The New Kimanjo Health Centre!

After a year of hard work, last month nurses and patients  moved into the out-patients department of the new Health Centre. Whilst work continues to finish the conversion of the old buildings into staff accommodation, landscaping, and finishing touches to the Community Health Workers Building and Youth Friendly Centre, we are proud to have finished work on a very high quality 24 bed hospital.  We are currently beginning the equipping of the In-Patient building. The facility comprises three wards, a  maternity unit,  a large operating theatre, X-ray room,  doctor’s accommodation, laboratory, out-patients wing  and reception building. This ‘cottage’ hospital would not look out of place in a small European town (well - perhaps rather more open ventilation!), and the building team have surpassed themselves in the quality of the finishes.  The roof has been designed for maximum water catchment with large holding tanks, whilst the pipeline from the newly sunk borehole should ensure the water supply during drought. 

Reception building with Out Patients to the left and services to the right

This has been a long and challenging process made possible through the belief and dedication of the donor and of an enthusiastic community. This is a government facility built on government land, made possible entirely through private funding. As such we spent almost a year working with the GOK health department, and the community, before we could begin construction.

In-Patient building

We are aware that this is only Phase One of the process: the year ahead will be  equally challenging as the government works with us to meet its  partnership commitments to post new staff  and we work on more private partnerships to train and support the new team so that we can grow into this  facility.

 

Cleaning Day in March!

A prime focus will be to drastically reduce maternal and infant mortality by having mothers access pre and post natal care, as well as increasing access to hospital deliveries.  The multiple factors of female circumcision, poor nutrition, diseases of poverty and teenage pregnancies mean that childbirth is the leading cause of death for pastoralist women – as many as 1 in 40 women will die in childbirth -  something that should not be seen by any of us as acceptable in the Twenty-First century.

 

The Pharmacy

Enormous thanks to all who have made this journey possible so far - (with the risk of sounding like an awards ceremony speech) our thanks go to: our wonderful donor, the Management and Liaison committees,  the DPHN and her team,  the DPWO, the Community Health Workers,  all the local Chiefs and community leaders, the Builders and their Sterling Crew of workers... and the Wider Community who have lent their voices of support. … and EVERYONE who has had added enthusiasm along the way.

We  now continue to work together to improve the health of the whole community. The NHP  team of CHWs  starts today their final training to make them a fully fledged  Community Health Unit. 

The future of  community healthcare begins today.

.....And a wonderful nurse!

And Public Private Partnerships in Water Development - (Swimming Pools and Power Showers??)

We have now sunk and capped the new community bore hole in Kimanjo.  Finding water was a great day. Still waiting for the hydrology report which will tell us the recharge rate along with the water quality. 

Despite the usual Kenyan hiccups in the process: transport dilemmas and break downs for the drilling rig as the November rains had washed out  roads; a broken rod down the borehole which meant many days of arduous work for the guys operating the machine etc. etc ;  this has been a project  enormously assisted at every stage by the District Water Officer who has unfailingly given practical assistance to mitigate hold ups and given sound professional advice throughout. His ability to overcome obstacles in the cause of getting water to a remote area shows how successful  the much vilified government agencies (how often are those two terms African government agency  and corruption used synonymously?)  can be when they have committed, honest, active  and knowledgeable personnel on the ground.  A good news story from an African government agency? Without doubt.

In the next phase of development we very much look forward to continuing this partnership with the  District Water Office to equip the bore hole with a solar pump, put in two pipe lines-  to the Primary and new secondary school, and a second to the upcoming Health Centre with  a new holding tank at the top of the village. In addition the extreme cooperation and assistance of the Kimanjo Water Users Association, and their highly active Chairman, have meant that achieving the necessary licenses and permits and the cooperation of the community has been made easy. Whilst in future wars will undoubtedly  be fought over water (and the lack of it)  in Africa, it must also be remembered that water is capable of uniting communities for the common good.Two good news Africa stories here then. On all those occasions when we are feeling cynical in the field of African development how important it is to remember the good days and so, so many  good people .

Does this mean everyone in Kimanjo will now be able to use water ad lib? Far from it. Even should the recharge rate be better than anticipated , families are unlikely to be collecting much more than 20- 40  litres of water a day. That is whole families.  Compare this to the US average  of 700 litres per day per person.... with 153 litres  per person merely for washing and drinking. The rural African average water consumption is around 30-40 litres a day, but far less in these semi arid and arid lands. One eight litre flush of the toilet in Europe will use more water than adults here would use in a day... with considerably less used during drought periods.

So.... no swimming pools or power showers just yet.... but, if our partnership with the Water Office continues as successfully as it has been for the past few months it should not be too long before life is a good deal easier for many women and children.. with the added advantage that our Health Centre build can now ramp up momentum.  And this will be down to a great Community effort.