Machokos

This has been such a busy week training the data collectors. I generally work 10-12 hour days and get home in time for a nice dinner with my “Kenyan family”. We’ve eaten such fascinating things such as roast chicken and mash potatoes. Very exotic I know! Actually we have had traditional Kenyan food (eaten with your hand) in our home and soon I will post some pictures of our meal Wednesday night. Since my birthday is Sunday, Cathy and Leigh joined us for an early celebration. Dinner was excellent and I even got a pink cake with sprinkles!

Yesterday, we took our data collectors and PNA tools to two training sites/hospitals to test them. We were looking for kinks in skip logic, questions the interviewees didn’t understand and other parts of the instruments and process that just didn’t work. Also, we tried to get a general feel for how this process will flow as well as how long it will take to administer each of the tools. The day was a huge success! My site was Machokos, about 70 kilometers out of Nairobi or an hour’s drive. The teams divided up and tackled testing the tools. I was so proud of them – they were so on top of it! This is either a reflection of our stellar training or the fact that these data collectors are super bright and dedicated to improving healthcare in Kenya. I think definitely the latter.

I shadowed a data collector who interviewed a clinical preceptor in the pediatric ward of Mochokos Hospital. I have such a soft spot for babies and children. It was heartbreaking to see that ward full. There were twin beds set up and about four children per bed. Most children were there for pneumonia, malaria or other diseases. The mothers all sat with their children and I was told they do not leave the whole time the child is in the hospital – even to sleep. There are no cots at the hospital for them to use to rest either. Since there is a healthcare worker shortage, the mothers need to stay with their children to ensure they are ok and to alert the medical staff if there is a problem. This was a good hospital by many standards in the developing world. However, you can be as equipped and organized as you like but if you do not have a sufficient health workforce, there is a gap that cannot be filled in providing quality healthcare services. As I was looking at these beautiful children I was reminded that this is why I’m here! I have such empathy and compassion for the struggles these mothers and children are facing, which motivate me to study and work as hard and efficiently as possible. I am reminded how fortunate I am to be in a career that I love and most importantly, that helps vulnerable populations in so many parts of the world. As I was leaving Mochokos a beautiful two or three year old little girl was sitting in her mother’s lap and waved to me. I waved back and she cracked a small smile. It is so easy to have stressful times at work and school – I will have to draw on experiences like this one at Mochokos to give me strength to carry-on.

Inside and outside of training institutions and health clinics, Africa and the world are buzzing with the start of the World Cup. The games start Friday and I have a feeling it will be exciting to be in this part of the world for this event. Go Team USA! I’ll be cheering from the Masai Mara this weekend. Cathy, Leigh and I are flying out for safari on Saturday morning. I’ll wake up on the morning of my 31st birthday and experience a game drive with lions, zebras, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes and more. Sounds like Kenya.