Some of the World Young Friends (young volunteers of the Association) have been to Nairobi for a training camp and a field-visit.
We put online their daily blog.
Sunday, 17th of January
We got to Nairobi in the night. Sara, another WF volunteer, based in Kenya since last August, is waiting for us: she’s very happy to see us in African land! We spent the day relaxing at the Guest House, after attending the Mass in the slum of Baba’ndogo. A lot of members of the WF staff came to give us their special “Karibuni” (welcome in Swahili).
Monday, 18th January
Early in the morning, we go to the Ruaraka Uhai Neema Hospital: a very long day spent meeting all the staff of the centre and learning something new about Kenya: its history, government, rules, health system, and so on.
Also Kenyan sanitary officers attend this course… and it’s funny to see that they are very interested in it and make a lot of questions!
Tuesday, 19th January
Another day spent at the Neema Hospital. This time we meet Ibrahim, Washington, Joseph, Jacinta, Nzuki, George… they are the WF project managers! Each of them explains to us his/her project: we all notice their love, passion and professionalism, because their presentations are clear and enthusiastic… very useful stuff for the field-visits of the next days!
At the end of the day, we meet Gianfranco and Sandro, who speak about principles and rules of international cooperation: it’s very interesting, because of their long and serious experience in this field. A very useful training for all of us.
Wednesday, 20th January
It’s the Education For Life (EFL) day! After a short introduction to the program in their office in Kariobangi, the World Young Friends go for a field-visit: divided into couples, each with a local EFL member, we go to different primary schools (situated in Kariobangi, Baba’ndogo, Kahawa West…) to attend some sessions of prevention from drugs abuse, sexual disease, HIV/AIDS, and so on.
We are all enthusiastic and very impressed by the involvement of the people: they all make questions, suggestions, or they tell us their experience about this matter.
In the afternoon, in couples, we take part in the “Youth Alive Clubs”, where boys and girls can freely debate upon topics they live or fear every day, and they share opinions, doubts, proposals…
Thursday, 21st January
Sara and Nzuki lead us to meet some members of the Afema staff: Irine, a tailor-mother working in her atelier; Dorinne, who takes care of several disabled children all day long; Rose, who manages a little vegetables market in Babadogo. We meet also Franco, a gardener-father who shows us his wonderful plants.
We also visit the school where disabled children go to attend sessions of physiotherapy, and we meet Dorinne’ son.
In the afternoon, we go to know the students of Huruma Primary School: they tell us their stories in a kind of interview: they will be very useful for the WF project with the Italian Schools.
Friday, 22nd January
In the morning we go to the ACREF theatre, where we have assisted to the sessions of physiotherapy for disabled children. It’s a very touching moment: we play with the kids before and during the session, and know better their mothers and their stories.
After this passionate visit, we decide to go to the Masaai Market for a little bit of relax: poor dreamers, what a big mistake!! We wanted relax, but we didn’t think about Nairobi traffic jam, the exhausting negotiations for a good price with the African sellers … we go home more tired than before!
Saturday, 23rd January
Despite of our willing to rest until the midday, early in the morning we meet Marika, a very kind lady from Poland who donated 33 local trees to plant in Neema Hospital gardens.
At the first, we think we are going to attend a botanic course of theory… but then we understand that WE are going to plant the trees!!
… digging the hard African land it’s so harsh!!
After 3 hours of tough work, with the precious help from Simon the gardener and his two assistants, we planted our first 3 little trees: what a satisfaction!!
In the afternoon we go to the big party-concert organized by the Afema group: funny music, dances and plays…some of us want to join them on the stage: at the end all the audience is laughing and clapping to them!!
Sunday, 24th January
Discovering the Rift Valley!
Early in the morning (as usual!!), a cheerful gruop is leaving from Nairobi to the Mount Longonot, in the Kenyan Rift Valley. A very wonderful landscape is all around, from the top of the volcano the sight goes to the infinite horizon, and while we are climbing the mountain, the sun kisses our skin and the land of an ancestral flavor fills for ever our hair, dress, shoes…
Monday, 25th January
Despite of our tiredness, we spend all the day in treeplanting activity.
The sun is very high in the sky, we suffer a lot, but thanks to Simon and his assistants, at the end of the day we have planted other 7 trees… “only” another 20 have to be set yet!!
Read the second part of the blog>>>
More than 7.000 patients visited in the last 3 months!
Day by day Neema Hospital is giving medical assistance to more and more people: a positive trend that goes on since march 2008, when World Friends centre began to accept patients.
In the last 3 months of 2008 (october-december) World Friends staff in Neema Hospital has assisted 7.477 patients: about 100 persons a day, a very good average according to plans.
Many cases have been treated: 44 adults have done HIV test, and 225 under 5 children have been vaccinated.
Other 131 children are under regular care in the Mother and Child Health department of Neema Hospital: periodically World Friends staff visits babies to verify their growth (weight, height, possible sickness…), giving health care and treatment if necessary.
Launched in October 2009, World Friends’ Italian fund-raising campaign “Nati nel posto giusto” (Born in the right place) has already reached its first goal: thanks to contributions from private donors and from the Italian Association “Cuore Amico” and from “Area Vasta Toscana sud est”, construction work on the Maternity department began at the end of 2009.
Next steps are: completing construction of the building; providing the department with furniture and technological equipment; recruiting medical personnel. The final goal is to begin receiving patients in autumn 2010.
The Maternity department will guarantee medical assistance to pregnant women in the Nairobi slums, giving them the opportunity to give birth to their babies in a clean and safe environment, assisted by professional clinical officers and doctors. The department will be able to receive 2,500 mothers per annum, with medical, sanitary and diagnostic assistance before, during and after childbirth.
All children will receive periodic health checks until the end of the vaccine cycle.
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