Program Updates December 2003

On August 12th, 2003, the Bill Selke Memorial Clinic opened its doors and six local community members in Kabula were treated for malaria. While this may not sound like a major accomplishment to some, it represents a significant achievement for all of us. Local health care workers run the daily operations of the clinic and are assisted by volunteers from abroad. On October 20th, 2003 the clinic began offering HIV testing, with pre and post-test counseling. Plans are being made to eventually offer retroviral treatment for HIV+ individuals. In November, the clinic obtained recognition from the Kenyan Ministry of Health as an official site for the government’s immunization program. The District Medical Officer of Health is working with us to coordinate a home-based care program for people living with HIV/AIDS.

While the clinic has been our main area of focus recently, the other programs we implement are thriving equally as well. The HIV/AIDS Awareness Project and the Peer Education Program have a coordinator, a translator and a driver. There is also a part-time home care coordinator. The Preschool (Epico Jahns Academy), which started as two rooms, has expanded and now five classrooms to allow for students to continue into first and second grade at Epico Jahns. The school has eight teachers and a driver for the school van. We continue to work with the women’s groups on small business development, and the public library serves the local residents as a resource center