UK Team visit in February 2011

22nd April 2011

This visit was the first of the UK Team’s planned visits for 2011. The specific aims of this visit included meeting Esther the newly employed Enrolled Nurse, giving all the nurses their annual appraisals, providing further teaching / training for the community health workers, meeting and working with the newly formed Community Committee,  introducing Jackie ( our District Nurse visitor) to the Buburi Team and showing her the work that goes on in Buburi, giving Coletta her retirement present and continuing the liaison with the Kenyan Health Authorities to enable the further development of Buburi Health Centre. Every visit made by the UK Team additionally also involves providing ongoing team support to the nursing team and people of Buburi, advice and help in managing the Centre, the purchase and transport of drugs and other essential supplies from Kisumu and the affirmation that we are one team and care about Buburi and its people.

Jo and Joy were accompanied by Richard (Jo’s partner), Jackie ( District Nurse), Charlotte (Jackie’s daughter) and Harry (Joy’s son) on this visit.

The Team found the weather very hot and dusty as this is one of the hottest months in Kenya, but this did not deter their spirits! There appeared to be an unusual abundance of mosquito’s despite the dry weather. There was an action packed agenda for this visit, it had been planned over half term to enable Harry (14) and Charlotte (14) to join the team and spend some time on an exchange visit to Kanyamedha School in Kisumu.

On arrival at Buburi village the team received a very warm welcome. Esther, the newly appointed In Charge Nurse who had started working for Buburi clinic at the beginning of of the year had fitted in beautifully with the existing team and had been accepted and loved by them all. Her knowledge and experience were very apparent and a quiet strength of character was also evident, which will be essential in coping with the challenges of nursing in this rural location.

Jackie really enjoyed her time spent in clinic with the nurses. She was impressed with the thoroughness of the consultations and the hard work involved for these nurses seeing on average between 60-80 patients every day. Her favourite and most memorable experience was helping with the teaching session for the community health workers.

‘ This experience will live with me forever, I will never forget sitting under the trees, spending time with these amazing women and being able to share in their wonderful sense of humour whilst having babies playing by my feet. I am so looking forward to returning to Buburi to work with these lovely people again.’

Rose had been redeployed in the Dispensary and appeared to be enjoying her new role. Her dream is still to undertake her nurse training and the team wrote a letter of recommendation for her to take to Mukumu Mission Hospital Nurse Training School in Kakamega.

Oda with her grandaughter Clare

Oda  continues to work extremely hard and takes her role as Team Leader seriously. She takes full responsibility for all the finances generated by the clinic and is very conscientious with the banking responsibilities. She was delighted with the bike the team purchased for her to help with her transport to and from the clinic ( she has previously had an hours walk to and from work ).

Eunice, in her quiet and unassuming manner is continuing to work very hard in her role as receptionist / auxiliary nurse.

Coletta had finally retired at the end of December last year aged 71, the team gave her the retirement present she requested, another cow to join her herd of 3. Buburi Health clinic and the UK Team of Trustees owe this wonderful lady a debt of gratitude for her continued belief in a future for this clinic and all her hard work through the early difficult years.

The Team took approximately 5-600 pairs of new and used spectacles for the people of Buburi as they are unable to access an optician or buy spectacles. Having a pair of spectacles which enables them to read can make the difference between work and no work, which effectively means a family can eat or go hungry.

Teaching session with the volunteers

The volunteers / community health workers had been working extremely hard over the last year visiting literally hundreds of households within the community raising awareness with general health education and the explaining the benefits of using treated nets in the battle against Malaria. The Team all enjoyed another teaching session on making up a rehydration solution using available resources within the household.

Jo and Joy attended the community committee meeting held in the village compound. This committee has been newly formed and are responsible for managing the clinic for the community on a day to day basis and dealing with problems if they occur. Jo and Joy enjoyed the opportunity to discuss future strategic plans with the committee members.

Future plans for this year include further visits by the other Trustees and visitors to ensure ongoing support and help for Buburi,  new uniforms for the nurses, more teaching sessions for the community health workers, further liaison with the Kenyan Health Authorities for the continued development of the clinic, possibly the installation of electricity for the clinic and maybe a dedicated labour  /delivery room.

The Trustees look forward to working closely with the committee members over the coming years to enable this community clinic to evolve and develop and gradually move towards self sustainability.

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