Program Updates September 2007

It had been four years since my last trip to Kenya, but I was finally able to get back during July and August. The growth and positive changes were amazing. The frustrating things are still frustrating. It’s still hard to believe what has grown out of this chance encounter with Reuben back in 1998. We’ve had over 450 volunteers from 21 different countries: Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Iraq, India, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Pakistan, Peru, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, UK and the USA.  We now have 46 local workers and six international coordinators.

One of my priorities of this trip was to assess the healthcare program, as it has grown tremendously over the past four years. I was able to spend some time on the mobile clinics and get good feedback from volunteers on the ground. I am in the process of finalizing a healthcare program manual that will provide more information for volunteers prior to arrival as well as help with the daily activities on the mobile clinics.

We are also starting to organize a HIV Counseling and Testing Program which will be implemented alongside both the mobile clinics and AIDS Education programs. There will be a steady stream of people coming from Case Western University over the next year to develop this program.