International opportunities in Kenya

Kathy has been to Kenya numerous times. She has been involved in multiple projects in which our club has participated. She was impressed with a comment that one of our Kenyan Rotarians made. Peace can be created by providing health equity. Removing barriers to care allows people to be treated with dignity.

Our club, our Kenyan partner Rotary Clubs, and some West Michigan partners are working on a hospital improvement project in Kenya that has the possibility of improving health care for 250,000 people. Particular emphasis will be placed on maternal and child health.

Some of the challenges of healthcare in Kenya include: Several prevalent diseases (TB, AIDS, COVID) have similar symptoms, but different treatments. Without an in-house lab, treatment can be delayed or incorrect. It is important to isolate infants from the general hospital population, but this is not always possible.

Kenya has multiple levels of health care. They are ranked like this.

1. Community health workers - These workers check in with their neighbors every day and record any health issues in a national database. This allows tracking of disease outbreaks. They also provide health education.
2. Dispensaries - They provide first aid, over-the-counter medication, and might have a health professional available.
3. Health and birthing centers - These provide medical treatment by professionals but have no overnight stays.
4. Hospitals - There are various levels of hospitals available.

Our proposed project will be working with three different hospitals in different areas of Kenya.

• Lions Hospital - Near the Masai Mara National Park. This is a small hospital with 10-15 beds. It serves 100,000 people with 1 doctor, but no surgical facilities. Both the Lions and Rotary have supported this hospital in the past. They are hoping to expand their birthing room and provide dental care. Currently, patients with serious illnesses must be transported to other hospitals.
• Muga-Jwelu - This is near Kisimu, where we have worked with the Rotary Club on several projects. This is a clinic that was started 3 years ago, but the original plans have not been completed. The community is 6 miles away from any 1st aid facility and 20 minutes driving from a hospital.
• Plateau Hospital - This is a larger hospital that was originally built by Afrikaners, who later moved to South Africa. The local community took over operations. The hospital contains a pharmacy, laboratory, and delivery rooms. One in four deliveries is by C-section, and more surgical areas are needed.