Below you will find links to the health programmes we have been involved with over the years in Kenya.
Health Programmes in Kenya
In Kenya, our health programmes focus primarily on supporting existing medical clinics, increasing access to vital care in otherwise disadvantaged communities. We also run successful medical camps and medical elective programmes in Kenya.
Our programmes in Kenya span the country, from the Kibera slums of Nairobi to the remote Siaya district in Western Kenya. As such, the issues faced by our communities are quite diverse. Some face poor health due to the congested slums, others struggle with the effects of the HIV/AIDS virus. For all, lack of healthcare has been a massive issue impeding their development both socially and economically.
To help alleviate these issues, Moving Mountains Kenya has been running health programmes in Kenya for over twenty years. Our Medical Camps in Ulamba village on the slopes of Mt. Kenya bring healthcare to hundreds of villagers who normally go without.
We also focus on two health clinics in Kenya. The Ushikira Clinic, located in the Kibera slum, is the only clinic serving this disadvantaged population. They offer a wide range of healthcare services including HIV/AIDS treatment, surgery, and more. We provide this clinic with funding, equipment, and guidance, working with them to improve their standard of care and eliminate corruption from their culture.
In Western Kenya, we support the Dophil Clinic and Maternity Home, a space that caters to women and children as well as the wider needs of the community. Although this clinic is nearly self-sufficient, Moving Mountains Kenya still supports them through funding and by purchasing equipment as necessary.
In all of our programmes, we focus on working with the communities and local authorities to ensure that we are addressing the needs as they see fit. We strive always to empower local people to take control of their own development.
Supporting Community Focused Healthcare in Africa
Moving Mountains Kenya supports clinics and hospitals that focus on providing good quality care to their communities. Our aim in our health programmes in Kenya is to improve the overall quality of life for the communities.
To us, community-focused healthcare means that the doctors and nurses are focused on the needs of the community, not simply the needs or desires of the hospitals. We urge our partners to eliminate corruption, to receive high levels of training, and to adhere to our strict requirements for our support and funding.
In the heart of the Kibera slum, the largest slum in Nairobi, we sponsor the Ushirika Clinic. This clinic is a critical lifeline for the quarter of a million people living in cramped and unhygienic conditions in the Kibera slum. Ushirika provides frontline care for the population of Kibera.
This clinic is open 24 hours per day and serves both inpatients and outpatients. They have a full-time staff of 13 with the facilities for minor surgeries, HIV patients, and TB patients.
We’ve supported this clinic since 1993. In that time, we’ve constructed a maternity wing, a ward, clean toilets, and more. In return for our support, we hold this clinic up to our strict standards and are working with them to eradicate corruption and position the clinic as a center for a healthy and happy community.
Promoting the Health of Mothers and Children
Another important factor of our health projects in Kenya is a focus on the well-being of mothers and children. As the cornerstone of a strong family and a strong society, we believe in supporting women and children from the prenatal stage through childhood and beyond.
In order to support this, we helped construct a maternity ward at the Ushirika Clinic in Kibera, Nairobi. Beyond this, we also provide support for the Dophil Clinic and Maternity Home in the impoverished rural district of Siaya in Western Kenya.
Siaya is a remote and underserved community where young mothers and mother-to-be run the risk of health complications that could lead to serious long-term issues or even death if untreated. To combat this, the Dophil Clinic provides specialized mother and child health care, a pediatric ward, and family planning support.
However, the Dophil Clinic isn’t exclusively focused on mothers and children. They also offer HIV care, as well as a laboratory, theatre, and provide specialist care.
This clinic is nearly self-sufficient, but they still rely on Moving Mountains for a small amount of support in the form of funding for lifesaving equipment. We also send medical elective students to work and study at this hospital, learning from the doctors who dedicate their lives to serving the rural populations of Siaya.
Supporting Health Projects in Kenya
Our work with these hospitals and in the medical camps that we run in Kenya are founded on the idea that healthy individuals build a healthy society. Our support of these clinics and doctors is essential in helping them run smoothly and provide the best possible care to disadvantaged and underserved populations in Africa.
In order to continue providing this support, Moving Mountains Kenya needs funding. Primarily this comes from the medical students who take our medical elective programs. If you are a medical student who wants to learn from and give back to communities in Africa, consider joining our Medical Elective Program in Kenya.
If you are inspired by our work in Kenya and would like to give back, please consider making a donation today.