Jan 21
Good morning from Nairobi!
Our crew got to sleep in a little this morning, as it’s 9:20am here. Last night we landed at about 11pm, but we got caught up with customs so we didn’t leave the Nairobi airport til around 1:00am. We stayed at a hotel by the airport last night, and we will have a group breakfast here in about 10min.
Today’s itinerary includes taking a tiny plane to Kakamega and visiting an orphanage.
Jan 22
Good morning!
Yesterday was a very long day, I was too exhausted to post last night. We started our morning bright and early at the hotel. We left around 8:00am to head to the hospital to pick up some glasses, but the door was locked so we had to wait awhile. Once we picked up the glasses, we headed to Shikunga to start our first clinic.
When we arrived, there were hundreds of people who had traveled far to receive care. We were all greeted with such a warm embrace. They introduced our group in their church, where they sang and prayed for us. We then moved next door to an empty hospital to start setting up for our clinic. This empty hospital was also right next to an orphanage. We were all finally set up around 11:00am, a bit later than we were wanting to start.
There were a couple stations at the clinic. They first started at registration, where they received a paper that had all of their information on it. Next they came to my pre—testing station. This is where me and another nurse used autorefracters and other equipment to see what type of glasses/care they needed. After my station they went to see one of the 3 doctors, Dr. Kim, Jim, or Ralph. There the doctors would prescribe them glasses, drops, or medication to treat the various conditions. After seeing the doctors they visited the optical station, where most of our group was. There they were finding/sorting donated glasses to find the best prescription for the person. This was their last station of the day. Each station had translators for us.
Everyone took their time with each person, knowing that this would possibly be the last time receiving eye care. We saw 200 people and ended our day around 7:30PM. Many of the people had been waiting for over eight hours to receive care, but you would’ve never known. Everyone was so nice and grateful. There was no lighting within the clinic, so as it got dark we were using our phone flashlights to see. It also started to downpour and with the tin roof, you could barely hear each other.
We had a few breaks throughout the day. First was lunch provided by the people. The others were to hangout with the people and the kids from the orphanage when they got out of school.
The first day of clinic was so amazing, I cannot wait to share more. I am currently driving back to Shikunga to do our 2nd day of clinic there, after we are done there we will be heading to the next hotel in Bungoma.
Jan 24
Good afternoon from Bungoma!
Yesterday we were at Shikunga again to do another clinic. It was the same set up as before. We saw over 200 people and we were there until about 6:00pm. It was sad to say goodbye to everyone, especially the translators and the children from the orphanage.
We then traveled to Bungoma, and got settled in our new hotel. It was a bit of a drive, about an hour and 40 minutes. The hotel beds also got mixed up, so I ended up getting a room by myself! Our group ended up eating around 9:30pm and I passed out afterwards.
The hotel that we are staying at has a bungalow-like style, with 2 rooms each. They’re very nice and outside there are even tiny monkeys and lizards around!
Jan 24
Good evening from Bungoma!
Today we had breakfast at the hotel and left around 7:45am. The ride to the clinic spot was only around 10 minutes. The clinic spot is in a church building, on a school campus. When we first arrived, we were greeted by the translators from the previous year. They gave us all big hugs and a warm welcome. One of the sons even gifted us all bracelets with our names and both flags on them!
The clinic set up was a bit different at this location, but it had the same stations as before. We saw over 200 people, most were adults and some were high school students. One of the patients was in a wheelchair that he made and welded himself. He welded bicycle petals to the front to petal himself with his hands.
The food served during lunch was so good! It had brown rice with beef, chicken legs, potatoes, melon, and chapati (my favorite). Pastor Sarah is a main contributor to helping the eye clinics, and is also a translator for Dr. Ralph. She has 5 children and orphans 4 of her sister’s children because her sister and husband passed away. She also runs an orphanage and helps with the eye clinic for those in need, she’s incredible.
Her son, Raphael, is my translator while we are in Bungoma. I have already learned so much from him! He just graduated college with a degree in chemistry and is about to start an internship soon. I found that It’s sometimes difficult trying to explain parts of my life, like today I tried to explain that I put a blanket on my horse in the winter. He thought I was insane.
We ended our clinic today around 5:00pm, and headed back to the hotel. It started pouring rain around 6:30, and we had dinner at 7:00pm. It’s another early clinic day tomorrow, so I am so grateful to be able to do some of my homework and get some extra sleep!
Jan 26
Good afternoon from Bungoma!
Yesterday we had our last day of clinic in the church building. This is the same location and set up as before. We got to the clinic around 8:00am and didn’t leave until 7:30/8pm. It was a very rewarding day helping a lot of people with serious eye problems.
Before we were served lunch, I got a tour of their kitchen and the outside where they cooked food. The kitchens walls were black, due to all of the smoke and soot. While I was walking through the various stations, everybody wanted a picture. So, I have a lot to share! Also, throughout the clinic they go around and hand out sodas, yesterday I had tried a new one that tasted like ginger ale.
Once the day was over, we traveled back to the hotel to pack, eat dinner, and get ready for church the next day. Dr. Kim and I shared a chicken pizza. I was so exhausted that I forgot to post, but we got to sleep in this morning because church didn’t start until 10:00am.
Jan 27
Good evening from Eldoret!
Today was a very successful clinic day. We left the hotel at 7:30am for an hour long drive to Iten. Set up was pretty straightforward, which made it go pretty quickly. We saw around 200 people and were done around 4:00pm.
After we were done with the clinic, we stopped by the Iten view point that showed a breathtaking view of the Kerio Valley. We then got back to the hotel around 6:30 and had dinner around 7:00pm. A very successful first day in Iten!!
Jan 28
Goodnight from Eldoret!
Today’s clinic went perfectly. We were able to see around 170 people before we started running out of supplies. My interpreter, Winny, was very knowledgeable throughout our time in Iten. She is training to be a nurse there, and hopes to come and visit the U.S sometime soon.
Supposedly, the first person came to the clinic at 4:00am. Mind you, we didn’t show up to the clinic until around 8:30am. Many people came with very serious eye conditions, including undiagnosed glaucoma. It’s sad to see so many people suffering from the condition. A common theme of the people with glaucoma was having cataract surgery. This is because the people/surgeons there are untrained on the operation and post-care. Many of the people who came said that they saw better with the eye that didn’t have the cataract surgery. This is because the eye that had the surgery developed glaucoma.
We finished the clinic around 5:00pm, packed up, and got back to the hotel around 6:30pm. We had dinner all together and called it a night. A bitter-sweet end to our clinic days. Over the course of six days, with only three doctors, we saw 1,193 patients. I think it might be a new record, as last year they had four doctors and saw 1,008 patients. I am seriously so blessed to have been able to join this amazing group of people and to have changed so many lives. I hope to be back soon!!
Anne
