Notes from Camille Pedigo

We began our journey in Atlanta and traveled about 24 hours over three days to arrive in Maua, which is geographically located in the center of Kenya. Once in Maua we first organized and cataloged the medical supplies that were donated toward the trip. We brought more than $10,000 worth of medical supplies with us for the hospital. Over the next week, our group was involved in several different projects around the hospital compound. Some painted the menÕs dormitory, which houses male nursing students who are attending the nursing school on the hospital campus. Others worked on plastering projects and the remodeling of a house for a future Peace Corp volunteer. During the days when I was not involved with medical work, I participated in the construction projects.

With monetary donations that our group collected, we enabled the hospital to offer two free outreach clinics in rural areas around Maua. I was able to accompany the medical team. We provided free physical exams and free medications to about 400 people in the villages of Keinga and Giika. Most of the people presented with symptoms of malaria, upset stomachs, (from possible worm infestation) and ear infections in the children.

Another day I spent time on the medical wards of the hospital. Severe cases of malaria make up about 70-80% of the in-patient population. The hospital staff says that about 25% of their patients have HIV/AIDS. The hospital campus is really a ÔcompoundÕ in many ways. It is surrounded in barbed wire to prevent patients from leaving before they or their families have paid their bills. I guess we might compare this to the role of collection agencies in the U.S.! Another interesting aspect of care is the utilization of resources. For example, if a person requires a blood transfusion, they are allowed one pint of blood “for free,” but each additional pint must be reimbursed by family donations of blood. If a family decides they cannot give any more, then the patient will not receive any more transfusions. Because supply is limited, resources must be conserved in a way that will benefit everyone.

One of the most special aspects of this trip was that we were able for just a few days to be a part of a community in Kenya. The people of Maua welcomed us, watched after us and worked alongside us as we assisted them in a few projects. Our physical work was important, but the relationships formed and the sharing of God’s love had the greatest impact on me. I was reminded of the Oneness we all have in God’s Love. Poverty and riches both bring their challenges, but regardless of our possessions, we are called to live as Christ taught us to live…to treat our neighbor as we would want to be treated. Some of the nursing students were overwhelmed that engineers, doctors and other professionals from the United States would pay to come to Kenya and paint their dorm rooms! And I guess in that way, it does seem strange. But really the work was only part of the reason that we went. We discovered our main purpose was to learn about sharing and experiencing God’s love in a place that doesn’t offer all of the material distractions of the United States, a place where life and death are much closer than we may be comfortable with. And as one friend told me, the price of the trip was just our tuition. And for this I say, “Asante sana” to DHUMC for your spiritual and financial support. “Thank you very much” for allowing me to have this opportunity. I hope that my experiences have allowed you to also feel some of the warmness I feel for Kenya. It is a special place. I encourage you to continue to support projects like these in your local communities and abroad and to participate, yourself, if you have the chance. I’ll end with the words of a song I was introduced to in Maua:

“I am happy today, so happy,
Because the Lord has taken my sins away.
The place to be happy is here.
The time to be happy is now.
The way to be happy is to make someone happy,
And to have a little Heaven down here.

Peace be with you!
Camille Pedigo