March 2007 - Trip Report from Poppy Buchanan

Posted on Apr 03, 2007

Judy Richardson VUSN class of 1961 and I traveled to Kenya from March 8 to March 19 with the purpose of obtaining an update on the Burning Bush, Inc initiatives in Ndathi.The Samaria Maternity Home is now staffed with seven people and serving as many as 50 people a day. Agnes is shown with the new scrubs that we took with us. They think that they look very “smart” in their scrubs. Please note the color of the scrubs match the fence in front of the clinic!

The duplex that is being built to house staff members on the grounds of the clinic is only about a month away from completion. This will allow clinic services to be available 24 hours a day. The clinic is also used by people in the community for educational purposes. Four women trained by the Presbyterian Church America in poverty eradication came to talk with the patients as they waited to be seen by the nurses. A tuberculosis workshop sponsored by the District Medical Office was held one afternoon. That was the day that 59 patients were treated and one baby was delivered. As all of you know who have visited, the clinic building does proudly stand out in that community of small farms. The financial reports for 2006 show that the clinic is well on its way to being able to generate income to cover most recurring expenses. The additional money from Burning Bush, Inc will be used for further capital improvement and development. Also, Agnes has been accepted for distance learning program at Kenya Medical Training College in Nyeri to upgrade to an RN degree. It is hoped that some of the money contributed to Burning Bush will be used as a continuing education fund that will benefit Agnes and others who are employed at Samaria.