From June 14 until June 23, 2012 I will be spending time in Kenya with CTC International, a non-profit organization based out of Austin, Texas.
CTC - or Comfort the Children - began as a friendship between two men, Zane Wilemon and Jeremiah Kuria, and continues on as a friendship between Austin, Texas and the community of Maai Mahiu, Kenya. In 2000, Wilemon and Kuria worked together to build a school and better the Maai Mahiu Children's Home (orphanage). Huria, a local pastor and the former Director of the Children's Home, and Wilemon, realized that in order to better the lives of Maai Mahiu the surrounding areas needed aid as well.
I am lucky to act as a fly-on-the wall as the 2012 Medical Team forges new friendships, sets up a two-and-a-half day clinic in Maai Mahiu’s government health center, and furthers plans for a community-based medical infrastructure that will someday meet Kenya's needs.
Maai Mahiu is an urban town cross-sectioned by two highways, the “Road to Naivasha” infamously known as the “AIDS Highway” and the “Road to Narok.” It is an hour or so south of Nairobi, sited in the Great Rift Valley.
This town of 60,000 is in dire need of sanitation, vegetation and clean water. Even the most basic healthcare, like an affordable prescription of Ibuprofen for a headache, is hard to find in this community.
Yet, at the same time, Maai Mahiu is a close-knit village. Kids play together in the street, older children take care of younger children, every parent is watchful of every child, and the community is only growing stronger. Amidst the intense hardship of this village, the culture of Maai Mahiu is full of laughter, color, and a vivid penchant for life.
Life here is raw, real. And I, and eight other wzungu or "light-skinned people" (mzungu is singular for "light-skinned person") have dropped ourselves for nine days in this dusty, semi-arid place.
The 2012 Medical team consists of Dr. Jeff Kane, a Pediatric Neurologist from ‘Specially for Children in Austin, Texas; Dr. Sarmithsa Hauger, an Infectious Disease Specialist from ‘Specially for Children, and president of the Board for Dell Children’s Hospital that has funded CTC’s most recent water project (will be explained later);
Olivia Hauger, Sarmithsa's daughter and a CTC intern; Beth Hadi, RN also from ‘Specially for Children; Courtnie Gier, Beth's niece from St. Louis who works at a children's crisis center, Kristen Knocke, a Pharmicist from Dell Children's in Austin, Texas; Occupational Therapist Joel Manwill from Layton, Utah who owns his own OT home-based therapy contract service, Children's Ability Services; Josie Manwill, Joel's 15-year-old daughter and avid soccer player; and myself, Journalist.
Almost everyone will be running and working in the local government health care clinic alongside the trained, unpaid community healthcare workers in Maai Mahiu. Joel will be working with the CTC Occupational Therapist, Martin Milimu. Josie will be helping to coach the new CTC girls soccer team. I will be documenting the whole thing and will run a brief workshop to the CTC staff on blogging. I will also be knowledge-sharing my experiences with blogging and basic photography, interviewing and note-taking skills with CTC Information and Communications Technology Specialist "Rubie" Ruth Muraithi.
Karibu. Welcome.