see Sr. Consolata in this picture with me. She is an Evangelizing Sister of East Africa which is a missionary order of Sisters. She is from Tanzania and was working as the nurse in charge in Kolongolo Dispensary where I did a monthly clinic when I worked in the Diocese of Kitale in western Kenya. She is a lovely, hard working, compassionate woman who met a lot of challenges with negative ethnicity, sexual harassment and corruption when we worked together. She is the future of missionary work in East Africa and I see my role as assisting and supporting her and others in providing quality health care to those most in need.
It was a chance for me to reconnect with people I have worked with since coming to Kenya in 2003. I was very happy to see Sr. Consolata in this picture with me. She is an Evangelizing Sister of East Africa which is a missionary order of Sisters. She is from Tanzania and was working as the nurse in charge in Kolongolo Dispensary where I did a monthly clinic when I worked in the Diocese of Kitale in western Kenya. She is a lovely, hard working, compassionate woman who met a lot of challenges with negative ethnicity, sexual harassment and corruption when we worked together. She is the future of missionary work in East Africa and I see my role as assisting and supporting her and others in providing quality health care to those most in need.
Some of you will remember Bob, the young boy who needed several surgical procedures before being placed in Good Life Orphanage a few months ago. Triza (the advocate) and I (the doctor) went to visit him recently and he is doing very well. As we drove to the orphanage Triza shared her most recent frustration. That morning she had spent 30 minutes watching two women in her office sobbing so hard they couldn't talk.
Mary was 15 and had lived with her 80 year old grandmother most of her life. Her parents had both died when she was little. Everyone says they don't know the cause of their deaths but it is most likely HIV/AIDS - Stigma #1. She finished class 7 and two years ago her uncle came from Nairobi and promised to take her to his home and put her in a better school. Once there she was made the house girl as they didn't want to waste money on her education. Last year another uncle brought her to Mombasa singing the same song...better school which turned into more work as the house girl. They saw no need to educate an orphan - Stigma #2. In addition she was now well developed sexually and the uncle wanted to have sex with her, threatening to kill her with a sword if she told anyone. She refused. Both the uncles called her the 'daughter of a prostitute'...Stigma #3. When the uncle was confronted with the allegation that he wanted to defile (rape) her he threatened the grandmother that he would take his revenge eventually.
By the grace of God she met an unknown aunt in a church and ran away to stay in her home. The aunt has 10 children and a husband who is unemployed. She has had a wound on her leg for 20 years and cannot put her own children through school let alone house and pay for Christine's schooling. So, they went to the legal office in St. Patrick Parish and met Triza who was hoping the orphanage would give Mary a place to live.
The orphanage was concerned about bringing in an older girl as they've had problems with sexual activity among the children in the past. They asked me to examine Mary and I found her to be a shy girl who is definitely a virgin. She wants to be a nurse and she must be a very strong girl to have stood her ground and refused the advances of both of her uncles. In the end it was decided that the orphanage would arrange for her to return to live with her grandmother and pay for her school fees and some support for living expenses for the both of them. I just saw the aunt in the clinic at St. Patrick's and her wounds are clean and healing nicely. She is profusely grateful for the assistance they have received. I was a bit embarrassed. This is nothing special. It is what we are called to do if we claim we are Christians. St. Patrick Parish is a community that makes it easy for us to do what we claim to be...followers of Jesus.
November is the month for Saints...on the 1st and Thanksgiving on the 24th. The last time I was home for Thanksgiving was in 2012 and these are the pictures I took...that's why I'm not in any of them!!!! I come from a wonderful, supportive family and am very blessed. I'm sure that I can speak on their behalf and send Thanksgiving blessings from all of us to all of you, my extended source of love and support!!!!
MAY THE PEACE
OF THE FLUTTERING FRAGILE
FALLING LEAVES OF AUTUMN
BE WITH YOU
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
