Kenya

Project Goal:
The Lwala Community Alliance is a non-profit health and development agency working in Nyanza Province, Kenya.  Through the Lwala Community Hospital, the organization provides more than 15,000 patient visits each year.  The mission of the organization is to meet the health needs of all people living in north Kamagambo, including its poorest.  The hospital is part of a larger effort to achieve holistic development in Lwala, including educational and economic development.

Project Objectives during this reporting period:

1. Actively engage the community through preventative health education

• Hold monthly Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) trainings
• Host WASH sports tournament to promote WASH trainings and practices
• Conduct consistent weekly outreach by clinic staff
• Host Children’s Club every month
• Continue meeting with 4 additional primary schools to implement education initiatives and water infrastructure

2. Continue Capacity Expansion

• Continue staffing and equipping new building
• Recruit 2 new nurses for MCH and community health outreach
• Acquire more curricula, staff, and supplies for mobile health unit

3. Improve operating systems for better accountability

• Adhere to accounting protocol established in August
• Orient new accountant and import accounting for 2011 into Quickbooks

4. Increase enrollment of patients in HIV Care

Summary of RMF/WCF-sponsored activities carried out during the reporting period under each project objective:

• Paid salary and other employment costs for Clinical Officer in Charge Fred Muraha
• Paid for maternal and child health costs including:
  • Salary and other employment costs for maternity nurse Rose Adhiambo Gayo
  • Safe Motherhood (Umama Salama) Community Education Program
  • 58% of medicine costs
• Paid for ambulance repairs and maintenance
• Paid for fuel for ambulance to provide emergency transportation
• Paid for obstetric emergency referralsResults and/or accomplishments achieved during this reporting period:

Results and/or accomplishments achieved during this reporting period:

Preventative Health and Education Outreach

• Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sports tournament was held in August. More than 180 new community members were trained in WASH in lead up to the tournament. See Story 1 for full report.
• Preparation for implementation of WASH programs and girls’ education incentives in 2012 is underway at 4 additional primary schools.
• As planned, the first group of hospital-based Umama Salama assistants rotated off and were replaced by a new group of Umama Salama participants who are actively integrated into clinical services at the hospital and assisting specifically with deliveries and postnatal care.
• Children’s Club conducted every month with more than 50 children in attendance each session.
• In July, the Center for Disease Control in Kisumu sent a team of 7 women to Lwala to be trained by the New Vision Women’s Sewing group on how to make reusable menstrual pads.
• Completed study on intestinal worm prevalence amongst adults
• Completed pilot of HIV, reproductive health, and life skills education program
• Planned for agricultural support project to begin in October 2011

Capacity Expansion/Infrastructure

• Recent visits from architect and contractor took place to evaluate final touches on the new maternity wing
• Oxygen machine acquired
• Refurbished portion of original clinic space to be office space now that services have expanded to new building
• Acquired long-term water access solution for the hospital

Systems Improvements

• New protocol for Kenya financials established and adhered to since August 2010
• New accountant with Quickbooks experience was hired at the end of June 2011
• LVDC (Lwala Village Development Committee) has reviewed and approved all budget and actuals before submission to the U.S.

Clinical Care

• Nearly 1,000 people are currently on HIV care or treatment, enrolling more than 30 per month
• Continued to maintain the high number of women coming for ANC, delivery, and postnatal care

Number served/number of direct project beneficiaries:

A total of 1,744 patients were treated at the clinic this past quarter.  The Family Planning Clinic saw 44 patients, the Antenatal clinic saw 104 patients, the HIV/Aids clinic saw 467 patients, the Delivery Post-natal care saw 63 patients, and the inpatient ward had a total of 107 patients. 

Success Story:

WASH Tournament

A Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sports tournament was held in August in Lwala. More than 180 new community members were trained in WASH in the time leading up to the tournament. All of the planning for the event was carried out by WASH coordinator Elizabeth Akinyi and a committee of representatives from participating teams.

Tournament participation for each team member required proof of WASH training: a latrine, hand washing station, and drying rack at home. The tournament included 15 women’s netball matches, 14 men’s soccer matches, 3 men’s volleyball matches, and 6 women’s volleyball matches. Approximately 700 community members attended the event, including representatives from Kenya Commercial Bank. The WASH messaging was shared throughout the 5 day tournament. All in all, the tournament was an effective agent to increase WASH participation and to build community relations.
 

Josephine

Josephine is a student at Kameji Primary School who is currently in eighth grade – her final year of primary school.  Josephine is an exceptionally bright student who not only scores in the top of her school, but has some of the highest scores in the entire location, which consists of 13 primary schools.  In a community where girls often don’t even complete primary school due to a lack of importance placed on girls’ education, lack of uniform and sanitary towels, and being overburdened by household chores, it is particularly impressive that she is scoring higher than many of the boys in the community. 

Josephine not only faces the typical challenges that other girls in the community face, she was also orphaned by her father when he passed from AIDS and often must care for her mother who regularly falls ill.  Josephine lives at home with her mother and two younger siblings who she must help out with as well. Despite all of these challenges, she has continued to strive to continue on in her education. Josephine is involved in our Girls’ Education Program through which she has received a uniform and set of reusable sanitary towels.  Josephine says that being given the uniform and sanitary towels has allowed her to continue attending school on a regularly basis even though her mother could not afford these items. She attributes the greater amount of time she is able to spend at school and in class with how she has been able to reach such high scores.

Additionally, Kameji Primary has received rain water catchment infrastructure from Lwala Community Alliance, which Josephine says has led to fewer times she has fallen sick because she no longer must get her drinking water from the river. At the end of this year, Josephine’s scores will make her eligible to apply for one of Lwala Community Alliance’s high school scholarships which will allow her to continue her education even though her family cannot afford the cost of high school. At Lwala Community Alliance, we are proud to be able to support Josephine to reach her ultimate goal of becoming a lawyer so she can support her mother and younger siblings.