Reduce Suffering in Kenya Via Health Care Services

It had been a busy morning for Nurse Pauline and Driver Peter (who assists Pauline with registering the patients and clients). They were under a large gum tree near the small poor village of Karionga, about 12 kms from Nanyuki town.

Pauline had noticed some very smart cars drive past, then park about 300 yards away outside a humble “shelter” – one could hardly describe it as anything else.

 At the time Pauline was providing Wangari* with FP services. Making casual conversation, Pauline asked her client, “What are those smart cars doing parking outside that dwelling?”

Wangari hung her head and said,”Those are politicians - they have come for  Njoki’s*– ow.”

“Oh!,” said Pauline, “she must be a fortunate woman having such wealthy ‘friends’.

“No No she has ‘passed’ – she died this morning together with her babies…. her story is very sad,” Wangari with angry tears starts to tell Nurse Pauline about Njoki’s tragic story.

“Njoki was a 32 year old married mother of 4 children, the youngest being only months old and the eldest 14. Back in 2015 Njoki had visited CHAT motor mobile clinic seeking FP services - she opted for a 5 year implant method of contraception. 1 years later, her husband  - who worked as a casual laborer at a nearby flower farm and was the sole breadwinner - pressured her to have more children, so trusting him; she went ahead and had another – after removing the implant. Njoki’s husband, on hearing the news, immediately vanished into thin air and has never been traced to this day! But Njoki never lost hope that her husband would return and therefore decided to keep the pregnancy. Months passed, the child was born – but no husband - nowhere to be found,” Wangari narrates.

“As her close friend, Njoki called me to her house (which is that over there with the now smart cars outside) and confided to me that she had tested to be HIV positive during her antenatal clinic; but she remained in denial, refusing to be put on treatment. She felt like she had no reason to live - the world had shown its cruelty to her and her children, she also felt a disgrace to her children, womanhood and community Oh why was she so naïve, to just be turned into “waste” by the man she had trusted with her life,” Njoki further explains.

“I wish I could swallow back all these children - back into my stomach and die as a family, because it’s easy to add, but difficult to maintain,” Wangari recalls Njoki’s last words.

“Look at me” says Wangari, “Despite having three children - all from different fathers - at-least, thanks to you (CHAT outreach team) I receive family planning services.

I received FP the same day as Njoki back then, but for her she decided to trust that ‘useless husband of hers’ without thinking critically and now look - ending her life and her own flesh and blood in such a painful way- drowning one in the tank of water, strangling another to death, before hanging herself from that tree.

And now these smart cars are using this tragedy by making a ‘show’ of caring – blah”

Nurse Pauline and Peter packed the vehicle and went home in shocked silence.

This quarter, December 2016 – February 2017, thanks to your donations (cost shared’) CHAT reached 10,803 individuals with family planning/ ecological awareness information, of which a total of 1,015 patients were treated for different conditions & 6,345 women with different FP contraception methods of their choice in 10 counties in Kenya.

Namaiyan*, who hails from Arjijo , in the Mukogodo area in the Laikipia North sub county was 14 years old when she became pregnant. After birth, she confided to one of her trusted neighbours that at her age and being single, she did not want to have any more children because she is unable to feed the child she has – let alone trying to support any other children.

Namaiyan’s neighbour informed her that during the chief baraza, the area chief confirmed that a team of health providers accompanying a motor mobile clinic, had requested him to assist with the mobilization – and that they would be in the area within the month. Among the services that they will provide would be free family planning services – but tht here would be s small ‘token’ cost for the basic curatives.  Her neighbour promised to alert Namaiyan once the mobile team arrive.

On arrival of “CHAT’s” motor mobile health team in the area, the neighbour took Namaiyan to the camp site where the mobile clinic was set up. They were welcomed by the Family Planning Community Own Resource Person (CORPs)  called Namusungu, and after several hours of counselling on a range of choices of family planning methods, Namaiyan decided upon the five (5) years Implant as her FP method of choice. “I chose the (jadelle) Implant because it lasts for five (5) years. You cannot forget to take it like you can with the pills - this is a five (5) years guarantee,” says Namaiyan.

Namusungu shared a quote that an educated friend of hers found, and thought how appropriate it was to her situation.

“The quote by John O’Donohue: Anam Cara in the book of Celtic Wisdom goes something like this, “There is the solitude of suffering, when you go through darkness that is lonely, intense and terrible. Words become powerless to express your pain; what others hear from your words is so distant and different from what you are actually suffering, therefore let’s all double up! Use condoms and a highly effective birth control method to take charge of our reproductive health,” Namusungu lamented.

Via CHAT supported mobilizers like Namusungu, women like Namaiyan are transforming their lives through FP – being able to access contraceptives, she now has the choice to plan for the future.

”Expanding eligibility of FP services to low-income women will maximize cost-savings both for the community and government, thereby reducing the disparities in access to family planning services for low-income women and hence, decrease the incidence of abortion and infanticide in our communities,” FPCORP Namusungu confirms.

Namaiyan was lucky to receive professional FP advice. In many underserved communities, widespread myths about contraception mean that many women like Namaiyan don’t have the facts that they need to make informed choices, as we cannot confront the massive challenges of poverty, hunger, disease and environmental destruction unless we address issues of population and reproductive health; bearing in mind that, “each person we add now disproportionately impacts on the environmental and life- support systems of the planet,”- George W. Bush.

CHAT’s core intervention and focus is Population Health and Environment thereby providing free FP services to the marginalized communities in Kenya - as birth control in these times must lead ultimately to a balanced healthy environment. This quarter September – November 2016, thanks to your donations (cost shared’) CHAT reached 11,775 individuals with family planning/ ecological awareness information, of which a total of 1,137 patients were treated for different conditions & 6,474 women with different FP contraception methods of their choice in 10 counties in Kenya.