The good news and the not so good news!

The good news is that the donated medical supplies now number fifteen boxes, not ten as in Bulletin Update No. 63. May I again thank so many generous donors. Two new donors, one I have never met, being a company names Strapit in Thomastown. They donated 85 rolls of bandages for the Medical Centre. Another is my dentist in Doncaster East personally donating 200 toothbrushes….people are so generous and caring. The container was finished being packed today and the ship should be due to sail early next week, fortunately it being late gave me the opportunity to gather more supplies. I shall advise of the ETA when I know and we shall track it with great interest.

The not so good news when speaking with Pastor Daniel last week was that Margaret Kanini Ndambuki the nurse Daniel had engaged would not be released from the Catholic Missionary hospital in Mutomo. Daniel said for me not to despair and he would find another nurse. True to his word, in speaking with him on Thursday night, he has engaged the services of a male nurse who has worked with the Kenyan Government and also in private practice. He is to start on the 9th September and I recommended a trial period of three months before signing the man up to a twelve months contract. Daniel was very happy with my proposal and wanted Hon Rachael Nyamai to assist him with the registration papers that are to be lodged in Nairobi. Daniel negotiated a salary of Ksh 20,000.00 per month with the new nurse. Daniel purchased Ksh 40,000.00 worth of medications to ‘get them started’.

Speaking of Rachael I received an email from her on Thursday, see below:

Dear Hellen,

Sorry I have delayed to respond to this email.
I wish to acknowledge that the work that Daniel has done is really commendable and it’s value will be seen more as the health facility and the school grow. In a case like this in the Kenyan situation, the first opportunity will be to expose him to the local newspapers and thus will happen when the hospital runs and the launch is done. This will be the best time to expose the achievement story of Ntheeu.

We appreciate the supplies send from Australia and the best I can do is to get in touch with Emmanuel to see what assistance he will require. Emmanuel my number is 0720451803. The best is to ensure that the agent clearing does it within record time to ensure that no delays which may cause further charges. At the port there is sobriety and most goods will pass without interference due to increased surveillance. I must admit that I am not best adviser of matters of clearance of goods but will ask friends. The date of arrival needs to be properly monitored.

Power connectivity: Kanthi is a recognized education center and for that reason it’s a must that it be connected to power. I will send my assistant Mutua who is we’ll known by Ndunda to do Layman’s survey which will lead to the professional survey by REA. I will do my best to give power three months after the survey. The connectivity is done by a national Government agency called REA (rural electrification authority) and we have a good working relationship. I promise to try my best to hasten the process. For now I will guide Daniel on a letter to my office to request power to the day care centre and nursery school.

I know you have done so much. However I encourage you to push the facility a little further. I will also do my part as I promised to continue with the work that you have pushed this far. I know it’s not easy to fund raise for any project. Achieving these four is a great projects.

Our Gov works at a slow pace. We will be doing the classroom this year. I am finalizing implementation of projects for 14/15 where this classroom is. Kenyans in our team will know that projects do delay. The good this is they happen. Before end of the year, the project will be clone.

Warm regards,

Rachael

 

Photo of Rachael (centre) outside Medical Centre Rachael meeting with Pastor Daniel

Dear Helen

My next opportunity if I get in parliament. I will do my best to fundraiser to support cheap housing for our people.

Rachael

If all this promises were to come to fruition, how amazing, a village dying from starvation in 2011 to a village now with a Water Kiosk, a Greenhouse, a Nursery School, a Medical Centre and possibly a Primary school and the connection of electricity and improved living conditions for her people…..we shall wait and see! I guess the campaigning has commenced!

Should you wish to read past bulletin updates please visit the website www.walkforwater.com.au

Cheers,
HELEN

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Thank you, thank you to the wonderful doctors, nurses, allied health workers who collect so many medical items for the Dispensary in Kanthi…..but the biggest thank you is to Kate and Gerry Cross of Canterbury Rotary who have arranged for the items to be shipped, gratis, with Rotary of Essendon’s shipment of medical beds to Kenya. Fortunately the ship has been delayed until the week of the 10th August as I had not finished collecting, packing, itemizing, labelling, securing (with the help of Kate Cross) all 10 boxes to be delivered onto the container for shipment. I have included ‘those crayons’ that went to Nairobi and back twice….third time lucky! We also have a bicycle for Nurse Margaret to ride to work courtesy of Rotary.

I have itemized every item and hope and pray that they arrive safely, without having to pay ‘an alleged bribe’. I sent off the last amount of monies from the WFG Kanthi bank account to Pastor Daniel being for two months wages for the nurse together with approximately Ksh 17,561.00 for medicines to start the clinic off. I am praying the tomatoes will soon be ready to help pay for some more medication until our supplies arrive. Pastor Daniel’s son Emmanuel wrote to me and said he would collect the items once they have been cleared in Nairobi and take them to Kanthi immediately. I have sent the following itinerary to all parties concerned including Hon. Rachael Nyamai who is the Chair of the Health Area in Kenya.

Medical Supplies

BOX ONE 1,100 large Powder Free Disposable Latex gloves	BOX TWO 2 x Obstetric kit – sealed packets 3 x Basic Dressing Pack #8 – sealed packets 1 x M size Highly Absorbent Sterile Lowe Limb wrap – sealed packet 25 x Mesorb 23 x 30 cm dressings – sealed packets 10 x Disposal vaginal speculums – sealed packets
BOX THREE 100 x 3ml syringes 50 x 10 ml syringes 100 x 19G needles 100 x 21G needles 100 x 23G needles 20 boxes x 200 alcohol swabs 1 box x 200 alcohol swabs	BOX FOUR 400 packets of crayons for Nursery School Children
BOX FIVE 5 x Boxes surgical gloves – approximately 530 pairs – 4 boxes unopened, 1 box opened 12 x Intravenous giving sets 33 x ampoules of normal saline. 6 x CPR pillow slips	BOX SIX 55 x Disposal vaginal speculum – s/m/large – sealed packets 8 x Disposal rectal speculum – sealed packets 9 x Sigmoid speculum – sealed packets
BOX SEVEN 2 x boxes 50 each box Respiratory masks – sealed 3 x boxes 50 each box Surgical face masks – sealed 1 x box 35 each box Surgical face masks – sealed 6 x Asthma puffer dose control chambers – sealed 16 x Airways various sizes baby – adult – sealed 100 x s/s Stitch cutter blades – sealed 3 x 5ml syringes – sealed 2 x 3ml syringes – sealed 52 x 10ml syringes – sealed 3 x Disposable Laryngo scopes (adult size) – sealed packets 1 x Stainless steel Laryngo scopes (adult and baby blade) – sealed	1 x Sharpes disposable container (yellow) 7 x Stainless steel kidney dishes 9 pairs Stainless steel suture sissors 8 pairs Plain Stainless steel forceps 5 x Stainless steel (4 small / 1 medium) 1 child’s O2 mask 15 x Stainless steel surgical blades 100 x Surgical lancets 2 dozen Stainless Steel surgical suturing needles 5 x Stainless steel Michel clip removers 32 x 1/V site dressings – sealed 2 x I/V site dressings 4 x CPR pillow covers
BOX EIGHT 14 x glucose monitors – boxed 1 x box 100 glucose strips for glucose monitor 1 x box 10 calibration strips for glucose monitor 1 x jar multi sticks
BOX NINE 10 x basic dressing packs – sealed 4 x baby monitor trumpets. 20 x face masks 1 x ambumask 1 x sphygmomanometer 1 x large cuff 1 x child’s cuff 1x height measurer 2x thermometers 5x tea towels – sealed box 1x tourniquet 1 x stethoscope 1 x pairs scissors	1x needle holders 2x artery forceps 1x swab holders 2 x insulin pens 4 x boxes 14 sachets Metamusel 4 x tubes anal cream 7 x inhalator medication 9x tubes acne cream 2 x inhalator medication 4 x bottles Coveram 5mg/10mg (high blood pressure) 7 x hypertension medication 2 x bottles Coveram 5mg/5mg (high blood pressure) 1 x bisolvon tablets for chest 1 box Panadol Osteo (96 tablets) 1 x Ditropan tablets 1 bottle hand wash
BOX TEN Children clothes 2 x little girls cotton dresses one white, one yellow 2 x baby sleep suits – blue 10 x children’s T shirts – sizes 1,2 2 x babies singlet’s 3 x long sleeve, short leg sleep suits 3 x short sleeve, short leg sleep suits 1 x short sleeve heavy cotton top	BOX ELEVEN Boxes of baby wipes
1 X Bicycle.

I shall await word from Emmanuel who shall take all the items and deliver them to Pastor Daniel in Kanthi.

For those who may have missed the Bulletin Update please visit our website www.walkforwater.com.au

Cheers,

HELEN

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