Imagine all the people...

I have not felt like the most useful person on my trip to Kenya.  Staying on a compound full of doctors and researchers can certainly make one feel that way.  I’m not trying to find a cure for any disease or figure out the best way to screen for communicable diseases.  I’m just along for the ride.  My liberal arts degrees do not come in too handy either, although the French minor helped immensely in the Swahili lessons.  Luckily my previous “Money Grubber” positions seem to be of more relevance than I had anticipated.   I have offered to help with a small project in the pediatric oncology ward.

 It started out that I would be helping take some photos of the oncology patients to use in fundraising and marketing materials.  I was very nervous at first about bringing the camera out and taking pictures on the wards.  I did not know how people would feel about having their photo taken.  Turns out, everyone loves to have their picture taken!  I began by just taking photos of kids with cancer.  But it was impossible to explain why I was only taking photos of just some patients and not others, so I ended up taking everyone’s photo.  Little kids who do not look old enough to talk quickly learned “picture” and would start to follow me around when I walked into the ward.

Here are some photos of the patients.

After a three hour escapade through town and at the photo film processing center, I had prints made and passed them out on the wards.  I think enlisting a body guard before I began might have been a wise choice, as I had so many people reaching, and grabbing, and excited to see themselves in print.  So while I might not be saving lives today or making a huge impact on medicine for the future, I think I have at least made today a little brighter for the kids and families.

ADDENDIUM

I received the following on Wednesday, September 28, in an email from a doctor friend who is still in Eldoret:

things here have been, well ... down right terrible.  it's a very long story, but ... due to hospital politics involving issues with the old director and corruption, the accounts of the hospital are frozen by the government, meaning that we can't even buy the basic necessities right now.  we are out of pretty much every supply you could need to take care of patients.  we haven't had any antibiotics in the pharmacy in 3 weeks (hence, i have been making daily antibiotic runs to town to keep our kids from dying). radiology is out of film for printing images on, so they are refusing to do xrays (you can sometimes sweet-talk your way around this, but it takes lots of effort and a signature from the HOD).  last week we ran out of reagents for running basic blood tests and a few days ago i couldn't even find an IV to put in for a patient who was obviously septic.  today the surgeons went on strike because they don't have supplies and they don't have antibiotics to give post-op, so even when they can find the supplies, people are dying from infection. needless to say, things are pretty bleak here right now.  kids dying left and right.  several of our kids who have died had their last and only picture taken by you.  had a parent return to the hospital yesterday to ask if i could give him print outs of his child from the pics that you took.  such a blessing to him in midst of his grieving.  it's just been really hard lately and it's incredibly difficult not to feel like this is all an exercise in futility.  i know it's worthwhile work, but the last couple of weeks have made me feel like having our doors open is a bit like giving false hope.  just hard ... that's all.

ok, i'll quit whining now and get back to work. 

--

At the time she sent this message I was presenting information to 80 first and second graders about hospital conditions in Kenya and showing them pictures of all the Kenyan kids in the hospital.  It took me by surprise when, as I was showing photos and looking at these beautiful, healthy, unknowingly-privileged children, I broke into tears as I mentioned that not all of the kids in these photos are still alive.  

you don't know what you've got till it's gone

Last night we were invited to dinner at the home of ex-pats living here in Kenya.  Brett is working with Patrick on the X-Ray truck project and they thought it would be nice for us to get off the IU compound for the evening.   Patrick picked us up in his Subaru Forester, and although I’ve been riding in cars off and on while we’re been here, it was strange to be in such a familiar vehicle with the steering wheel on the wrong side! 

When we arrived candles were lit and dinner was simmering on the gas stove.  The candle light was not to set the mood for a romantic evening of conversation about truck design and the purchasing of a UPS, but because there was no power.  My first reaction was, “oh we could have just gone out for dinner.  You didn’t have to go to all of this work without any power” but I was quickly reminded this is how they function two or three days a week.  And of course, also on Sunday’s when there is the regularly scheduled power outage. 

The power goes out at IU House often also.   Each afternoon this week it has gone off for at least an hour or two.  That means no lights, which is only an issue if it’s raining and cloudy, but more importantly it means no internet!  The internet connection, when working well, is rather sketchy at best.  Needless to say, my tech-addicted lifestyle is a bit cramped. 

I suppose when the power goes out so often it is hard for locals to get things done also, which is maybe why they are never on time.  There is kind of a running joke that everything runs on “Kenyan time” which is exponentially slower than anything in the US.   If given a time to meet someone, add at least 30 minutes after said appointment before you should expect to actually get together.  Now take this a step further and see how long it takes to get anything done on a large scale.  Things which might take a few hours or day in the States can take weeks and even months to be accomplished in Kenya.   I have yet to put my finger on the exact reasons for this cultural discrepancy, but it is a painful issue to become accustomed. 

Life is so different in Kenya though that things like promptness are really rather unimportant in the grand scheme of things.  The issue of power going out is non-existent for many, many Kenyans since they do not have any electricity running to their home at all.  They cook all their food over a wood fire and milk is ultra pasteurized and not refrigerated.  Milk might not even be pasteurized, but come straight from the cow roaming in the yard.  Eggs are fresh from the chickens outside and all other food is either home grown or purchased as needed from a street vendor.  Things like a hot shower, after walking miles in mud, are not thought about either and many Kenyans do not have running water in the house, much less heated water!

I guess it often takes being without to realize what you really have.   Sometimes it is little things, sometimes it is big things.   

p.s. I think what I most miss right now is brushing my teeth with running tap water!

Hakuna Matata

Safari!
We spent the weekend on safari at Lake Nakuru National Park.  We joined six others from IU House on a fun filled weekend.  After a scenic four hour drive, down many roads which had not been traveled by vehicle in many, many years, we made it to our first evening's accommodations at The Flamingo Hill Tenting Camp. The service and meals were wonderful.  I am confident I would have enjoyed the evening far more had I not still been car sick from the bumping and winding on our way there.

The next morning we headed to the park bright and early.  The service there was also exceptional!

 Some of the other photos from the safari are available here: https://picasaweb.google.com/107043307746387837156/September52011#
I'll upload more as internet service allows.

I'm too sexy for my shirt

Let me know if you want one and I'll bring it back for you!!

T-shirts are being sold to support sending street children from the

Tumaini Center in Eldoret to public and boarding school. For more info

about Tumaini visit: http://www.tumainicenter.org/

-Cost to sell: 1000 ksh (~$10USD)

-Profit per shirt sold: 700 ksh

-Cost to send a child to regular school (must be placed back with family):

5000-7000 ksh/year (50-70USD) = (8-10shirts)

-Cost to send child to boarding school (if child cannot go back to family):

70,000 ksh/year (700USD)= (100shirts)

-All profit goes directly to Tumaini educational budget,not to

operations or any other department

-Sizes are Different in Kenya:

Order one size up from normal, Necks are all small/tight on all sizes,

T-Shirts shrink when washed

Mzungu shirt available in blue, yellow, orange, & green

HIV tshirt reads: "Have you gotten yourself tested for HIV? There is hope!"

the back reads "AMPATH"

Obama T-shirt reads "Change"

Open up your eyes and see like me

Close your eyes for a moment. 

Think about the last time you were in a hospital.

Think about the colors around you. 

Think about the lights. 

Think about the smells. 

Think about the noises. 

Think about the people.

Now open your eyes and take a look at the images kids in western Kenya see when they think about a hospital visit.

parking lot

Parking Lot

hospital laundry out to dry

shared sink

shared bathroom

All the parents getting lunch

Pharmacy

These are just some of the images seen in the pediatric unit.  Certainly not how I might have pictured the hospital when I closed my eyes.

The smell is not something which I can even begin to describe.

The noise is what you might expect when you have four kids and four parents in a 10' x 10' cube.

The lights are not always on and it is very dark.  The dark helps hide the dirt.

A new project which I am working on while I'm here is helping the peds hematology oncology team from Riley develop some promotional/fundraising materials.  Power is intermittent but when it is on I am trying to put together something to send to schools asking kids to consider helping out, similar to the recent pillow pet fundraiser for Riley oncology. The costs for staying in the hospital and receiving treatment is very small, around $10/day, which includes sharing a bed with your parent as well as food and medicine.

As a part of another post soon, I'll post pictures of all the kids on the ward.