Gigantic Perennial Plant Sale:

We have something for everyone:
house plants, bulbs, trees,
shrubs, and of course Perennials.

Mikinduri Children of Hope Perennial Plant Sale will be held
Sat. May 26th from 8am-12 noon
at the Ch’town Experimental Farm (off Mt. Edward Rd.).
Donations of plant material would be
appreciated and can be dropped off on Thurs May 24th
and Fri. May 25th from 4pm-7pm.

For more information or to volunteer please call Coreen/Mike Conroy at 569-5501.

Tell all you friends!

Lunch and snacks are provided and you’re donating your time for a really great cause! If you have any questions or can only help for a few hours, we’ll take it! Please contact us.

http://mikinduri.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/03/Yard_sale_flyer2012-pdf1.jpg

You can show your support by donating preloved items, baking goodies for the bake sale, helping us collect the items, volunteering on the day of the sale, or buying items at the yard sale on May 5th!

• Come join us on May 5th for great items, hot food, a silent auction, 50/50 draw and much more!
• To drop off items or offer your help to pick up items, contact Lew Black: 569-9124
• To volunteer your time on the evening of Thursday May 3rd, daytime Friday May 4th, or May 5th, contact Karen McKenna: 887-2417
• If you will bake sweets, contact Lorraine Gillan: 566-4290

Any other questions, email hope@mikinduri.com

Pre-Trip Interview, February 6th:

http://www.cbc.ca/islandmorning/episodes/2012/02/07/journey-to-kenya/

Post Trip Interview, March 6th:

http://www.cbc.ca/islandmorning/episodes/2012/03/06/african-adventure/

Wrapping up an extremely successful mission

Forgive me if I seem distracted. It’s rather hard to concentrate as the zebra, impalas, warthogs, waterbucks and giraffe arrive and depart the watering hole like trains in Grand Central Station.

The last time I wrote, we were still in Mikinduri, gearing up for the last two days of clinics. As with last week, out site was the most popular show in town. Unless you have experienced it yourself, you simply cannot imagine hundreds of people gathered like cattle outside the gates, pushing and shoving in desperation for health services. They are, by and large, the poorest of the poor – the very people MCOH was created to serve.

In all, some 4,700 Kenyans received medical, dental or vision services during the seven-day clinic. Prescription drugs and eyeglasses were distributed to those who needed them, and teeth were extracted by the hundreds. While we were the fortunate ones who were able to serve these needy people, without the generous support of Islanders and other caring Canadians, we wouldn’t have the much needed items to distribute. So, thank you!!!

What a difference a year can make! Team member Libby was thrilled this year when one of her favourite patients from last year walked into the clinic this year on her own. Last year, this woman, with her baby strapped to her back, was carried in by her husband. Through MCOH, she received a prosthesis and braces and is now independent. What an amazing gift this woman received. Libby was so touched by the woman’s courage and determination that she hung a picture of her on her wall at home. Libby can now hang an “after” picture!

We were all thrilled to witness the groundbreaking for a new rehabilitation centre which is being built on the grounds where we held our clinics. This much-needed centre is made possible through the generous donors of MCOH and is a welcome addition to Mikinduri. We are hoping that Martin, one of our favourite medical patients this year, will be able to benefit from this centre. Sixteen-year old Martin was diagnosed with cancer and will have a significant part of his leg amputated in the coming weeks, followed by chemotherapy. Team member Bea Keaveny and her husband will be working closely with the Lions Club in Meru to ensure that Martin, an orphan, receives the services and treatments he needs at no cost to him. With any luck, he will be using the new rehab centre next year.

Team member Lily Campbell received special recognition at the ceremony, receiving a Kenyan flag in recognition of her great work. The government officials were most impressed that she took the initiative to contact her MP, Sean Casey, asking for flags and pins to share with the Kenyan children. District chief Alex Kiburi Mukindia touted Lily as a good example of what children can do and hopes to use her story as inspiration for Mikinduri children. Zanetta Ambassa, daughter of cook Makena Ambassa, also received a certificate of recognition.

Speaking of recognition, the team would like to acknowledge the support of the Mikinduri development organization, the Kenyan arm MCOH. Office staff Cynthia, Caroline and Samson, as well as Project Officers Martin, Francis and Lloyd – we certainly would not be able to carry out our work without them.

On Tuesday evening, Fr. B and a host of other MCOH friends feted the team on Tuesday evening in thanks for our hard work. We were honoured to receive certificates and other tokens of appreciation. On Tuesday morning, we bid a sad farewell to Mikinduri. Our first stop was a reception hosted by the Meru Lions Club to celebrate our partnership with them. Team members Bea Keaveny, Ted Grant, Libby Osgood and Lily Campbell received special recognition for their efforts.

Now, back to the wildlife! When calculating the cost of our participation in the MCOH mission, a two-day relaxation retreat was factored in. That’s how we come to be enjoying the luxury and amazing game drives here at Sweetwaters Tented Camp. Mind you, these are glorified tents, complete with bathrooms which feature separate shower and toilet stalls (unlike in Mikinduri), extremely comfortable beds, awesome food, and a refreshing pool. The game drives are amazing. With just two excursions under our belts, we have already seen six lions, eight rhinos, a small herd of elephants and countless giraffe, zebra, warthogs, waterbucks and several members of the antelope family. And that’s not to mention Lily’s close encounter with the marabou stork that stuck its head in an open door of the restaurant and snitched her dinner roll!!

As a team, we feel very proud of what we have been able to accomplish while in Kenya. Again, your support for MCOH and/or for us as individuals, is crucial in our work. Assante!

Meet:

- Charlottetown resident Grania Scott is enjoying her second trip to Kenya. Last year, she was dedicated solely to the vision clinic, but branched out this year, spending some time sterilizing dental equipment. She connected with MCOH through a friend.

- Ken Campbell, former owner of Island Optical, and valued member of the vision team. Father of two and papa (grandfather) of two, Ken is married to his lifelong sweetheart Judy. Ken is also an avid runner and is eager to hit the trail when he lands home in Canada.

- Brian Bellefountaine, a Fredericton-area native, a semi-retired health care worker who spent much of his life in construction. Brian’s sister, Marilyn MacKay, is a member of the MCOH board and serves on the scholarship committee.

- Port Franks native, Liz Place, mother of three girls and grandmother of four (with number five on the way!). Liz’s late husband and Ted used to work together, so the two couples knew each other well. This year seemed to perfect time to experience Mikinduri. Despite injuries from a nasty fall, she worked full time in the vision clinic all week. We all admire her spirit!!

- Husband and wife team, Tom and Louise Campbell, parents to Lily whom you’ve already met. This trip is a celebration of their 50th birthdays – and what a celebration it is. Tom worked in the vision clinic while Louise was the team reporter and assisted Lily with craft clinics.

- Rosylene Karugutu (I saved the best for last), a Nairobi-based doctor who works at the hospital. Dr. Rosie, as she is fondly known, quickly befriended each of us and was a valuable member of our team. We arrange our drivers through a Nairobi tour company; Rosie works with the husband of the lady in charge so that’s how she found out about MCOH. While Rosie fully enjoyed her experience, she feels especially good about the people for whom we’ve made a lifelong difference; for example the boy with cancer mentioned above.

What kind of people are these?

This question, so eloquently posed by three-year-old Beatrice, was certainly a legitimate one? Beatrice was one of many children who greeted us in the most remote area most of us have ever visited, a one-hour hike up Thuuri Mountain, starting from a three-building village. The “community” we visited up the mountain consisted of a cookhouse (with half a wall missing, but securely locked), and an amazing little schoolhouse, built by MCOH so the youngest mountain children do not have to climb down the mountain and walk a couple of miles to the nearest school at Kugwaru. Instead, they safely learn at this “just the basics” tiny schoolroom. Smiles were wide as we fitted pillowcase dresses on the beautiful mountain girls.

After climbing back down Thuuri Mountain, we climbed in our combis (vans) and drove the 15 minutes or so to Kugwaru. Believe it or not, some of the school children made it there ahead of us (many of them barefeet)! Kugwaru, site of a school from pre-Kindergarten up to Class (Grade) 8 as well as a MCOH feeding centre, holds a special place in the hearts of team members, especially Ted Grant. That affinity is due to the commitment of village members to meet MCOH part-way to collaborate on projects. For example, when Ted first visited Kugwaru, children did not attend school past Class 8, as they were required to work in the fields. MCOH agreed to support the school and build a feeding centre if the parents would commit to keeping their children in school until at least Class 8. Each year, the enrolment in all classes continues to increase – to the point that the village has asked MCOH for assistance in building four more classrooms.

The 330 students at the school get feed nourishing meals twice a day, six days a week, compliments of the MCOH feeding centre. As volunteers, we were thrilled to serve up a meal which was enthusiastically received by one and all students (a meal which would likely not entice too many Canadian students – a bowl of rice topped by some sort of thick multi-vegetable and spice-laden soup).

With their bellies full, the children were excited to perform for their visitors and were even successful in getting some mazungas (white people) to join in.

We were also privy to an exciting new initiative through which local people are creating charcoal (for heating) by using agriculture waste, rather than wood.

Our combi had an extra passenger on the way home. Eight-year-old orphan Bruce sat proudly on my (Louise’s) lap, called me “Mom” right away, and welcomed lots of hugs and back rubs. With a Kenyan mother (deceased) and a German father (who has not been part of his life), Bruce is considered “white” by the locals and has taken a while to fit in. Thanks to sponsorship by the Campbells, Bruce will be assured of a permanent place at Fr. B’s school, where he will receive regular meals six days a week. Like the other kids sponsored by team members and other generous Canadians, Bruce will also receive a uniform and sturdy shoes and the books he needs for school.

What do you get when you mix an eight-year-old, exhausted volunteers, several priests, and roasted goat? A Saturday night at local bar Makutu!! There were lots of mixed feelings, though, as the gathering was a send-off for valued team member Cheri who returned to Canada today.

Sunday was another busy day, albeit with a later start. Some went to church. Some went to visit Charia hospital, a smaller but cleaner facility than that in Meru. Some went to visit an orphanage which is home to 85 children, one as young as three months, who are HIV positive. Funded by an Italian NGO, this orphanage is much more state of the art than others team members have seen. As each child has an Italian sponsor, they are well looked after at the orphanage.

Another highlight of the day was the laying of the cornerstone for the maringa facility which is being constructed on the site of the Kinwe Feeding Centre (as described last week). We also got to see some maringa being dried in preparation for processing.

The weekend ended with a rousing game of “spoons,” introduced by our fearless leader.

A surgeon, a journalist, an accountant and an engineer coming right up. At least there will be if Veronica, Nancy , Esther and Eliud continue the way they are going. These four keeners are all recipients through the MCOH scholarship program. And today team member Kiona Heath – accompanied by scholarship committee’s Philippine Kaaka and team members Bea, Lily and Louise- visited them either at their school or at the local MCOH office.

Kiona is doing a project on behalf of MCOH and its scholarship committee, a committee with both Canadian and Kenyan members. The focus of the project is to determine the needs of scholarship recipients that go beyond tuition and textbooks. The move from primary to secondary school in Kenya is akin to Canadian students moving from high school or college. The secondary schools are usually boarding schools and many of our scholarship students are leaving home for the first time. Currently, there are eight students in the MCOH scholarship program, including two newbies this week.

“Wraparound support is so critical to these students,” said Kiona. “We must look beyond their educational needs and consider the other factors which impact them and can threaten their scholastic success. And who better to tell us about those needs than the students themselves.”

Some steps have already taken place to provide that support. For example, Martin the MCOH staffer responsible for the education programs delivered the new students to their schools and left his contact information with the administrators so they can contact him directly if there are any issues or concerns. Other suggestions came from the students.

Form 2 student Veronica reported that the Kanjalu Girls Secondary School is a very good school and that she “will work very hard to achieve my best.” However, she did suggest that having a quiet space available to study during the school breaks, when students are back home in their crowded and noisy houses, would be beneficial. She also suggested that having some discretionary funds available so they could buy extra revision books (sort of like Coles Notes) to assist them with exam preparation.

Michelle, our physiotherapist, has been working with a variety of patients in the clinics. She has seen many children with cerebral palsy, people with amputations, arthritis and mobility issues. She has also been doing a lot of education with people regarding back care and injury prevention.

“Many of the conditions seen here in Kenya are ones we only see in textbooks in Canada,” said Michelle. “It has been a busy but great week in the clinics.”

Highlights from Thursday included distribution of Smile dresses, donated by First Baptist Church in Charlottetown, to girl patients. Easy to see why they are called Smile dresses – these lovely young ladies were beaming from ear to ear.

Marlene MacDonald accompanied two patients to hospital in Meru. The first was a young man with a likely malignant tumour on his knee. He had been to a facility previously for assessment but didn’t return as he is an orphan and his aunt and uncle with whom he lives don’t have the wherewithal to get him care. The Ministry of Health does not look favourably on those who enter the system and discontinue their participation, yet don’t show much understanding of the other factors which come into play. The second patient, accompanied by her mother, was a nine-month-old girl weighing in at around 6 pounds, and suffering from a congenital heart disease. Both patients were admitted and will be followed up by MCOH.

“Our accreditation folks on PEI would have quite a field day at the Meru hospital,” said Marlene, employee of the PEI Health Agency. “This 400-bed hospital has at least 800-1,000 patients at a time, which works out to two and sometimes three patients per bed.”

With five days of clinics under our belts, we have served some 3,300 patients, providing medical, dental and vision care – and introducing countless children to the joy of crafting! When we say TGIF, we really mean it!!!
Meet:

- Kiona and Lincoln Heath, an American couple who originally found each other through their work in East Africa. Kiona, whose parents immigrated from Dominican Republic and Italy, was raised in New York. At age 16, Kiona attended high school in Ontario and then went on to McGill University. Although Lincoln was also a McGill student at the time, they didn’t meet until they both ended up in Kenya on a semester abroad. At the end of their semester, they linked up with MCOH through a relative of Ted Grant, who was also on a semester abroad, and helped set up the first feeding centre at Kinwe. That started a love affair with Mikinduri and eventually back at McGill, a love affair with each other. Back home in Vermont, that relationship continued, culminating in a Fall 2011 wedding. Lincoln is currently finishing his medical degree and Kiona is an advocate for victims of violence. Both love affairs are sure to continue: “We are both very attached to this kind of work,” said Kiona. “And we have a special affinity with East Africa.”

Today was even busier! The medical team saw 350 patients (up 90 from yesterday); dental saw 130 patients (up 30 from yesterday); and vision saw 250 patients (100 in the last hour) – for daily total of 730, and a to-date total of 1,700 in just three days. In addition, today 60 kids and three adults participated in the craft clinics.

On the sponsorship front, Grania has linked up with 12-year-old Joceyln while Greg and Leanne are sponsoring her six-year-old brother Rian. They are both orphans and are extremely blessed to gain this sponsorship!

The vision team saw two special patients today, both of whom could only see shadows. The first man is having surgery on one eye tomorrow and will have the other operated on later. The second, a giant of a man, was carried in by his son. He received glasses and a wheelchair – a double blessing!!

Kiona and local MCOH employee Martin took two newly-qualified scholarship students to their new (boarding) high schools today. What a huge deal for these two gentlemen. They were most appreciative and were assured by Kiona and Martin that there are supports available should they need them.

Overall, the Canadian and Kenyan team members are working together smoothly, with a great deal of respect on both sides.

Three patients were taken to hospital in Meru today, none of whom were admitted, unfortunately. A woman with TB was sent home, because she had previously been to another clinic. A woman with a fractured hip and a man with a septic knee were both sent home with meds. Due to the strain on the health system, many people who should be admitted are not.

Ted had a special visitor today. Sixteen-year-old Judith, sitting at about 2 ½ feet tall, came to the clinic site to thank him for changing her life. A couple of years ago, Judith received a wheelchair from MCOH, giving this sweetheart, who had to be carried everywhere, a real taste of independence. Judith is brilliant and articulate and aspires to become an engineer. We’re sure rooting for her!

As a team, we all feel really blessed to be here in Mikinduri in service to amazing people of Mikinduri and surrounding areas!