Mzungu!

The last few days we've spent roaming around diffrerent villages near Lake Victoria  in Bondo District with Community Health Workers (CHWs). These volunteers are respected community members selected by their neighbors; they represent the lowest tier of the health care system in Kenya, but they are an integral part of the Health Ministry's education initiative for issues like disease control and maternal and child health. The first day in the community was spent with Samuel, pictured above. His enthusiasm for the education of new and expecting mothers was inspiring - he was insistent about the use of treated mosquito nets and proper diets. The CHWs generally walk quite a bit each day through some pretty rough terrain - we estimate around 5-6 miles. For us, these walks were full of shouts from the fields - children yelling, "Mzungu, mzungu!" which is Swahili for "white person." If we got close enough, the kids were all pretty shy, until we pulled out the cameras, after which they implored us, "Pictcha, pictcha!"

Our next day, Aaron and I spent on the Polio campaign trail with Mary, a CHW, and Paris, a CHEW (Community Health Extension Worker). The CHEW is a link between the CHW and the local health facility. The past few days saw a Polio outbreak in Somalia; some of these cases spilled over to the Somalian refugee camps in Kenya. According to protocol, vaccines must be distributed to children under 5 years of age after such an outbreak. The CHWs in Bondo district had the formidable task of reaching 120 children each day durinrg this campaing. That goal requires quite a bit of walking. Mary and Paris were rather excited to treat Aaron and me to some free exercise. Along our journey, we met a village elder (picture above) who was intent on keeping Aaron. Mary told him, "Aaron, you have a bride now."

While the engagement was short-lived, Aaron did manage to find a few children along the way. One child, having fallen down on the way back to her parents' home, was swept up into Aaron's arms and carried home. She clung tight to the "mzungu" in the white coat as we walked into the family's compound. Once we arrived at a home, we located the children under 5 and the CHWs administered the vaccine orally. Aaron managed to make quite a few friends on the trip - a group of children found him extremely entertaining as they followed us through the village, giggling uncontrollably every time he turned back suddenly to confront them. One mother let Aaron hold her newborn child, and posed for a picture. She allowed the picture only on the condition that we send her a copy once we get back Stateside.

Even though it is technically winter in Kenya, it is still quite hot. Having forgotten sunscreen on my first trip into the field, I was quite burnt for our second and third visits. After taking refuge in her home during a sudden downpour, I emerged with a pink umbrella she supplied me to protect my matching neck. Aaron was intent on getting a picture of the spectacle, and, with some hesitation, I've included it here. A special thanks to Mary for her thoughtfulness and patience for all of our questions.

While Aaron and I were on the Polio campaign, Melissa and Pankti had joined Joyce, another CHW in the Bondo District. Each of the CHWs is responsible for around 100 households, and Joyce was kind enough to guide the girls through a day in the life. Their trip was full of laughing, posing children, pictures of chickens (typical mzungus), and insightful conversations with an inspiring CHW. Joyce was motivated to become a CHW in order to educate her neighbors about important health issues. She is the biological mother of one and the adopted mother of two more.