Burning Bush Funds WAKA Continuing Education Center

Posted on Jun 12, 2009

Burning Bush is expanding its outreach in Central Kenya to assist nurses who own and operate their own clinics. Often the only source of healthcare in their communities, these nurses are constrained by limited training, insufficient supplies, and substandard facilities.

Although health care in Kenya is free, private nurse practitioners provide about 42 percent of basic health services. Although their training and experience varies, these nurses are all engaged in “advanced-practice” nursing, diagnosing illnesses and prescribing and dispensing medications. Their clinics, some of which have no running water or electricity, receive no government funding.

The nurses have organized themselves into clusters to support one another and exchange information. In Central Kenya, these clusters meet monthly; at each meeting, members make a small contribution to a fund that functions like a business line of credit. They can then borrow money to buy needed supplies and repay the loan over time.

After attending some of these meetings, BBI found that these capable, caring nurses have a pressing need for continuing education, supplies, and equipment. Continuing education courses and other resources are available in Nairobi and other cities, but the nurses have neither the money nor the time to travel outside their area. At present, there is no structured means of disseminating information, equipment, and training from cities to remote areas.

Last year, BBI was approached by Rosemary Kamunya, a member of the Mt. Kenya cluster, about constructing a continuing education center in her town. Rosemary has been a nurse trainer for five years with JHPIEGO, an international health organization affiliated with Johns Hopkins University. Her husband Eustace is the principal at the Mt. Kenya Medical Training College. The couple also operate the WAKA Maternity Home and Health Services Clinic.

The Kenyan government has approved the plans for the WAKA Continuing Education Center, and construction is slated to begin soon. When operational, the center will be eligible for registration with the Kenyan Ministry of Cultural Affairs. Government certification will allow other organizations to work through the facility to channel equipment, supplies, and additional training to the area. There will be ample storage for equipment and supplies, so they will be available when needed.

Burning Bush has agreed to fund the construction of this facility and to underwrite its operating expenses for three years. We welcome financial assistance from organizations and individuals who feel called, as we have, to help our hard-working friends in Central Kenya build healthier, more productive lives.