Rosemary Kamunya, JHPIEGO Training Advisor, To Visit U.S. in May

Posted on May 04, 2009

Rosemary Kamunya, a friend of Burning Bush Inc. from Nyeri, Kenya, will travel to the United States on May 6 for a three-week stay. She is a training advisor for the Kenyan programs of JHPIEGO, an international non-profit health organization affiliated with Johns Hopkins University. Rosemary has built a distinguished career as an expert in reproductive health and family planning and has been an international consultant for healthcare delivery in Africa and Eastern Europe. She and her husband Eustace own and operate the WAKA Maternity and Nursing Home in Nyeri, which offers basic healthcare services, as well as labor and delivery and post-natal care.

In the United States, Rosemary will attend advanced JHPIEGO training sessions at Johns Hopkins University. For 35 years, JHPIEGO (pronounced “ja-pie-go”) has designed and implemented low-cost, hands-on solutions for delivery of health services to women and families in areas of the world where access to care is severely limited. The organization has been a leading source of education and training for nurses throughout Kenya.

After completing her training in Baltimore, Rosemary will travel to Nashville, where she will meet with the people involved in Burning Bush Inc. BBI has agreed to fund the construction of the WAKA Continuous Education Center in Nyeri. Rosemary and Eustace will be the principal instructors at the center, offering continuing education for nurses operating their own clinics. These nurses, particularly the 70 or so members of the Mt. Kenya Private Nurse Practitioner cluster, are already engaged in the “advanced practice” of nursing, diagnosing illnesses and prescribing medication for over 2,000 patients a day. Additional training will allow them to improve basic health services for patients without access to the free medical care available in Kenya.

Once the building is constructed and training programs are in place, the Kamunyas will apply for certification with the Kenyan Ministry of Cultural Affairs. In addition to offering a central location for training and education, the center will also operate a microcredit cooperative, making much-needed supplies and equipment available to nurses in the Mt. Kenya Private Nurse Practitioner cluster.