One of the most incredible things we did on our trip was one of the most unexpected. Due to the timing of our visit, we were able to help with a medical clinic grand opening and a community medical camp in a small rural community called Ithata.

On the first Saturday we arrived in Maua, we had dinner at the Maua Basin Hotel with the other “Micro-Team” from the Texas United Methodist Conference: Colin, David, and Gordon. They had raised funds and gathered supplies for a clinic that was built inside a shipping container. How amazing is that? The container had three examination areas, including one with a door for privacy (the other exam areas had curtains for privacy). The shipping container included an air conditioner and a generator. The Hospital will work on getting water to the container as well.

The container had come from Texas on a large ship. It arrived in Mombasa, Kenya and then made its way to Maua via a truck.

While our Micro-Team built the home for Musa’s family, the Texas Micro-Team worked on the container. They emptied the PETs (see my PET blog), and the other equipment off the container. The excitement that surrounded the group on Monday morning before we left was contagious. It was like Christmas morning as they cut the bolts off the container. The locks had rusted from the salty air so it took some time to open.

Each morning we saw the other Micro-Team as they prepared for the clinic opening and the road trip with the container from Maua Hospital to Ithata. Their focus was on getting the container safely off the truck onto the ground in Ithata and having it ready for Friday’s celebration.

There were several difficulties that the team experienced (at least, just the ones we heard about!). The container was extremely heavy and there was not a piece of equipment in Maua that could ensure the entire thing could be picked up and placed on the ground. So, they rented what they could and incrementally and very slowly put the container on the ground. In addition, the road to Ithata is narrow. And well, a shipping container can be quite wide… So the way we heard it, the truck hauling the shipping container had to stop every so often so branches could be cut down to ensure the container would fit along the road.

We did a deworming on Friday morning at a school along the way to Ithata. On the adventure for this deworming, we had John the Social Worker, Stanley the Coordinator for Community Health, Sue, and two medical students from Denmark: Sara and Emilie. Everyone was wonderful to work with and Sara and Emilie had so much to teach us and they were also experiencing some of the same things we were for the first time.

When we arrived to the clinic site in Ithata, the first thing we saw was the medical clinic. The shipping container is bright white and says in red letters, “MEDICAL CLINIC”. It looked pretty incredible on the hill where it sat.

Once we got closer, we saw people gathering and waiting for the clinic to open. We later found out more than 1,000 people came from all over the area. They walked for miles to reach the clinic. Many of these people do not have any medical care whatsoever, so this was a very big deal.

It was a hot day and some entrepreneur in the community had brought bottles of soda and water to sell to those gathered. People of all ages milled about. The location also had a school onsite so we dewormed the students at the school (that made five schools dewormed!). This may have been one of the poorest schools we visited.

I was struck by how sweet the children were despite the poverty and crowded classrooms. The classes were more crowded than we had seen at other deworming clinics and the rooms were dark. There were also many flies. I realize it may seem shallow to notice such a thing but the flies swarmed the children. As we gave the medication and candy to the kids, I would often see three to five flies on a child’s face. We here in the States are so aware of flies, bees, bugs, or whatever. But many of the children in Ithata seemed used to it and didn’t swat the flies away. I haven’t quite digested what to think about it, but it stuck with me as we went from class to class.

We ran out of dum dums when we had about sixty children remaining. Luckily, Sue and I had put together a stash of tootsie rolls, jolly ranchers, and mints before leaving the house- just in case the dum dums ran out. In the States, I can imagine children seeing what the other kids have and crying out, “But I wanted a dum dum! Not a tootsie roll!” But not one comment. At this school, we saw many children just put the tootsie roll or sucker in their mouth without removing the wrapper. Tim and I made a point of showing the children how to unwrap the candy first so the sweet wouldn’t taste like wrapper. In the States, I think I knew how to unwrap a sweet from the time I learned to walk. It’s a staple for many, even if it shouldn’t be…probably why I was diagnosed with prediabetes at the age of nine. Still, it broke our hearts that such a simple task for a child was so unfamiliar.

Once we finished the deworming and presented school supplies to the school principal, we immediately switched gears to help with the Medical Clinic. Patients were being seen in the Clinic based in the Shipping Container for wound care, HIV testing, and treatment for children.

We followed the lead from Beth Tracey, an Individual Volunteer and Nurse who works at the hospital and was managing the day’s events. She assigned Tim to “crowd control” in the school where there was a pharmacy and patients seeing Medical Officers. He moved them from the waiting area, to the Medical Officers, and then onto the pharmacy if needed.

Sue and I were assigned both to the pharmacy where we counted pills and were also assigned to the scale where we weighed each person coming through the clinic. I was out at the scale for the bulk of the day until Sue and I switched and I counted pills at the pharmacy. Tim continued as crowd control the entire time simply because he was so good and charming.

The people would start by registering and getting a number written on a small scratch piece of paper. Once their number was on tap, the registrar took note of any medical complaints or issues, got their blood pressure taken by Emilie or Sara, their weight taken, then a medical consult, and then finally pharmacy if needed.

At the weigh station, it was a bit difficult to communicate with the visitors. The scale (a Weight Watchers scale which cracked me up), stumped people. as if it was a space station mechanism. Many of them had never seen or been on a scale. At one point, I had my arm around an older woman and was practically lifting her up on the scale to help her understand she had to step UP.

During our house build and deworming projects, we had mostly worked with children. This time however we were able to work with people of all ages. Since I had not interacted with them very much, I really enjoyed working with the older men and women who came to the clinic and camp. I made a point to shake every hand who came to the scale. While some of the women were frightened to step on the scale, they did it anyway. I helped them step up and stand in place until the weight registered.

The pharmacy portion of the job was a bit more solitary which was fine by me at the time I started the duty. It was good to be in a cooler spot and do something like count pills. Plus, for an introvert, sometimes you just need “quiet”. The best parts of that job was to 1) watch Tim in action as crowd control and also 2) the cows that were hanging out right outside the window. I’m an animal lover and cows are no exception! The entire set of surroundings was surreal.

Toward the beginning of the Medical Camp, the celebration for the Medical Clinic began. Everyone gathered outside by the Clinic.

Once again, there was excitement in the air. One gentleman, Peter, told us that he had waited for years for the Medical Clinic. He knew it would be possible one day and he was so delighted to see it happen.

During the celebration, another gentleman had to sit down due to the heat and due to his troubles standing. He sat right in front of us. When Dad announced at the celebration that this was not the Maua Methodist Hospital Clinic- but the Ithata Methodist Clinic, the man wept. It was an amazingly moving moment for me.

There were many speakers at the celebration. Stanley spoke in his gifted way of inspiring others. Dad said something equally beautiful (I wish I had inherited his well-spoken and articulate manner of speaking in front of people) and there was much singing! The “Micro-Team” also spoke about the journey and shared their blessings. Keys to the clinic were presented to Stanley, Dad, and Beth.

We were not able to see everyone who came that day, there simply was not enough time. But we stayed until 5pm when we had to close as it was getting dark.

But the people we did see, benefited. An eleven month year old was brought in due to pain in her ear. Turns out she had a dead fly deep within her ear that they were able to pull out. People were tested for HIV and came out with negative test results. A woman with an open wound on her hand came to me at the weigh station and Beth immediately triaged her to the wound care. People received dental care, medications for headaches or other pains, and more. I truly got chills just being there to witness the event.

At 5:30 after the clinic was cleaned up, I took a moment by myself and just looked at my surroundings. The sheep were climbing on the hilltops, the cows were traveling through the grounds, Beth was learning how to turn on the generator, hospital staff were overseeing the packing of vans, and people were milling about under the trees.

In my life, I have had some moments of overwhelming feelings about what I am seeing and experiencing. Many of those moments have been in Kenya- and some on that Friday at the clinic. I remember the moment of moving beauty seeing the gentleman weep because his community has been remembered and been brought a way to care for themselves. Moments seeing family members guide and carry each other for miles to receive treatment. Moments showing men and women how to stand on a scale for the very first time. Moments which include children standing to get deworming pills or treatments for wounds or colds that won’t go away. The moment of Tim gently showing an eight year old how to open a tootsie roll. And for me, the moment of shaking an “80” year old’s hand and seeing her huge smile as I tell her in my broken Swahili, “Jambo! Asante Sana” (Hello, Thank you Very Much). In that moment, I hope she knew how deeply I cared about her community.

These are the moments I will remember forever.

How to Give: http://www.umcmission.org/Give-to-Mission/Search-for-Projects/Projects/09610A

(Note: More clinics like this may be provided through the leadership of the Texas UM Micro-Team! I’ll be watching for information on how to help!)