Return of the Camel Clinic

I am volunteering for a community based organization called CHAT (Community Health Africa Trust). Run by an amazing lady called Shanni, who organizes mobile health clinics out into the remote Maasai, Samburu, Turkana communities north of here. The clinics are out there for a week in a yellow 4WD with one nurse & a driver. Or out there for a month travelling by camel, walking 12 hours a day: a nurse, doctor and HIV counselor. The main focus is family planning, but they also provide general medical support, immunizations for children, HIV testing and counseling, and FGM (female genital mutilation) education.

Today I ventured to Mpala Ranch (the adjacent property to Shanni’s) and welcomed the return of the Camel Clinic. This particular camel clinic was away for 4 weeks: there were 6 camels carrying all the provisions, 4 camel handlers, a doctor, a nurse .. Susan who features in this utube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsOlILl2jlc&feature=player_embedded .. and a HIV counsellor.

The group walked a 300km round trip, walking up to 12 hours a day. 




Shanni, the boss
Samuel, the HIV cousellor
Susan, the dynamo nurse
Joseph, the doctor

Astounding stuff!

The most amazing thing about this whole situation is the demand. Statistically in this area, the women are having 8 to 12 babies in their lifetime. There is some stigma from the men, but the women are certainly open to the family planning message. Susan, the nurse, tells me that on this trip she inserted (or reinserted) 700 long term (5 year) and over 100 short term implants (3 months). Joseph, the doctor told me that in one area, many many young girls came to see him; they had un-safe abortions (ie village hack jobs) and they came to see him (in the night, so not to get in trouble from the community) and asked for family planning.

The camel clinic had been to this area previously a year ago. But there is never enough funding for the camel clinics and Shanni schedules one whenever a donor gives her some money for them. It costs just 6,000 USD$ for a month-long camel clinic and the effect they have is enormous. I had hoped to be able to join a camel clinic while I am here, but unfortunately, this is the last camel clinic scheduled right now, as Shanni has run out of money.


If you feel the urge to donate some money, please feel free to do so, on this website!
http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/chat-mobile-health-clinic-remote-kenya-camel/