Friends of Arrow Web Hospital

THE RESUSCITATION EQUIPMENT HAS ARRIVED

2012-02-11T03:09:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Melissa Ostoga in Australia, Arrow Web Hospital now has a resuscitation machine which will save the lives of adults and children as well as newborn babies. Bram says it has only just arrived from the UK and once he gets it set up he will be able to tell us more about how it works and give more details about the machine for the doctors and nurses amongst you. We will of course post some photos on the blog.

This is a wonderful gift for the patients and staff . We are so grateful to you Melissa for thinking of Arrow Web Hospital when you posted your dream on the Sunsuper Dreams website. Of course we must also say a big thank you to all our supporters worldwide- around 5000 of you voted for Melissa's dream.

Watch this space!

LOOKING BACK ON 2011 AND LOOKING FORWARD TO 2012

2012-02-07T01:48:00.000-08:00

The highs and lows of 2011

This year Arrow Web Hospital was able to provide services to even more adults and children, potentially saving many more lives in the Nairobi slums. In 2011 we treated 13,042 (an increase of 2352 on 2010), including 2335 children under 5 and 1788 maternity cases.

As we look back over 2011, again we are so grateful for all the support we have received from our staff and board and local colleagues, and from our friends across the world. Last year we had many visitors and international volunteers from countries such as the US, the UK, Germany, Austria, Australia and France. Many of our volunteers were medical students, some were nurses and some were social workers. All of them brought with them their own particular skills and experience which they were able to share with us and we hope they learned from working with us and experiencing first hand the challenges we face on a daily basis, in providing essential services to people living in the slums.

One of the high points of 2011 was hearing that Melissa Ostoga, (one of our supporters from Australia) had won AUS $5000 in an online voting competition. Melissa had posted "her dream" on the internet and thousands of our supporters across the world voted for her. As a result of Melissa's efforts we have been able to buy essential resuscitation equipment which will save lives. We have just heard that the equipment is now at the docks in Mombasa and will soon be delivered to us.

The big disappointment of 2011 was the last minute withdrawal of support for funding by a UK charity. Their donation was to help pay for the transportation of essential medical equipment from the UK. With the help of Alison Lowndes from AVIF ( http://www.avif.org.uk/) and Jackie Keens from Aid to Hospitals Worldwide ( http://www.a2hw.org.uk/ ), we had been working on this project for over two years. Fortunately, so many of our international friends who had individually donated to this project, stood by us and agreed that their donations could be used for Arrow Web Hospital.

Our plans for 2012

Fundraising has always been difficult for us. There are so many other organisations looking for support and international donors are understandably cautious about sending funds to projects abroad. We have tried hard to improve our accounting systems to show all our income and expenditure every month and when we receive a donation we are happy to send photos and regular reports showing the equipment in use. So this year we will continue to look for partners and donors to work with us and support us.

Over the years volunteers have not only given us their time but also have brought essential medical supplies with them. This year we are hoping to welcome qualified volunteer doctors, nurses and social workers as well as young people hoping to gain experience with us during their training.

We have already had several enquiries from people hoping to visit us or volunteer with us in 2012. In January this year we were very pleased to welcome Jonathan Hirts from Virginia in the US who worked with us for a month. He helped us with record keeping in the community and during the hospital ward rounds. Also in January, Bastian a doctor from the Swiss Army volunteered with us. He helped us in the hospital and particularly enjoyed working with the children. Some were in patients and some were attending our child health clinics.

Thank you for all your help and support Jonathan and Bastian.

Jonathan tries to comfort one of our youngest patients

Jonathan chats to the children outside the hospital

Bastian takes a blood sample at the child health clinic

"On no Bastian, not another needle!"

MORE NEWS ABOUT MELISSA'S DREAM

2011-12-04T03:53:00.000-08:00

Local publicity for Melissa

We are pleased to let you know that the funds raised via the Sunsuper website have now been transferred to us. Melissa's dream to fund lifesaving resusitation equipment for our newborn babies has been featured in two of her local newspapers the Kiama Independent and the Illawarra Mercury.

Bram is now researching the most suitable resusitation equipment for Arrow Web Hospital so that we can install it as soon as possible.

The mattresses arrive

The mattresses and covers which were bought with the money donated for the container have arrived. This will make a real difference to the comfort of patients and the mattress covers will help reduce the spread of infection.

Thank you to everyone who kindly agreed to the "container funds" being used for this purpose.

Bram is still awaiting approval from the Ministry of Health for use of our ambulance which was converted from a second hand mutatu (also from the "container funds").

Unloading the new mattresses outside Arrow Web Hospital

November visitors

Last month we welcomed Judith Barna a nurse from Germany, who came with her two colleagues from Kikuyu town orphanage. Judith hopes to visit us again next year.

Bram and our visitors on the roof of Arrow Web Hospital

"Sorry Bram not your size!"

IT'S OFFICIAL - MELISSA OSTOGA'S DREAM HAS COME TRUE

2011-11-01T01:38:00.000-07:00

Lifesaving resuscitation equipment for Arrow Web Hospital

We have just heard the wonderful news that Melissa's dream has come true. Thank you to everyone that voted, her dream won most votes with a huge majority of around 1000. This means that a sum of AUD $5000 can be used to buy urgently needed resuscitation equipment for our newborn babies.

Melissa, we are so very grateful to you. This equipment will make such a difference to babies born at Arrow Web Hospital whose lives are at risk soon after birth.

A premature baby soon after delivery

A HAPPY ENDING TO THE CONTAINER SAGA

2011-10-27T01:34:00.000-07:00

An ambulance for Arrow Web Hospital

For those of you who have been following our blog, you may remember that Arrow Kenya board had to make a very difficult decision in August, to give up on our project to ship recycled medical equipment from the UK to Kenya. Although many of our UK supporters had managed to fundraise £1800 to pay the shipping charges, our main donor pulled out at the last minute. Everyone was really disappointed as we had been working on this for over two years with Aid to Hospitals Worldwide http://www.a2hw.org.uk , and Alison Lowndes from AVIF http://www.avif.org.uk/.

We contacted the UK donors and asked them if they would like their donations returned or used to pay for the conversion of a second hand matatu (minibus) to an ambulance and for new mattresses and covers for hospital beds. As we need to transfer about 20-30 patients per month to larger specialist hospitals, the Kenyan National Hospital Insurance Fund inspectors had told us that an ambulance was a priority. So, in August our local garage set to work on the matatu; meeting the NHIF standards which included a bed, water supply and first aid equipment.

Working on the inside of the ambulance after the seats had been taken out

Our new ambulance - fit for purpose

The ambulance is now being checked over by the Ministry of Health before we can start using it. This will make a big difference to patients who have had to be transferred in Bram's car or by board members in the past.

Thank you again to Alison Lowndes and all our very generous UK donors who made this possible.

Melissa's dream is still in the lead

With just over three days of voting to go, Melissa's dream to fund urgently needed resuscitation equipment for newborn babies at Arrow Web Hospital, is still in the lead.

http://sunsuperdreams.com.au/dreams/popular

With 4892 votes so far, we are nearly 1000 votes ahead of our nearest rival. However, a lot can happen in a few days, so please keep voting and pass on the link to your friends. Your response to this has been overwhelming- so a big thank you to everyone who has supported us, especially to Melissa Ostoga from Australia. Melissa started supporting us via our "village" on Nabuur, a global network of volunteers.

http://www.nabuur.com/en/village/kayole-soweto

Melissa's dream will help ensure all mothers will deliver healthy babies at Arrow Web Hospital

MELISSA'S DREAM FOR US COULD COME TRUE

2011-10-13T05:47:00.000-07:00

A premature baby delivered at Arrow Web Hospital

We are really pleased to let you know that Melissa's Dream which we told you about on Monday could come true. Today Melissa's Dream has the most votes of 113 different dreams so far. Of course we need to keep up the momentum and ask as many of our contacts as possible to vote and tell their friends. There are still seventeen days of voting to go.

Thank you so much to everyone who has already voted and of course to Melissa for her Dream which will buy lifesaving resuscitation equipment for our newborn babies.

You can keep track of the voting and vote yourself, if you haven't already, using this link.

http://sunsuperdreams.com.au/dreams/popular

PLEASE HELP MELISSA'S DREAM FOR US COME TRUE

2011-10-10T05:06:00.000-07:00

Your vote could fund resuscitation equipment for newborn babies at Arrow Web Hospital

Melissa Ostoja, one of our supporters in Australia has posted her dream for Arrow Web Hospital on the Sunsuper Dreams website. By adding your vote, you can make Melissa's dream come true and save lives in the Nairobi slums.

Over 1500 babies are delivered at the hospital every year, but if a baby has breathing difficulties our doctors and midwives do not have the equipment to help them, so the babies could die.

If Melissa's dream receives the highest number of votes this month, she will be awarded $5000 to make her dream come true. So please take a few minutes to vote and pass the link on to as many of your contacts as possible.

http://sunsuperdreams.com.au/dream/view/resuscitation-equipment-for-newborn-babies

Thank you so much Melissa for your support and for trying to raise funds for Arrow Web Hospital.

Two healthy twins delivered at Arrow Web Hospital

OUR INTERNATIONAL CONTACTS CONTINUE TO SUPPORT US

2011-08-24T08:44:00.000-07:00

Chad Hoffman from Christian Mission Aid

Today we had an unexpected, very welcome visitor, Chad Hoffman, regional director from Christian Mission Aid. Bram has been in contact with him for some months now, having recognised that we share the same commitment to improve the lives of our poorest and most vulnerable communities. http://www.cmaid.org/

Christian Mission Aid achieves its mission by training community leaders and by supporting them to work within their own local communities. So Chad was particularly interested to hear about our Community Outreach Team which has huge potential to develop its services if given the necessary training and resources. Chad was keen to find out about the work we already do, raising awareness about our hospital based services and organising medical camps on a variety of health issues.

Bram showed Chad round Arrow Web Hospital while they discussed how we could work together in the future. Chad has invited us to submit a workplan outlining how we could develop our outreach programs, particularly counselling and youth programs, with his organisation's support.

This is of course a tremendous opportunity for us, as our work in the community, unlike some our hospital based services, receives no support from the government.

Chad pauses to speak to a mother with her child who is receiving treatment

Chad was very interested to hear about our laboratory

Only a few days to go for Sebastian

We are really grateful to volunteer medical student Sebastian Kadex who has been working with us for six weeks now. He has been a great help to our medical staff and we do hope he has enjoyed his stay with us. He returns home to Germany on Friday and we will certainly miss him.

Sebastian working with Dr Ishmael at one of our busy baby clinics

Next month we look forward to welcoming Rosie Jeffries, from France (originally from the UK) and Kelly Potter from the US.

Improving the volunteer's experience

We have recently introduced a volunteer feedback questionnaire so that we can continually try to improve the volunteers' experience with us. James and his medical student friends who worked with us in July, suggested to us that it would be helpful if we were able to provide volunteers with information about the likely medical conditions, and the treatments available, before they arrived to work with us. So one of our great friends Dr John Gilbert from the UK is preparing a handbook for future medical student and nursing volunteers. We are very grateful to John, who you may remember volunteered with us about two years ago for six weeks, while still a medical student.

MORE VOLUNTEER NEWS

2011-07-09T07:10:00.000-07:00

Goodbye and thank you to our Australian friends
Last week we had to say goodbye to the six Australian medical student volunteers who have worked so hard for us during their visit. We have learnt much from them and as you can see from Tori's blog they seemed to have learned from us too. We do hope you have a good rest in Mombasa and a safe trip home to Sydney. http://kickstartkidsinternational.com/category/victoria/

The volunteers show off their Certificates Of Appreciation

A special thank you from Bram to James who organises the volunteer placements

A Social Worker volunteer from the US

As you know we have been very fortunate to welcome many volunteers over the years, mainly from the medical profession who are able to work with our doctors and nurses at Arrow Web Hospital. So we were very pleased to hear from Brooke Scole, a social worker from the US when she offered to work with us for six weeks.

Brooke has been working mainly with Rachel our own social worker and each has been able to learn from the other about the real challenges in providing services to the most vulnerable and poor in their very different communities.

Much of Rachel's time is spent in the community in some of the poorest slums in the world and Brooke was able to work with her there and in Arrow Web Hospital.

Brooke holds a young baby in her arms at Arrow Web Hospital

She admires a proud mum's new baby at the clinic

Brooke hard at work at the busy immunisation clinic

Brooke has been a great help to us and we look forward to hearing more about her before she goes home.

MORE INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEERS SUPPORT US

2011-07-03T02:03:00.000-07:00

Jacq Goldthorp from Moray, Scotland

As you know Jacq visited us for two weeks earlier this year. She spent time with our staff at Arrow Web Hospital and out in the community with our social worker Rachel. As Jacq walked around the slums, Rachel told her about the desperate situation for people with serious learning disabilities and mental health problems. The government no longer provides them with free treatment and care and this means that many of them live in dire poverty, living on the streets.

Jacq visited Soweto Orphanage and was very impressed with the care provided there for over 250 children. Arrow Web Hospital provides immunisations and inpatient treatment and care for these children as part of the Comprehensive Care Program which has been funded by our board members.. We are currently seeking support from other donors to extend this program to help more of the poorest children in our catchment area.

During her time at Arrow Web Hospital, Jacq was able to help Bram improve the systems for managing finances and for collecting data which is required for the District Health Authority. As a result of all Jacq's work with Bram, we now have more evidence of the good governance of Arrow Kenya to show the government and potential donors. Job Onimo, our assistant board secretary has kindly agreed to lead the improvements which Jacq has recommended.

Jacq, thank you so much for all the advice and support you have given us.

"Thank you Elizabeth for looking after me so well during my stay"

Some of the children Jacq met at Soweto orphanage

Bram takes Jacq up country for a well earned break

This week's volunteers organise a special medical camp

James Harrison. who was introduced to Bram by a fellow medical student volunteer with Alison Lowndes' great charity AVIF, visited us at the end of last year. This week he returned with five other medical students from Kickstart Kids International, "a charity founded and run by young Australians, that enables advantaged countries to help "kickstart" the lives of kids who effectively have nothing"

Apart from helping out at Arrow Web Hospital and in the community, and visiting other health facilities as well as their own projects, James and the other volunteers Miranda Norquay, Victoria Rebecca, David Kc, Amanda Sherwin and Reid Schofield organised a special medical camp at the hospital for the community. They organised special treatment plans and paid for the drugs and supplies needed. These young volunteers treated over 360 children and adults in one day-what an amazing achievement. Thank you so much from Bram and the Arrow Kenya board, the staff and of course the community.

You can read about their experiences on the blogs on the Kickstart Kids International website and on Facebook. http://kickstartkidsinternational.com/category/david/ http://www.facebook.com/KickstartKidsInternational

Apart from the medical students from Australia, we also welcomed a social worker from the US.

Our volunteers from Australia and the US with our staff

"I want to play with your stethoscope Miranda"

"I am not sure about this Miranda"

James with some of our staff and patients

"Open wide for David"

Amanda listens carefully to one of the mothers

But it's not all good news.....

For those of you who have been keeping up with the challenges we have been facing in trying to transport a container full of urgently needed medical equipment and supplies to Arrow Web Hospital - last week Arrow Kenya board had to make the very difficult decision to abandon the project. We were due to ship the container on August 4th, but unfortunately our major donor COCO had to withdraw their offer of support last week, as we do not meet their new funding criteria.

This project which has been going for over three years, has been a lot of hard work for Bram and many of our supporters had given their time and money to help make this happen. Arrow Kenya would like to thank everyone who has worked with us on this project, especially Alison Lowndes from AVIF who helped set it up in the early days and has given us so much support and advice along the way. http://www.avif.org.uk/

We would also like to thank Jackie Keens from Aids to Hospitals Worldwide who has been so helpful and patient with us as we had to keep postponing the shipment, due to the difficulties in getting a Tax Exemption Certificate. http://a2hw.web.officelive.com/default.aspx

We will be contacting everyone who contributed to the project, but if you do not hear from us over the next few weeks, (when we will be asking you if you would like your donation refunded, or used to support other fundraising), please get in touch.

VERY SAD NEWS AND SOME GOOD NEWS

2011-05-23T00:51:00.000-07:00

A TRAGIC ACCIDENT

Last week we heard the shocking news that two of our board members had been killed in a tragic car accident. We send our sincere condolences to their families for their great loss. They will be greatly missed by our board and staff.

THIS YEAR'S VOLUNTEERS

We are really pleased to let you know that the following international volunteers have confirmed that they will work with us this year:

Sebastian Nedak a medical student from Germany, who will be working with us for his medical elective for six weeks from June 25th.

Kelly Potter from the US, who will be working with us for three months from September.

James Harrison and his medical colleagues from Australia will be working with us, arriving in July. You may remember James visited us at the end of last year.

A doctor from the Emirates has applied to work with us for a year from October (we are just awaiting further documentation from him) and we are currently discussing some opportunities for another volunteer from Italy, who will be moving to Nairobi for a year in September.

We are always so grateful to all the volunteers who are willing to share their skills and give so much of their time to support the work we do. If you are interested in working with us please go to our "volunteering" section on our website; we would be very interested to hear from you.
(http://arrowkenya.org/help.php#volunteer)

Other visitors

Since our last post, we are really pleased to tell you that Muriel Armstrong a director from COCO visited us. Muriel a senior nursing lecturer from the UK, set up the Kenya Acorn Project in Ndhiwa in Western Kenya in 1998.The charity now runs a hospital and supports five schools.Bram and Muriel were able to share experiences of providing health services in two very different locations.
(http://www.kenyaacornproject.org/History.html).

Thank you for taking the time to visit us, Muriel, during your visit to Kenya.

NHS Grampian

You may remember that we applied to the International Health Links Funding Scheme for funding to support NHS Grampian volunteer doctors and midwives provide training on maternal and infant health for our staff. Unfortunately this application was not successful. However we have just heard that Dr Jamie Hogg's application to the British Medical Association will support another visit from NHS Grampian volunteers later this year. We are now working hard to find funding for a solar powered generator and reliable water supply for the hospital before their visit.

NHIF AUDIT UPDATE

Every quarter we are inspected by the Kenyan government's National Hospital Insurance Fund auditors. In April we scored well with an average of 65% (against the minimum 45% required). The main areas we need to work on are " Equipments and diagnostic" and "Transport". Both depend on our abilty to raise funds. We now need to provide an ambulance to transport patients to more specialist facilities as well as other basic equipment.

Of course the day to day work of the hospital and community outreach team continues, as we face many challenges and work hard to improve the quality of the services we provide. We rely on the commitment and dedication of our board and staff and the great support we receive from local colleagues and our international network of friends and partners.

Another safe delivery at Arrow Web Hospital - this makes it all worthwhile

A BUSY WEEK

2011-03-19T02:14:00.000-07:00

THREE SPECIAL VISITORS TO ARROW WEB HOSPITAL

What a day! On Friday Bram welcomed three international visitors from different organisations to Arrow Web Hospital.

Paul from Tour d'Afrique, Toronto Canada

As you know, Paul McManus from Tour d'Afrique had hoped to be able to visit us this week, after he and his colleagues had given us the very generous gift of twenty five bikes, at a local ceremony in Nairobi on Sunday.

Paul was very keen to see for himself the difference these bikes make to the work of our Community Outreach Team members, who rely on them to reach even further into the slums. One of the main roles of our Community Outreach Team is to let people know about the services we offer at the hospital, particularly to encourage expectant mothers to come to the antenatal clinics regularly, have their babies delivered here and then bring their babies to our immunisation clinics. http://www.tourdafrique.com/

John from COCO, Newcastle UK

John, a new member of COCO's team based in Newcastle in the UK visited us too, for the first time. You may remember that Lucy now a director at COCO, and her colleague Kat came to see us last May. As a result, COCO decided to support some of our work with children. COCO has also already pledged over £3000 or 400,000 Ksh to help transport the container of essential medical equipment and suppplies from the UK to Mombasa.

John was particularly interested to hear about our Comprehensive Care Project, targeted at some of our poorest children and orphans. This project ensures there is enough annual funding for the treatment of these children at Arrow Web Hospital, and for the childhood immunisations they need. This year we aim to double the number of children we help in this way to two hundred. These children are the most vulnerable in our community to diseases and illness, many of which are life threatening.

We also discussed with John our plans to set up a system of solar panels, which would give us a continuous electricity supply. At the moment we have great problems when the supply breaks down and equipment fails us. http://www.coco.org.uk/

Jacq from Moray Community Health and Social Care Partnership, Moray UK

Friday was Jacq's first opportunity to see Arrow Web Hospital for herself, having arrived from the UK on Thursday night. Of course she had heard all about us from her colleagues Jamie and Liz from NHS Grampian, who visited us last September. She brought with her a laptop, camera and video camera which had been donated by some of our friends in the UK. She also brought a huge bag of essential medical supplies which Dr Ishmael Onyango, our senior doctor was really pleased with.

Jacq is a self funding volunteer who will be working with us for two weeks. She will be looking at ways of recording all our activity electronically and helping Bram set up electronic systems to make managing our finances easier and more efficient. She hopes to go out into the community with Rachel our Community Outreach Team leader, to find out more about the team's work. This will help with fundraising and in planning for the future. MHSCP link: http://tinyurl.com/4nfnotm

We look forward to hearing more about Jacq's visit and hopefully there will be plenty photos Bram!

Paul, John and Jacq outside Arrow Web Hospital

We are always so pleased to welcome visitors to Arrow Web Hospital and to know that friends all over the world support us. If you would like to hear more about the work we do or would like to arrange a visit, please contact us at http://www.arrowkenya.org/

GENEROSITY FROM INTERNATIONAL DONORS

2011-03-14T06:50:00.000-07:00

A BIG THANK YOU TO TOUR D'AFRIQUE

Another year has passed and again we must thank Tour d'Afrique for their great generosity in donating twenty five new bikes for our Community Outreach Team. At a well attended celebration yesterday, the bikes were handed over to us as the riders make their way on the four month long cycle ride from Cairo to Cape Town.

These bikes are so essential to the services we provide in the community, allowing our community support workers to reach a much wider area and of course much more quickly.

The Tour d'Afrique tents

Organising the seating for the speeches

Job our assistant board secretary says thank you

Bram looks at the bikes with the guys from Tour d'Afrique

"What great bikes"

A final thank you and "safe journey" to South Africa from Bram

Many thanks to Mrs Rono for organising the event

More about Tour d'Afrique and the Tour d'Afrique Foundation

Tour d'Afrique is a company based in Toronto which organises cycle tours and races, all over the world. ( http://www.tourdafrique.com/ ) It is famous for its annual tour from Cairo to Cape Town and it is on this long journey that its cyclists stop to hand over bikes to Arrow Kenya. You can read about all their amazing adventures on the blog on their website.

The Tour d'Afrique Foundation is a key part of the company vision and was set up at the same time as the company. The Foundation's mission is :

"To give something back to the people and communities that we pass through on our cycling tours" and

"To raise consciousness about bicycles as an alternative, and in many ways better and more beneficial means of transport"

One of the ways the Foundation achieves its objectives is by donating bikes to individuals and organisations in Africa.

Children from the local orphanage say "Thank you Tour d'Afrique for our bikes too - we hope to see you next year and wish you a safe journey to Cape Town"

We are really pleased that Paul McManus from Tour d'Afrique is finding time to visit us at Arrow Web Hospital. Bram will be able to show him around and tell him more about how the bikes really make a difference to the work of our Community Outreach Team.

ANOTHER BUSY WEEK AT ARROW WEB HOSPITAL

2011-03-08T08:12:00.001-08:00

Treating an outbreak in a local orphanage

Apart from the usual services we provide, last week was particularly busy as there was an outbreak of diarrhoea at a local orphanage. So it was "all hands on deck" for our doctors and nurses. As treatment for these children is not covered by the funds we receive from the government we have set up a Comprehensive Care Program for them and other poorer children to make sure they can receive the immunisations and drug treatment they need when they need it. Our board has always funded this program, but this year we are applyng for funds to extend it to help more of our most vulnerable children in our community.

Next in line for an injection

And the girls too

Our senior Doctor Ishmael Onyango gives advice to a young girl

Government report

Bram has been busy completing a very lengthy government report. Although we submit information to the District Health Authority every month, for the first time we are now being asked to complete forms about all our activity related to the government's health indicators. We are also being asked to complete detailed plans to show how we are working towards government targets. Fortunately Arrow Kenya board has already drawn up a plan for this year, taking into account these targets.

The government is expecting us to add the protection of children, adolescents and the elderly to our plans so we will be making it a priority this year.

PLANS FOR 2011

2011-02-12T01:43:00.000-08:00

Arrow Kenya board plans

In January, Arrow Kenya board finalised the organisation's plan for this year. Our strategy for 2010- 2012 is to improve the quality and scope of our services and to try to reach more communities in our area of Embakasi District.

We are also trying to focus on the Embakasi District Health Authority Annual Operational Plan priorities and targets and achieve a higher level of accreditation from the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) by gradually meeting more of their criteria.

See our plan and the Kenyan and Embakasi District Health Authority priorities.

Bram and our senior doctor and board member Dr Onyango discuss the plans

Our board chairman Nicodemus Kipruto approves the plans

Another volunteer from the UK

We are really pleased to let you know that Jacq Goldthorp is coming to work with us in March. She is from Moray in Scotland and is a colleague of Dr Jamie Hogg and Liz Tait who visited us last year. Jacq will be helping us improve our data collection and financial management systems. She will also be helping us review the way we record the activity and achievements of our Community Outreach Team. This work is really important to us as it will help us with funding applications. In the future we hope that we will get paid for the out patient and community services we provide. Currently we only receive payment from the government for the inpatients we treat and the babies we deliver at Arrow Web Hospital.

The board and staff really look forward to meeting Jacq and showing her around Arrow Web Hospital and the local community.

LOOKING BACK AT OUR ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2010

2011-01-04T06:06:00.000-08:00

A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE !

As we look back at 2010 at so many successes (as well as a few disappointments), we realise that we could not have achieved so much without the dedication and commitment of our Board and staff as well as the support, generosity and advice from all our many friends, volunteers and partners at home and abroad.

2010 has been a year for building foundations for the future, strengthening existing partnerships and developing new ones; to enable us to improve the quality and scope of the services we provide to more patients and communities in the Nairobi slums.

Arrow Kenya, with its Arrow Web Hospital and Community Outreach Team continues to go from strength to strength and this is most clearly demonstrated by the increasing numbers of babies, children and adults we have treated and cared for over the years. We increased our total annual numbers by over 25% this year and since 2005 we have provided health education, treatment and care to over 76,000.

Link to activity data and our achievements in 2010

One of our nurses caring for one of the babies born at the end of 2010

Healthy and contented

One of our doctors with a proud new mother

Another very busy immunisation clinic at Arrow Web Hospital

Women and children queuing outside the hospital

Volunteers from Australia

At the end of 2010 we were so pleased to welcome two volunteers from Australia - James, a medical student and Dominique a nurse. This was arranged through a contact of our great friend and supporter Alison Lowndes whose innovative UK charity AVIF (http://www.avif.org.uk/), which assists online and onsite volunteering, is now working with projects in Nepal, Tibet and the Amazon as well as Kenya.

James, a medical student from Australia one of the last volunteers of 2010

The container of medical equipment

Many of you have been eagerly awaiting news of the container of recycled medical equipment which has been accessed for us by Aid to Hospitals Worldwide (A2HW) - a UK charity. We had all hoped that once the necessary Tax Exemption Certificate was provided by the Kenyan Revenue Authority, the shipment would leave the UK in November, arriving at Arrow Web Hospital by the end of 2010. Unfortunately new regulations require approval by the Minister of Health who has to personally sign a Memorandum of Understanding with us. So Bram has been very busy getting this organised. The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry has been very helpful and having heard about all the work done at the hospital and in the community, has said she would like to visit us.

Jackie, our contact at A2HW has been really patient, having to cope with the delays which have been outside our control. As A2HW can only book one shipment per week, we will now have to wait until the beginning of May before our equipment can be sent to Mombasa and then on to us in Nairobi. If there are any cancellations A2HW will be able to ship the container sooner.

So, thank you once again to everyone who has supported us with this project which will bring urgently needed medical equipment and supplies worth over £58,000 or 6,000,000 Ksh to Arrow Web Hospital.

Developments for 2011

We are now finalising our plans for 2011, with a lot of hard work ahead of us and many exciting opportunities. We will post them on the website and look forward to hearing from anyone who feels they can help us meet our objectives. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you would like more information about the services we provide.

2010-11-30T08:37:00.000-08:00

Our new website

We are very pleased to let you know that our new website at http://www.arrowkenya.org/ is proving to be very popular. We have had nearly 500 "hits" since it was launched at the end of October.

If you click on the link below you can see where in the world the "hits" come from: http://arrowkenya.org/vmap.php

Please let us know if you have any comments or suggestions via the "Contact Us" section on the site menu.

Arrow Kenya is asked to give a presentation at a British Council workshop

Last week we were asked to give a presentation at a British Council workshop in Nairobi. The workshop was to inform health service providers from across Kenya of the UK International Health Links Funding Scheme.

As you know we are currently working with NHS Grampian in the UK, writing an application for funding, which if successful will provide training and development opportunities for our staff and some colleagues from Embakasi next year.

Answering questions about our plans for a link with NHS Grampian

Making sure the equipment works before we start

2010-11-27T04:03:00.000-08:00

WORLD AIDS DAY - DECEMBER 1st 2010

Started on December 1st 1988, World AIDS Day is about raising money, increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education. The World AIDS Day theme for 2010 is "Universal Access and Human Rights".

World AIDS Day is also an opportunity for us to remember people we have known who have died of AIDS.

According to UNAIDS estimates, there are now 33.3 million people living with HIV including 2.5 million children. During 2009 2.6 million people became infected with the virus and an estimated 1.8 million died of AIDS.

In Kenya 1.5 million people out of a population of over 39 million are living with HIV/AIDS; around 1.2 million children have been orphaned by AIDS; and in 2009 around 80,000 people died of an AIDS related illness.

For more information about HIV/AIDS in Kenya : http://www.avert.org/hiv-aids-kenya.htm

Arrow Web Hospital and HIV/AIDS

The staff at Arrow Web Hospital and the Community Outreach Team are making a real contribution to the prevention of the spread of HIV in the Embakasi District of Nairobi.

We offer confidential counselling to people of all ages before and after HIV testing at Arrow Web Hospital. If a patient tests HIV positive we then refer them for Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) from a local NGO.

Our Community Outreach Team raises awareness about HIV transmission and the importance of using condoms, with individuals and groups in the community, encouraging people to go to Arrow Web Hospital for testing if they have been at risk.

Patients who become ill with AIDS related illness are given "first aid" treatment at Arrow Web Hospital and then referred to Kenyatta National Hospital for specialist treatment. We help many patients by providing transport to take them there, as it is 34 kms away.

Our main contribution to the reduction of the spread of HIV is PMTCT or the prevention of mother to child transmission. An HIV infected mother can pass on HIV to her baby during pregnancy, labour and delivery or through breastfeeding. Without treatment up to 30% of babies born to HIV positive mothers will be infected during pregnancy and delivery and up to 20% will become infected through breastfeeding.

The rates of transmision from mother to baby can be greatly reduced if they are given the appropriate ART as soon as possible. It is therefore really important that we encourage pregnant women to find out their HIV status so that we can give them counselling, start their treatment and encourage then to come to Arrow Web Hospital for the delivery. Many women are reluctant to find out their HIV status and very afraid of their husband's reaction when they find out they are HIV positive. So we also offer HIV positive women support after their baby is born.

Last year we provided ante natal care for over 1400 women and over 1300 women came to Arrow Web Hospital to deliver their babies.

For information about how HIV is transmitted:http://www.avert.org/can-you-get-hiv-aids.htm

Here is a link to three posters in different languages: World AIDS Day Posters 2010

Avert World AIDS Day 2010 Video:

Open Clinic for Baby Immunisations

2010-08-30T06:26:00.000-07:00

Every Saturday, mothers whose babies were delivered at Arrow Web Hospital are invited to bring their babies back to see us for their immunisations.

Arrow Web Hospital also provides extra open clinics for women who chose to have their babies at home. Our Community Outreach Team works with local communities to raise awareness about many health issues and they explain the importance of protecting babies against many illnesses which can be disabling or even fatal. In the first year of life we offer immunisation against illnesses such as diptheria, polio, tetanus, measles and tuberculosis. We also give the babies a much needed vitamin boost.

At last week's busy open clinic we immunised 187 babies. All immunisations are carefully recorded and numbers are submitted to the District Health Authority on a monthly basis.

"Next please"

"I've brought my baby's record card along"

" Watching carefully before it's our turn"

"Good, not long to wait now"

More international partnerships for Arrow Web Hospital

2010-08-11T07:06:00.000-07:00

Dundee medical students

In the last blog we told you about the three Dundee University medical students who were planning to spend six weeks with us for their medical elective. Well, now they are halfway through their time with us. They have become very involved in the hospital routine, admitting new patients to the hospital and treating them under the supervision of our doctors. They have been assisting at out patient clinics and one of the highlights for them has been seeing newborn babies and healthy mothers after safe deliveries at Arrow Web Hospital. They have also been out with the Community Outreach Team.

Having such enthusiastic and competent volunteers for six weeks has been a great support to our busy staff team.

It hasn't all been work for Sarah, Christine and Catriona as they have managed to do some sightseeing. Their visits have included Nairobi City and a few days in Mombasa.

Sarah, Christine, Catriona and Bram taking a well earned break

Proposal for a grant to fund a new hospital

We have been very busy over the last few weeks writing a proposal for funds to build a new 21 bedded hospital on land allocated to us by Nairobi City Council. Having successfully submitted an application to the Japanese Embassy in Nairobi in April, we were asked to draw up a very detailed proposal in July. Before a final decision is made the Embassy staff may ask to undertake another "site visit" this month.

A new building will not only provide a much better environment for patients to be treated in and for staff to work in, it will also help us develop our hospital and community based services. It will help us in our application for a higher level of National Health Insurance Fund accreditation. As you may know our main income is from the Ministry of Health for every registered patient we treat. A higher level of accreditation will increase this income helping us to sustain our services. We will also be able to take referrals from other health facilities in the area. (Poorer patients pay a small registration fee and then they can receive free treatment).

NHS Grampian

NHS Grampian is a health board (or health authority) in the north east of Scotland. A few months ago we approached a senior doctor and nurse from NHS Grampian to see if the organisation would like to develop a partnership with us. NHS Grampian provides services in hospitals and the community and has close links with the local medical school and medical research institutions.( http://www.nhsgrampian.org/ )

When they heard about the work that we do and the challenges we face, Dr Jamie Hogg and Liz Tait were really keen to work with us. Jamie is deputy medical director and a general practitioner (community doctor) and Liz is a nurse and clinical governance co-ordinator. Jamie worked in Nepal from 2006-8. This included working as a doctor in a small hospital. He is also a trustee of a charity Asha Nepal which re-integrates and supports HIV positive trafficked women and children (http://www.asha-nepal.org/) . For the past five years Liz has also been a team leader for various deployments to disaster zones on behalf of the UK Foreign Office.

With the support of the NHS Grampian medical director and Arrow Kenya Board we now have a formal partnership. I am so excited as we have also been successful in getting funding for a "start up" grant from the International Health Links Funding Scheme, to enable Jamie, Liz and me to visit Arrow Web Hospital at the end of September. The purpose of the visit is to agree how the two organisations can work together for mutual benefit. Further funding will need to be applied for, to enable professional links to be developed next year.( http://www.britishcouncil.org/learning-healthlinks.htm)

Dr Gray's Hospital in Elgin - one of NHS Grampian's hospitals

Jacaranda Health

Did you know that in the Nairobi slums 1 in 142 women die in childbirth, this compares to 1 in 178 for the rest of Kenya and 1 in 7300 in countries with well developed maternity services ?

Last week we were very privileged to receive a visit from six representatives from Jacaranda Health, from the UK, USA, Korea and Zambia. This is a new venture which aims "to provide affordable, high quality maternity care to low income women in urban Kenya". Using vans for mobile ante natal care and outreach, they also hope to set up special clinics to offer "women centred" maternity services. Initially they hope to start this service in the Nairobi slums. With common aims and shared values we had so much to discuss. We are very pleased to announce that Jacaranda Health has chosen to work with us in a special community healthcare partnership.

Bram says that currently about 70% of babies born in the communities around Arrow Web Hospital are delivered at home, with no midwife or medical assistance nearby to help the women if there are any complications.

A very warm welcome to Jacaranda Health from Arrow Web Hospital

Discussing how we can work together

A link to Jacaranda on You Tube with a video about women in the Nairobi Slums:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6qVqREcXb8

Our website

We have also been working on updating the website so that there is more information about the work we do and to acknowledge the generous support we receive from partners, friends, volunteers and donors both locally and nationally.

Thank you Jennifer and very best wishes

2010-06-26T05:03:00.000-07:00

Bram and Jennifer have asked me to provide the regular updates for the blog from now on. Jennifer has been extremely busy since January this year, using her very special skills and experience to support the humanitarian response to the devastation of the Haitian earthquake.

I have always looked forward to Jennifer’s updates and found the information she has provided over the last two years really helpful for me in getting to know about all the great work being done by Bram, the staff, the Board and volunteers.

I live near Aberdeen in Scotland and started working with Bram as a UN online volunteer in January. I have been helping him write and co-ordinate funding proposals.

Thank you Jennifer and very best wishes - you will be a very hard act to follow.

Progress towards a new purpose built hospital

As many of you know, in spite of the service developments at Arrow Web Hospital and with the Community Outreach Team over recent years, we have not been able to meet the huge demand for our services. We need a new purpose built hospital to continually improve the quality and scope of services we provide to the people of Kayole - Soweto and to other areas within the Nairobi slums.
Unfortunately it is particularly difficult to raise funds for buildings from many of the large grant providers.

You may remember that staff from the Japanese Embassy Ambassador’s office honoured us with a visit last year and were very interested in our work. We followed this up with a call to the Grants for Grassroots Projects department at the Embassy and were advised to submit a formal application. Bram hand-delivered the Board’s application to the Embassy in April. We are really pleased to let you know that our application has moved on to the final “screening” stage.

The Embassy has asked us to provide more information about how we can ensure the long term sustainability of a new hospital. The Embassy has advised us that more detailed plans need to be submitted for the next stage by September, as the decisions about awarding grants are made in December. Bram and the Arrow Kenya Board are working on this.

The community have given us a plot of land nearby for a new hospital. Bram has now registered the plot with the Ministry of Lands for a lease period of 99 years. This makes our position much more secure.

Kat photographs two boys on the land allocated for the new hospital.

COCO Visits Arrow Web Hospital

We felt really privileged when Lucy Philipson and her colleague Kat found time to visit Arrow Web last month while they were in Kenya. Lucy is operations and projects manager for COCO ( http://www.coco.org.uk/ ) a registered UK charity which supports grass roots education and healthcare projects in many countries, including Kenya. It works with projects which “encourage community involvement and capacity building and projects that represent an investment in and a commitment to brighter futures for children”. They provide long term support rather than “one off” grants, to carefully selected projects.

Kat has taken many wonderful photos and is also editing a film of their visit which we will post on the website. Lucy will be able to show these to her Board of Directors and COCO’s supporters to help them decide if they are able to work with us in the future.

I visited Lucy in the COCO office in Newcastle in the UK recently. I was able to give Lucy more information about the work being done at Arrow Web Hospital and by the Community Outreach Team. Lucy was very interested to hear about our plans for a new hospital and was very impressed with the work already being done. She told me that Arrow Web Hospital is the kind of grass roots project which COCO likes to support. We will let you know if there are any developments.

The children are fascinated by Kat's camera equipment- many thanks for all the photos Kat

A fruit stall near the hospital

A busy immunisation clinic helping to protect the next generation

Another safe delivery thanks to the staff at Arrow Web Hospital

Waiting to eat his banana

Deep in thought

A little boy receives life saving treatment for malaria at Arrow Web Hospital

Lucy heads up country to another COCO project

Dundee medical students – Catriona and Christine

Catriona and Christine, two medical students from Dundee University Medical School in Scotland have chosen to work at Arrow Web Hospital. They leave for Kenya on July 15th for their six week medical elective.

I live near Dundee so I was able to meet them recently. They are really excited about their visit. They very much look forward to learning from hospital and community staff about providing healthcare in a very different environment. As they are fourth year medical students they will be able to bring a very broad range of skills and experience with them.

Catriona and Christine, we really look forward to hearing all about your experiences and I hope you are ready with your camera Bram!

Students from The Chinese University of Hong Kong

2010-05-28T13:20:00.000-07:00

Over the last year, Arrow Web Hospital has been honored to welcome a variety of guests at our facility. We truly believe in building strong partnerships within the international health community and part of that involves supporting promising students working through their medical training program. This year, Arrow Web Hospital welcomed several students from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The students traveled to Kenya as part of a 2-week medical elective. Yukie, Kent, Aggie, Clive, Shan and Zaida worked under the guidance of the Arrow Web Hospital staff. We sincerely hope that this was a valuable learning experience for each of the students and that it will serve them well in the future as they begin their professional careers. We would also like to thank the students for their donating a box of medical gloves to our facility.

Community Health Improvement Seminar

2010-04-28T17:30:00.000-07:00

Arrow Web Hospital partnered with the Embakasi District Health Nurse's Office and recently held a seminar at the Hotel Central Park Nairobi. This partnership was initiated by Mrs. Florence, Arrow Web Hospital's Community Outreach Team Leader. The seminar's focus was on community health improvements. All of the community health centers and clinics in Embakasi were invited to attend. We discussed the importance of networking among the existing health care providers. All involved agreed that a coordinating team should be selected and we are happy to report that one of the Arrow Web Hospital doctors was chosen to lead this team. The event was more successful than we ever anticipated. We are all looking forward to working in collaboration to promote healthy living in our community.

Alison Lowndes from AVIF Visits Arrow Web Hospital

2010-04-23T16:03:00.000-07:00

Alison Lowndes, the founder of AVIF in the UK, recently traveled to Kenya and paid a visit to Bramuel and the Arrow Web Hospital staff. Alison is actively working to help the hospital raise the funds necessary to pay for a shipping container to get needed medical equipment from the UK to the hospital in Kenya. The shipping container will be filled with equipment donated by UK based charity, Aid to Hospitals Worldwide.

(Did you notice the great bicycles from Tour D'Afrique in the picture above?)

You can help us raise the funds necessary to ship this life saving equipment to Kenya - you can make an online donation by clicking here and visiting our page at Just Giving.

It is critical that these funds be raised before July 2010 to pay for the container to ship as planned.

Help Fund a Shipping Container Filled with Medical Supplies

2010-03-22T18:12:00.000-07:00

You may notice the JustGiving widget that was added to the blog this week. Last year, Alison Lowndes of AVIF told us about Aid 2 Hospitals Worldwide in the UK. Alison made a trip to visit them and found out what would be necessary for the hospital to receive help obtaining the medical equipment we are currently lacking. We are happy to report that the fantastic people at Aid 2 Hospitals Worldwide have managed to source an entire container-full of urgently needed medical and surgical equipment for the hospital, but now we need to work on raising the funds necessary to get the container from the UK to Nairobi.

You can help us get this container to Nairobi. We need your help. Every little bit takes us that much closer to reaching our goal. Please visit our fundraising page at http://www.justgiving.com/arrowweb and consider giving what you can.

Even if you cannot help by donating money - some of the other ways that you can help include:

1. Share a link to our fundraising page on Twitter or Facebook.

2. Write about our hospital on your blog or share the fundraising widget.

3. Share a link to the fundraiser in your email signature.

We really appreciate your support. It will go a long way toward helping us promote healthy living and better serve our community.

Supporting Survivors of Sexual Assault

2010-03-22T16:42:00.000-07:00

Arrow Web Hospital has opened a rescue center for women and girls who are survivors of sexual assault in our community. So far, 30 women and girls have benefited from treatment. Once treatment is obtained, we provide the women with a letter to take to the police. We have hired a new doctor who will dedicate time to this to the center.

TOUR D'AFRIQUE DONATES 15 ADDITIONAL BICYCLES

2010-03-22T16:14:00.000-07:00

Many of you may remember that last year, Tour D'Afrique made a generous donation of bicycles for the Arrow Web Hospital community health team. We are so pleased to share pictures from this year's bicycle donation ceremony held again at the beautiful Indaba East Africa Campsite in Nairobi. Tour D'Afrique has made another very generous donation of 15 bicycles to Arrow Web Hospital. We thank you for making it possible for us to reach out to more and more people. Enjoy the pictures from the ceremony!

Watching the children of the Masai community dance for the bicycle donation ceremony.

Volunteers looking on watching the children dance.

Chairman of Arrow Web Hospital chatting with members of the Masai community.

Mike with the Chairman of Arrow Web Hospital.

One of the Arrow Web Hospital doctors addressing those in attendance at the bicycle donation ceremony.

Chairman of Arrow Web Hospital with the bicycles donated to our community health team.

Making a Difference for Women and Children

2010-01-26T16:03:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that January is almost over. We wanted to share a few pictures with you of things going on around the hospital. We are always so happy to be the first ones to welcome the newest members of our community to the world.

Two of our doctors discussing patient care.

A doctor checking on a patient on the ward.

A new mother proudly holding her baby.

In active labor waiting to give birth.

A doctor with patients in the examining room.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-10T13:36:00.000-08:00

Just over 3 years ago, two small baby girls were born at Arrow Web Hospital. At the time of their birth, their mother did not have any money to pay for her medical care, but the hospital board released her with no charges. This mother recently stopped by the hospital with her little girls to say "thank you" for helping her bring her healthy little girls into the world.

Since December 31, 2009, 37 new babies have been welcomed into the world at Arrow Web Hospital. Out of these 37 infants, 24 of them are twins!

2009 in Review

2009-12-22T09:12:00.000-08:00

As the year draws to a close, we wanted to take some time to reflect back on all that has happened and express our extreme gratitude to all those involved. Each year since its inception, our hospital has continued to grow and develop. 2009 was no exception. Without question, your ongoing support and encouragement has helped us get where we are today. While our hospital still has many needs, we are grateful for what we have, and we are incredibly blessed that we have been able to impact our community in a positive way each and every day.

Our medical team has touched the lives of many people this year. We welcomed 3 new students into our patient care assistance program. We took part in Keeping Kenya Polio Free and 1500 children under the age of 5 benefited from vaccinations given by our doctors. We were able to offer eye exams to 523 people. Most recently, this month we were able to add a dentist to our medical team and so far 50 people have benefited from his care.

Critical improvements have also been made to our hospital. Most importantly, due in large part to our accreditation status improving our financial situation, we have been able to maintain required medications in our pharmacy. Thanks to a generous grant from Kitchen Table Charities Trust, we were able to purchase equipment for our medical laboratory. We hired a carpenter who helped build shelving to hold the new equipment. He also built a beautiful reception desk to welcome patients to our facility. Through the support of the Safaricom Foundation, we were able to purchase some of the equipment required to begin limited dental services at the hospital as well.

In 2009, we have learned that incredible things can happen through networking. When people around the world join hands fantastic things happen. This was truly what brought us 11 boxes of donated medical supplies from Motorsport Medical Services in the UK. Without the assistance of AVIF Volunteers, Kenya Airways and much persistence these supplies may have never gotten to us. The Tour d’Afrique Foundation donated bicycles to our community outreach team which has helped tremendously with transportation out into the local community, and Baby DM made a generous donation which has benefited many new mothers and helped us welcome the newly born members of our community in style.

This year, our hospital has made many new friends and welcomed multiple visitors to our facility. We had the pleasure of providing a tour for an official from the Embassy of Japan in Kenya. Monica, from Friends of Kenya, paid us a visit as well. Two years ago, our hospital dreamed of one day being able to welcome international medical volunteers to work alongside our doctors. In 2009, this became a reality. Dr. John Gilbert from the UK was our very first international medical volunteer. We then welcomed Amanda Brookes from the UK, Tom Liber from Sweden and Dr. Sharmini Ragunathan also from the UK. Wes Downer, a documentary filmmaker from the United States also traveled to Kenya and spent a few weeks with us learning about the work we do in order to help us bring our hospital to the next stage of its development.

We expect many more great things to come in 2010. We are expecting another visit from the Embassy of Japan in Kenya and are hopeful they will work with us to build our own facility so that we can stop paying rent and use that money instead to help our patients. We are also expecting a group of Japanese medical students early next year. We look forward to forging relationships with partners around the world to keep the residents of Kayole-Soweto healthy. We are keenly aware that as a result of good health they will lead happy and more productive lives.

We cannot do any of these things without the ongoing support and encouragement and our volunteers. The hospital still has many needs. Medical equipment, donations to help support the cost of transporting refurbished equipment to the hospital, and monetary donations to help support the day to day expenses are all very welcome. We are looking forward to 2010 with great anticipation and hope to continue building positive relationships with all of you. On behalf of the staff of Arrow Web Hospital, we wish you each a very Merry Christmas and all of the very best for the New Year ahead!

Dentist Hired - Dental Services Begin

2009-12-19T15:59:00.000-08:00

After an extensive search, Arrow Web Hospital has added a dentist to our medical team.

We are very excited to have the ability to offer limited dental services to our community. We had some difficulty securing a dental chair, but we improvised and so far things are moving forward nicely. We are so very grateful to the Safaricom Foundation for their generous grant which enabled us to provide this service to those in need. So far, 50 people have benefited from the care provided by our dentist.

We are still missing many of the other critical items needed by our dentist. If you are interested in making a donation to help us - either making a monetary or equipment donation, please contact Bramuel directly for information on how to help.

Looking for a solution...looking for closure

2009-12-09T12:26:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since my last post. I would like to apologize to the readers for the long delay. I have been torn about the content of this post. Since my arrival back to the United States I have experienced a wide range of emotions due to my trip to Kayole, Africa and Majesterio, Mexico. I have dealt with denial, anger, sadness and probably the most intense feeling of all...guilt.

I have always been a believer in change, a believer of hope and opportunity. I wanted to use my filmmaking gift to "change" and "educate" the rest of the world. I wanted to bring it to your living rooms, local theaters and be a part of the solution, not the problem. For the past month or so, I have sat "idle" on my feelings and movement to find what is truth. What can we really accomplish in places like Majesterio, South America, Asia and Africa?What can we really accomplish here in the United States and Europe? I have allowed the ugly and traumatic events to cloud the direction I wanted to go in with this film. I have sat and reflected so much on my past personal experiences and my filming experiences. I carry the guilt of not being able to put in motion a solution, to help the people that I have committed to helping. I think about my friend Kris and how he was gunned down in the street for no reason at all, I think about the kids of Kayole, I worry for there future, their health and their safety. I think about Francisco, a young boy from Majesterio who lost his life to the very thing that is suppose to aide him in sustaining life...water. Francisco died by drowning. I play these events over and over in my head and I ask myself the same question everytime....WHY?

I share this with all of you for one reason....I still believe in a solution. If enough people put their heads together, I believe a solution can and will be found. The people that depend on Arrow Web Hospital, should and could have the proper health care they and all of us deserve. In order to reach that goal, the hospital and it's staff need the necessary equipment, facilities and training to accomplish this reachable goal. The staff at Arrow Web works with what they have to work with, which is not much. Babies are being born and the hospital has no incubators. However, they do the best to assist and help the patients that walk through the door everyday and night. I don't think that it is a far fetched idea that a new facility can and should be built. A facility with running water and guaranteed electricity, a facility with life saving equipment and a staff that is trained to use , help and save lives.

Perhaps society has cashed their ticket on the older generation, but my friends, this trend of poverty, sickness, no education and corruption CAN end if we reach out to the younger generation. It's not to late. Give them a ray of hope, give them a reason to change. We need to show them that we care, not just tell them. My mistake was thinking that a small crew and myself could march in and change the situation. When I realized we couldn't, the guilt set in. Friends, I refuse to give up hope that the world can and will be a better place. I believe that the people that society tends to forget or look past are a huge answer to creating a better place. Call me crazy, however I know this to be true. How you might ask?....I was once their myself.

To my friend Uzziel in Kayole, keep your head up my friend, straighten your back and proudly carry the load.

Contact Jennifer wells on more information regarding needed medical equipment for Arrow Web Hospital.

Dental Services Set to Begin

2009-12-05T06:37:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week, a portion of the equipment needed to begin providing dental services arrived at the hospital. Thanks to a grant from the Safaricom Foundation, Arrow Web Hospital is now able to begin limited dental services. This equipment provides a great start for us, and for this we are very grateful.

Additional equipment is still required for the hospital to have a complete dental kit and be able to offer a full range of dental services to our community. If you or someone you know is able to help us secure the remaining equipment, we would love to talk with you. While there are many organizations offering to donate refurbished equipment, the transportation costs for getting this equipment to the hospital are oftentimes much more than the hospital is able to manage financially.

Arrow Web Hospital says Goodbye to Dr. Sharmini Ragunathan

2009-10-15T17:46:00.000-07:00

Today the staff at Arrow Web Hospital said goodbye to Dr. Sharmini Ragunathan from Manchester Medical Center in the UK. Right before her departure, an expectant mother, 6 months pregnant was admitted into the hospital in active labor. Dr. Ragunathan was able to help her safely deliver a tiny baby boy. Our staff was able to get the mother and child safely transferred to Pumwani Maternity Home, about 28 kms from the hospital. He was placed into an incubator and the great news is that he is alive.

Arrow Web Hospital is very much in need of a baby incubator so that we are able to manage situations such as this one effectively at our facility. We are very grateful to Dr. Ragunathan for her work at the hospital during the past month and for your support in helping us handle this high risk birth today. We hope to share more from Dr. Ragunathan about her experience once she is settled back at home.

To the readers

2009-10-14T19:06:00.000-07:00

As a Documentary Filmmaker/Journalist, one of the pieces of advise we are given is to never get directly involved with the subject or subjects that we are filming or interviewing. I never understood this logic, until I arrived in Kenya to shoot the Arrow Web project. I have committed to write a couple more blog entries with the emphasis on needed hospital equipment and volunteers, my intentions are to still fulfill my commitment. However, this particular blog is written for myself and the thousands upon thousands of children that live in the Kayole-Soweto and even Kibera area. It is written for the millions of kids worldwide that continue to live and survive in harsh, politically corrupt and socially insensitive environments.

Since my return to the States I have not been able to find comfort in my own familiar surroundings. My mind is constantly replaying the images, the voices and the pleas from the people that I met while in Kenya. As a Filmmaker/Journalist I did exactly what I was advised not to do...I got close and personal with the people that I was there to film and interview. The project quickly became less about the film and became more about what I needed to do to find a way to help and protect. There is an old saying, "bite off more than you can chew...then chew it"! Have I bit of more than I can chew? As a society we have failed. We have, and I say WE, as in all of us..have failed. My opinions do not reflect the opinions of the hospital or those that host this site, these are my opinions based on my own personal experiences. I have made a decision to take a few more days and sit in limbo trying to make sense of the message I am trying to relay to the readers. I ask for your patience during this time. One thing is certain, serious attention needs to be given to Arrow Web and the surrounding area. I have said before, I chose not to live my life out of sight, out of mind. I never have nor will I ever.

Kwere

2009-09-24T07:46:00.000-07:00

I met a man today at a site known as Kwere, a canyon that in many ways reflects the Grand Canyon located in Arizona. The difference between the two is the canyon in Kwere is not being shaped and sculpted by mother nature, it is in fact being shaped by the hand made hammers and hours upon hours of physical labor done by the men and woman that work here. From the top it is a very inspiring and magnificent site, but as you make the rocky, jagged decent down into the canyon, you begin to realize the painstaking work that has taken place in order to form this place. There are no machines, no trucks to haul the broken rocks up to the rim of the canyon, there is however, the sacks, buckets and the backs of the people.

Jackson, the young man I met and interviewed at Kwere is 23 years old, he had to give up his dream of becoming a boxer so that he may provide for his young family. During our conversation, Jackson was very open and held nothing back. He told me that he and the many other people that work here are in need of serious assistance. When we touched on the topic of living cost, I asked him how much does he spend a month on food to make sure he and his family eats well, his reply..."I can't answer that, I don't know what it is like to eat well". I then asked him if 100 usd dollars would be enough to feed his family for one month, his response..."nobody here spends that much money to buy food". You see, Jackson makes 5 usd every two weeks, those that are older and not as fit, make less.

This is one of many stories that I have encountered during my stay in Kayole. Times are severely tough here, but if you arrived here blindfolded with no knowledge of the area and it's poverty, you would never guess the horrible situation that is taking place here. The people are willing to share any and all of their possessions (including their food), with any outsider....even an American. The more and more time I spend here, the more I realize my purpose for being in Kayole. The people see me as an opportunity to be their voice and reach the outside world. Have I stepped in over my head? I don't think so, I don't pretend to think I can change the world, however I will do everything and anything to educate it on areas like Kayole, Soweto and Majesertio, MX.

You might be wondering what this story has to do with my film and Arrow Web Hospital. It's quite simple, without Arrow Web, people like Jackson can't get the basic medical attention that is needed. If he and the others are unable to get the aide, they can't work, if they do not work, they are not paid and they do not eat, not to mention their kids will never see the inside of a classroom. I should mention that Jackson has a wife and a 2 year old daughter. They become one of the many million who's story may make our media in the states right before the news breaks to cover a story about another overpaid actor or athlete that ordered steak and was delivered chicken, or how making 20 million dollars a year isn't enough to feed their families...we all know what a tragedy that is!

Msungu

2009-09-22T09:23:00.000-07:00

Msingu, or "white man" in English is what I am known as to the kids in Kayole. Everyday I arrive at the hospital I hear "msingu, msingu", It's not said in a derogatory manner, but instead the opposite. Everyday I am greeted with hand shakes from many people, curious as to what I am doing in their neighborhood and when I explain to them, they want to know why. My answer is easy...I care!

I was able to film several kids receive their measel shots, as you can imagine there was alot of scared kids that was followed by alot of crying. I usually have a hard time seeing children in any type of pain, but in this case I knew it was for the best...try telling that to them and they think your nuts! Another baby was born (that makes 3 in three days). I was able to film the surrounding area of Kayole-Soweto through the sunroof of a car. That's right, some how I was able to fit my camera and myself through the sunroof and film the streets of Kayole. I don't think I have ever had so many eyes on me at one time throughout the entire time we were shooting. Although Kayole is considered a slum, it is a functioning area that has many businesses of all sorts. It truly is an amazing site.

Daily life for me so far has been very interesting. One day you may have running water, the next day you may not. Internet access requires alot of patience and at times the electricity will be cut to preserve the power for the rainy season. Things that I have taken for granted in the States, I have quickly learned to appreciate while my stay in Kayole. I knew that this project was going to be a challenge, I just hope that I can deliver a product that will not only help the people of Kayole and the Arrow Web Hospital, but make them feel proud of who they are and where they come from. Although I am here to do a job, I want to and I need to interact with the people so that I may come away from this experience a better person than I was when I started it.

As I mentioned before, I am having issues posting a video blog, but I will continue to try so that you all may get a little glimpse into this beautiful culture and it's friendly people.

First Impressions

2009-09-20T10:25:00.000-07:00

From the time my plane landed in Nairobi, I knew that I had landed in a very special place. I was met at the airport by my guide and friend Bramuel, the director of Arrow Web Hospital. We started off with a traditional Kenyan lunch and headed over to the hospital so that I may see where I would be shooting for the next three weeks. When I arrived at Arrow Web, I was greeted by several kids and each one of them had their hand extended out to me with a huge smile asking me, "how are you?" It's no secret that I am an outsider and many instantly pegged me as an American. The people of Kayole know why I am here and they have made it a point to make me feel welcomed.

So far, one baby has been born at Arrow Web and I am told that many more will likely follow during my stay here in Kayole. I feel so far removed from my life in the States and for the next three weeks I hope it stays that way. I have made a decision to embrace the local traditions, customs and way of life during my stay here in Kayole. I feel it is the only way that I can truly understand and appreciate the daily lives of the people.

The streets of Kayole are filled with the laughter of children, the aroma of the street vendors that cook their dishes on an open wood fire pit, the banging of tools as the men fix, shape and build their homes and shops along the dirt roads of Kayole. The faces of Kayole are the faces of hope, compassion, believe and love. The stories can go on for ever, I hope to bring you just a few in hopes that we all can recognize what is important in our own lives, what is priority and why it is necessary to make the appropriate changes that we all know is needed to make our world a much better place for the kids. The road for these people and Arrow Web is a long and bumpy one, but it is a road that has already begun to be paved with the generosity of the international community, the staff of Arrow Web and the volunteers.

I still plan to post video blogs, I am having a few issues with my Internet connection out here, I appreciate your patience and look forward to hearing your feedback.

WlD

Seattle to Nairobi

2009-09-13T16:54:00.000-07:00

I'd like to start off by introducing myself, my name is Wes Downer, I am a documentary filmmaker from Seattle, Washington. On September 17 I leave the comfort of my own home in the states to travel to Kenya, Africa. The purpose of the trip is to document the area known as Kayole-Soweto, it's residence and the Arrow Web Hospital that treats and attends to it's 760,000 plus population.

My intentions are not to be the "story teller" nor the creator of stories, I will simply be the messenger. I plan to post video blogs to show the viewers exactly what it is I am doing and seeing on a daily basis. The residents of Kayole are in need of serious medical supplies, equipment and attention, it is my goal to produce enough visual evidence to see that this happens in hopes of gaining international support, both from the United States and the UK.

It is not important that people know who I am, but it is extremely important that they know what myself and the hundreds of other people are trying to do to bring much needed attention to this area of the world. I understand that Kayole-Soweto is not the only place in the world that needs international attention brought to the spot light, however it is where I will be and because of that, it is my primary focus. Poverty is an universal problem that effects every country and every type of person in existence. More and more people each day become one of the several millions that live life below the poverty line. Perhaps that is something that will never change, however, every single person deserves the basic "luxuries" of life such as the right to basic education, the right to change his or her current situation and the right to medical help. This documentary film is in no way a political statement, it is however an insight to a way of life that probably most you reading this, including myself will never have to experience. Knowing that, I believe we still have an obligation to help those that truly cannot help themselves. I hope you all follow the blog, I hope the people of Kayole are able to capture your hearts, as I am sure the will mine and I hope together we can find a solution to this problem whether it be in Africa, America , the UK or anywhere else in need of serious attention.

To see more photos of this experience, visit my facebook page under the name Wes Downer and I will post more pictures throughout my stay in Kenya.

Baby DM Donation Supports New Mothers

2009-09-04T14:17:00.000-07:00

On August 29, 2009 Bramuel was able to pick up a donation from Baby DM Scandanavia, a marketing company located in Helsingborg Sweden. This kind donation will go a long way toward helping new mothers at Arrow Web Hospital. Arrow Web Hospital staff are extremely grateful for this show of support to the people of Kayole-Soweto. Thank you for helping us welcome the newest members of our community to the world.

Saying Goodbye to Amanda Brookes

2009-08-26T16:05:00.000-07:00

Amanda Brookes left Kenya for the UK this week. Here are some pictures from her with the Arrow Web Hospital staff being presented with a certificate of appreciation after a month of volunteer work. We will miss you Amanda! Thank you for all you did for us!

Visiting Lake Nakuru

2009-08-26T15:57:00.000-07:00

Volunteers at Arrow Web Hospital also have the opportunity to travel and experience other parts of Kenya. These are pictures of Amanda's visit to Lake Nakuru.

Amanda Meets the Children of Kayole-Soweto

2009-08-26T15:51:00.000-07:00

The children of Kayole-Soweto were excited to have another new person to play with following the departure of Dr. John Gilbert. Here are some pictures of the children outside the hospital playing with Arrow Web Hospital volunteer Amanda Brookes from the UK.

Volunteering at Arrow Web Hospital

2009-08-26T15:28:00.000-07:00

Arrow Web Hospital staff said fairwell to our second internationally based medical volunteer this week, but before Amanda Brookes departed for the UK, she agreed to answer some questions about her volunteer experience over the past month. If you are a medical professional interested in volunteering with us, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Amanda, we thank you for your work and appreciate the kindness that you demonstrated to the people of Kayole-Soweto and your willingness to share your experience with others.

1. What is your name of your organization or group that assigned you to volunteer at Arrow Web Hospital?

I did not organize this through a organization or group, but myself. I found the website through searching the internet and emailed the hospital directly.

2. What are you trying to achieve by donating your time to Arrow Web Hospital?

I wanted to gain experience of how healthcare works in a different country, to practice my medicine, and to feel that I am helping people in the community.

3. Why is this important to you and the community of Kayole-Soweto?

It is important for me to feel that I am contributing to the community here, and to improve my medicine. I know that the children in Kayole Soweto have enjoyed playing with me outside the hospital, and I hope that I have made a contribution to the treatment of some of the adults that have visited the hospital too!

4. How long have you been volunteering for Arrow Web Hospital?

A month. I would have liked to stay for longer though!

5. What was the motivating factor that led you to Arrow Web Hospital?

I wanted to be part of a large hospital which was making a positive contribution to the community, where I could meet lots of patients, and see lots of different diseases and procedures. When I came to look around Arrow, I found that it fulfilled all these criteria, and also that there was a really friendly atmosphere in the hospital, so I immediately felt at home there.

6. Tell us something about a key person/founder behind your decision to enter the medical field?

My father had a brain tumour when I was young, and consequently I spent a lot of time in hospitals and caring for him for 3 years. I think this is when I became interested in medicine, when I noticed how important the doctors and nurses that treated him were, both to him and to us.

7. Is there anything unique to how you are doing things? What’s your approach?

I don’t know if there is anything unique about how I am doing things. My approach is to try to be friendly with the patient and build a good relationship with them, and keep them as informed as possible.

8. Describe any highs and or lows your experience personally or the organization as a whole in day to day encounters with patient?

Personally, I often found it hard to communicate with the patients because problems with the language. I would have liked to have known more Swahilli, and not have had to rely on English. Also, as I still have 3 years of medicine left before I qualify, I have sometimes felt that I did not know enough medicine to be able to contribute to treating the patients as much as I would have liked. However, this also contributes to my high – I had never seen anyone deliver a baby before, and it was very satisfying to see a mother give birth for the first time!

9. Tell us a key frustration working in your field?

How the patients wait until they are very ill to visit the doctor, because they fear the cost of the treatment, and how they often struggle to get the money they need for the drugs, despite them being extremely cheap.

10. How can you advice other volunteers who want to give they time to volunteer at Arrow Web Hospital?

I would advise them to definitely do it! They should contact the hospital directly to try and arrange the dates of the placement. The hospital has been very helpful towards me in helping with accommodation, transport, and even assisting me to arrange trips to other parts of Kenya, so there is no need to go through an agency.

A visitor from Sweden

2009-08-08T16:19:00.001-07:00

Tom Liber, from the company Cellavision, based on Sweden, has been in Kenya for the past 3 weeks. He came across Arrow Web Hospital via a Google search and contacted Bramuel to come for a visit. Tom is in Kenya doing work in the area of blood hematology, specifically in relation to Malaria.

Tom was able to facilitate assistance for Arrow Web Hospital from Baby DM, another company based in Sweden. Bramuel was recently contacted and informed that a donation in support of the hospital was on the way. Arrow Web Hospital is extremely grateful for this kind donation and the international support they have received in the last several months.

A Good-Bye Party for Dr. John Gilbert

2009-08-08T16:03:00.001-07:00

After 6 weeks of volunteering side-by-side the Arrow Web Hospital medical staff, Dr. John Gilbert is heading home to the UK.

Dr. John Gilbert now holds the distinction of being Arrow Web Hospital's very first internationally based medical volunteer. We are truly grateful for his dedication, care and the empathy he demonstrated toward the people of Kayole-Soweto during his time at the hospital.

Dr. Gilbert was honored with a small party hosted by the Arrow Web Hospital staff and presented with a plaque in appreciation of his hard work. We will miss him and welcome him back to Arrow Web Hospital at any time!

Welcome Amanda Brookes from Imperial College in London!!

2009-08-04T15:25:00.000-07:00

Amanda Brookes, a second year medical student from Imperial College in London, has arrived in Kenya and was welcomed by the Arrow Web Hospital staff on Friday, 7/31/09, to begin a 4-week medical elective.

Bramuel and the rest of the hospital staff are very excited to be able to welcome a new medical professional for an extended visit to work side by side the Arrow Web medical team. Amanda is the 2nd internationally based medical volunteer to visit the hospital.

We look forward to providing updates on Amanda's work with the hospital throughout the next month.

Free Eye Exams offered June 14th

2009-07-08T18:01:00.000-07:00

Early on June 14th, people began to gather outside Arrow Web Hospital. People came to Arrow Web Hospital to meet with Dr. J. Omondi from Kenyatta National Hospital. Thanks to Dr. Omondi and the Lion's Club Kenya, we were able to offer free eye exams to 523 people.

People continued to line up at the end of Dr. Omondi's day and unfortunately not all could be seen. Dr. Omondi hopes to schedule additional time at Arrow Web Hospital again in the future. We are very grateful to Dr. Omondi and the Lion's Club Kenya for your support.

Much love for Dr. Gilbert

2009-07-08T17:45:00.000-07:00

The children of Kayole-Soweto are really enjoying Dr. Gilbert's time at Arrow Web Hospital. We'll let their smiles tell the rest of the story.

Arrow Web Hospital welcomes Dr. John Gilbert

2009-07-04T14:42:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Arrow Web Hospital staff had the distinct honor of welcoming Dr. John Gilbert, from the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom. Dr. Gilbert will be volunteering at the hospital for the next 7 weeks. He will be working side by side with our doctors to gain firsthand experience in Kenya.

Dr. Gilbert was looking for a place that he could volunteer his time during his break from the university. He spoke with a member of AVIF, a volunteer organization based in the United Kingdom, who directed him to our hospital website. He then contacted Bramuel, our hospital administrator and made his travel arrangements. We are very excited to have him here as our first internationally based medical volunteer.

Dr. Gilbert has expressed a desire to talk about Arrow Web Hospital when he returns to the University of Sheffield and hopes to help develop relationships with other medical doctors who may wish to volunteer here in the future.

John Gilbert

2009-06-27T10:43:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends of ARROW WEB HOSPITAL am sorry that it have taken me so long to tell you that the volunteer from UK Dr John Gilbert was arived the at Arrow web hospital for 7 week volunteering at our hospital. i will continue updating you of his stay in kenya and at ARROW WEB HOSPITAL.

We welcome any of you or who has a friend tha he/she is willing to volunteer at our hospital welcome with all of our hearts.
looking forward and i will update you more about the hospital and mostly stay of Dr John.

Polio Vaccinations Begin

2009-05-24T04:45:00.000-07:00

May 23rd, we provided polio vaccinations to 218 children who visited Arrow Web Hospital with their mothers. We wanted to share some pictures from the kick-off of our week long vaccination efforts to Keep Kenya Polio Free.

Keeping Kenya Polio Free

2009-05-22T13:42:00.000-07:00

Beginning May 23rd-27th, Arrow Web Hospital will be vaccinating more children for polio. This time, the hospital is expecting to vaccinate around 1500 total children under the age of 5 years.

Help "Keep Kenya Polio Free" by bringing your children, or telling others to bring their children to be vaccinated.

470 Children Vaccinated for Polio

2009-05-04T18:42:00.000-07:00

April 25-29th, Arrow Web Hospital successfully offered polio vaccines to 470 children. The hospital was supplied with the vaccines by the Kenyan Government as part of it's Emergency Polio Vaccination Campaign.

Polio is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus that lives in the human intestines. It can also be found in human feces. The virus is primarily spread by contact with the feces of an infected person-such as when changing diapers. It can also be spread through contaminated food and water in areas where there are poor sanitation systems. Once the virus enters the body, it multiplies in the throat and intestines. It travels through the bloodstream and infects the brain and spinal cord. Paralysis occurs because of this attack on the nervous system, destroying the nerves that send messages from the brain and muscles. Vaccination is the best way to prevent polio, but once infected there is no cure.

Monica visits Arrow Web Hospital

2009-04-18T13:20:00.001-07:00

Several weeks ago, we were contacted by Sarah at Friends of Kenya, who told us that her friend Monica would be in Nairobi and wanted to know if a visit could be arranged for her to see the hospital. We were, of course, thrilled and eagerly awaiting her arrival in Nairobi.

Monica works with the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States of America, and paid her visit to Arrow Web Hospital today. Above is a picture of Monica and her friend visiting with one of our doctors. Monica is in Africa with the CDC to work in Botswana and wanted to stop by to see the work we are doing firsthand. We had a great visit and were very pleased to show her our facility.

World Malaria Day

2009-04-10T11:19:00.000-07:00

by guest contributor Pat Roba

On April 25, 2009, the world will join together to celebrate World Malaria Day. World Malaria Day has been designated to spur global action on the disease with the aim of achieving universal access to malaria prevention and treatment tools in Africa by 31^st December, 2010. This year’s World Malaria Day theme is “Counting Malaria Out”.

According to UNICEF, of the more than 350 million people infected with malaria every year, 90 per cent live in sub-Saharan Africa. In spite of this focus on Africa and other malaria-endemic nations, malaria is truly a disease without borders as global partners in the fight against malaria such as governments and public and private organizations pool resources to combat the disease.

MALARIA INFECTION AND SYMPTOMS

Contracting malaria can be a harrowing experience, both for those of us who live in endemic areas and are therefore used to regular bouts of malaria and for visitors who might not have heard of the disease until they travel to malaria endemic areas.

Malaria has many symptoms, some that are classified as minor and not so obvious and some that are quite obvious. However most of the time symptoms of malaria infection are not so dramatic and can be easily dismissed as unimportant.

Malaria causes a flu-like illness characterized by fevers, headaches, sweating, tiredness, abdominal pain, diarrhea, loss of appetite, nausea, slight jaundice and vomiting.

It’s easy to confuse malaria with flu, especially in the early stages of infection. It might start with flu-like aches in the joints, followed by a mild head-ache, then a fever which finally breaks into a torrent of sweat at night. Sometimes its starts with fatigue and a lack of appetite, pain in the neck and lower back and severe headaches.

In other instances it begins with vomiting, diarrhea and feeling bad all over. It then develops into bouts of sweating and a lack of concentration as the infected person becomes really weak. Some people have even reported that they feel as if their hands and feet are burning all the time.

Clearly it’s difficult to tell whether its flu or malaria infection within the first couple of hours. However, bouts of high fever followed by torrents of sweat in alternating phases are usually strong indicators of malaria infection. Fever remains the most important sign of malaria.

Symptoms vary from person to person, with some experiencing acute symptoms while others experience mild symptoms of the disease.

You are therefore advised to seek medical advice as soon symptoms appear since malaria can be lethal if treatment is delayed.

People at particular risk, and who should take extra precautions to prevent contracting malaria would include children under 5 years, adults over 65, pregnant women, people on long term steroids or those receiving chemotherapy, aids patients, people who have had their spleens removed and people with porphyry (porphyria), epilepsy and chronically ill patients.

Although the people that fall in the categories listed above are more at risk, please do not be under the impression that healthy, young adults with strong immune systems can withstand this type of infection.

Should any person be infected, they should receive the proper medical attention as soon as possible.

MALARIA IN CHILDREN

Malaria poses a serious threat to children, especially children under 5 years. According to UNICEF malaria kills a child somewhere in the world every 30 seconds. Most of the 1-3 million who die every year from malaria are children and mainly from Africa.

Children may not contract malaria in the first two months of life or the manifestations may be mild with low parasite counts in the blood (parasitemia) due to the passive immunity offered by the maternal antibodies

The parasite rate increases with age from 0 to 10% during first three months of life to 80 to 90% by one year of age and the rate persists at a high level during early childhood. Death from malaria among children is highest during the first two years of life.

By school age, a considerable degree of immunity would have developed, especially in areas with high cases of malaria. The opposite is true in areas of low cases of malaria, immunity is generally low and severe malaria infection occurs in all age groups including adults.

In children below the age of 5 years, particularly infants, malaria tends to be atypical and more severe whereas in older children the disease has a similar course as in adults.

In Kenya apart from death cases which are estimated to be in the thousands every year, children who survive malaria may still be affected in the long run. Repeated episodes of fever and anemia end up affecting their mental and physical development, impairing their education, and their growth into productive adults.

Although the recommendations for most antimalarial drugs are the same as for adults, it is crucial to use the correct dosage for the child. The dosage of drug depends on the age and weight of the child.

MALARIA IN PREGNANT MOTHERS

Malaria may pose a serious threat to a pregnant woman and her pregnancy. Malaria infection in pregnant women may be more severe than in women who are not pregnant. Malaria may also increase the risk of problems with the pregnancy, including prematurity, abortion, and stillbirth. Malaria infection in pregnant women is particularly undesirable as it may lead to malaria-related anemia in the mother and the presence of parasites in the placenta, which contributes to low birth weight – a leading cause of impaired development and infant mortality

Statistics indicate that in sub-Saharan Africa, between 75,000-200,000 infants die from malaria per year; worldwide estimates indicate over 1 million children die from malaria each year. Therefore, all pregnant women who are living in or traveling to a malaria-risk area should consult a doctor and take prescription drugs to avoid contracting malaria.

Treatment of malaria in the pregnant female is similar to the usual treatment for any other infected adults. However some drugs are not recommended to be used during pregnancy as they may harm the fetus. The correct drugs for each type of malaria in pregnant mothers must be prescribed by a doctor who is familiar with malaria treatment protocols.

MALARIA IS PREVENTABLE AND CURABLE

Despite the huge annual deaths from malaria, it is a curable and preventable disease.

PREVENTION

Malaria is transmitted by a bite from a malaria parasite carrying mosquito. One is at most risk of being bitten by a mosquito, both outdoors and indoors, between dusk and dawn. Consequently the best way to prevent malaria would be to avoid getting bitten by a mosquito in the first place.

Simple and cheap measures such as putting on protective clothing to cover your otherwise exposed skin greatly reduces one’s risk of being bitten by mosquitoes. For example exposed areas on your body such as ankles should be covered with thick socks to prevent mosquito bites.

Other methods of preventing mosquito bites include the use of insect repellents, which are applied to the skin or otherwise sprayed or vaporized in a room. There is a wide range of insect repellents in the market and care should be taken when buying a mosquito repellent since they differ in concentrations and effectiveness.

Alternatively, one can opt to use natural oils to keep mosquitoes away. Mosquitoes are known to strongly dislike citronella essential oil and its citrus like smell so much so that it can be used effectively when contained in a cream, lotion or when sprayed or vaporized in a room.

Use of mosquito nets, especially insecticide treated mosquito nets (ITNs) also offer effective protection against mosquito bites. On top of protection from mosquito bites, nets give users the chance to have undisturbed sleep, free from the nuisances and buzzing noises made by mosquitoes when one is asleep.

Nets can be purchased already treated with insecticides or a proprietary insecticide can be bought and applied separately. Care should be taken to ensure the net is free of even tiny holes as even small holes will allow the mosquitoes to enter the protected area.

Other methods of preventing mosquitoes from entering your place of residence and biting you include fitting all rooms with mosquito mesh screens on the windows and doors to keep mosquitoes at bay while providing fresh air as doors and windows are kept open. Alternatively, use of air-conditioners to provide cool air while keeping the room mosquito-free is also a great way to keep out mosquitoes.

CURE

Malaria is becoming increasingly resistant to drugs and thus prevention of malaria infection is still highly recommended and advised. When you have contracted malaria and the diagnosis is confirmed by symptomatic evaluation by your medical practitioner, backed up by a malaria blood test to check for the plasmodium parasite your doctor would prescribe a combination of medication to deal with this sometimes lethal parasite that has invaded your body by means of a simple bite of the anopheles mosquito.

Three main factors determine treatments:

i) The infecting species of Plasmodium parasite (the plasmodium parasite which causes human malaria can be divided into four different species, namely plasmodium falciparum, plasmodium vivax, plasmodium ovale and plasmodium malariae),

ii) The clinical situation of the patient (for example, adult, child, or pregnant female with either mild or severe malaria),

iii) The drug susceptibility of the infecting parasites.

Drug susceptibility is determined by the geographic area where the infection was acquired. Different areas of the world have malaria types that are resistant to certain medications. The correct drugs for each type of malaria must be prescribed by a doctor who is familiar with malaria treatment protocols..

Mild malaria can be treated with oral medication; severe malaria (one or more symptoms of either impaired consciousness/coma, severe anemia, renal failure and a host of other complications requires intravenous (IV) drug treatment and fluids.

People infected with malaria can die and often because of delayed treatment. Immediate treatment for malaria is necessary, both for children and adults.

This year as we mark World Malaria Day, it’s important to note we have to pool our resources, join hands and participate in a concerted effort against malaria if we are to Roll Back Malaria and eventually achieve success in “Counting Malaria Out.”

Growth of our Pharmacy

2009-03-21T05:52:00.000-07:00

Arrow Web Hospital is very proud of our hospital pharmacy, so we thought we would take this opportunity to share some history with you in both words and pictures.

In May 2008, Arrow Web Hospital moved into our present building. This is a picture of our pharmacy shortly after we moved in:

In September 2008, we achieved our initial accreditation under NHIF. At that time, NHIF provided a list of medications with an estimated cost of $1500 and explained that these are required be in stock at all times. The hospital staff were told that if they were not able to maintain these medications, they risked losing the accreditation they worked so hard to obtain. With the reimbursement they received at the end of October, the first month they were able to accept insurance cards, they were able to purchase over half of the medications that NHIF required be stocked in the hospital pharmacy.

November 2008 brought more NHIF card carrying patients to the hospital as word spread that Arrow Web Hospital could now accept these cards. The hospital ended up being reimbursed over $700 USD at the end of November and was able to purchase the remaining stock needed for their pharmacy. NHIF officials have been checking in regularly with the hospital and have been very pleased with the progress and management of funds to date.

Since October 2008, each month our reimbursements have grown and we have been able to maintain stock in our pharmacy. The following pictures were taken in March 2009. We are very proud of our pharmacy and the growth that has occurred in less than a year's time. These are pictures of one of our doctors stocking a new supply of medications to our shelves:

Japanese Embassy Official Tours Arrow Web Hospital

2009-03-21T05:31:00.000-07:00

Meeting with the Japanese Embassy Official

On Monday, 3/16/09, we started off the week with an official visit from a representative from the Embassy of Japan in Kenya. We were very happy to show the progress that has been made at our hospital and to provide the history of how our hospital began. The official reported to us that she was very impressed with how organized we are and said in comparison to other projects she had visited in the community, ours really stood out. We were invited to submit a letter of intent to the Embassy of Japan in Kenya about how we are seeking funding to construct our own building. The hospital has been renting since it's inception and we would really like to have the opportunity to reinvest the money spent on rent each month into improving our facility. Land has been donated for us to build on, but unfortunately if we do not begin using it this year, we risk the land being taken away and designated for something else.

If anyone reading our blog is interested in supporting our hospital building project, we would welcome the opportunity to talk with you. We are very hopeful that the kind people at the Embassy of Japan in Kenya believe in what we are doing and the benefit we bring our community and will help us achieve our goal. We have learned through the years that progress comes when everyone joins hands together in support. We are confident that others will continue to recognize and help us realize our vision for a healthy community.

A great ending to another great week!

2009-03-20T19:27:00.000-07:00

We were originally scheduled for our NHIF reinspection on 3/19/09. Bramuel, our hospital administrator was out attending a 2-day conference this week, so the resinspection ended up being rescheduled for Monday, 3/23, but our NHIF official decided to visit the hospital on Friday, 3/20/09, instead.

NHIF awards 3 levels of accreditation-A, B and C. Our initial level C accreditation was achieved in September 2008 after Friends of Kenya helped us purchase 8 beds for the hospital. To reach the next level-B, we had to purchase certain pieces of medical laboratory equipment. Thanks to the help of Kitchen Table Charities Trust, we were able to accomplish that last week and get everything installed according to standard.

We are extremely happy to report that as of today's reinspection, Arrow Web Hospital has been awarded level B accreditation status under NHIF! Congratulations to Bramuel and the Arrow Web Hospital staff for yet another great achievement!

Improvements to the Medical Laboratory

2009-03-15T13:55:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday March 11, 2008, Bramuel traveled to PEFRIC East Africa Stores with the funds transferred from Kitchen Table Charities Trust in the UK. Several months ago, at the suggestion of a friend in Matopeni, Kenya, volunteers from the Nabuur Foundation in the Netherlands began work on a proposal for 3 pieces of medical laboratory equipment. If successful, this equipment had the potential to do two things for the hospital; (1) qualify the hospital for the next level of accreditation under NHIF, and (2) allow the hospital to begin receiving referrals from other medical centers for the first time in hospital history. We were informed earlier this month that our proposal was accepted.

Bramuel was able to purchase all of the equipment locally. This resulted in a cost savings for the hospital. Above, you will see the inside of the PEFRIC East Africa Store. Once the equipment was purchased and brought back to the hospital, a carpenter was hired to build a table strong enough to hold each piece of equipment.

Once the table was completed, our laboratory technician went to work making sure that everything was set up properly.

Now the machines are set up and ready for use. On 3/19/09, NHIF will be sending an official to the hospital for another inspection. We hope to report good news-that we have been recommended for our next level of accreditation very soon!

We wish to extend a our sincere gratitude to everyone at Kitchen Table Charities Trust for the support that you have shown our hospital and the belief in the good work we are doing in Kenya. It is truly due to organizations and people like you that we are able to continue on this path toward long-term sustainability. For that, we thank you.

New Equipment for the Medical Laboratory

2009-03-13T16:55:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the kindness and generousity of Kitchen Table Charities Trust, Bramuel was able to go out yesterday and purchase 3 new pieces of equipment for the Arrow Web Hospital medical laboratory; a bacteriological incubator, hematology analyzer, and a biochemistry colorimeter.

This equipment will make a huge impact in the day to day operations at the hospital. Bramuel has already contacted NHIF to schedule an inspection visit for 3/19/09. This inspection will be for approval for the next higher level of accreditation. It will also allow the hospital to begin accepting referrals from outside facilities for the first time in hospital history.

Arrow Web Hospital wishes to extend our sincere gratitude to everyone at Kitchen Table Charities Trust. We are extremely thankful for your support. It has allowed us to take one more very significant step toward long-term sustainability.

Bicycle Donation Ceremony

2009-03-09T18:18:00.000-07:00

We had a fabulous time at the Indaba Explorations Campsite. On Saturday, we had the priviledge of attending a bicycle donation ceremony sponsored by the Tour d'Afrique Foundation. Tour d'Afrique kindly donated 5 bicycles to the Arrow Web Hospital community health team. We are very grateful for this generous donation and eager to put the bicycles to good use. Thank you so much to all involved for including us!

Medical Supplies Secured! 9 boxes arrive at Arrow Web Hospital

2009-03-05T15:51:00.000-08:00

Following a week long struggle with the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). We have managed to secure 9 boxes of medical supplies donated by Motorsport Medical Services. After being told that we would have to pay well over $200 to secure the boxes, we were able to pick them all up for no extra cost other than to Kenya Airways for storage.

We would like to send a very special "Thank You!" to all who participated in getting this donation of supplies to the hospital. On behalf of the Board of Management staff and the community at large, we humbly thank you all, most of all Alison, from AVIF Volunteers, who tried her best to make sure the donation reached the hospital.

Thank you Kitchen Table Charities Trust!

2009-03-03T16:00:00.000-08:00

Back in January, Arrow Web Hospital submitted a funding proposal to Kitchen Table Charities Trust. Our proposal requested assistance to purchase medical equipment for our hospital lab. We were so happy yesterday to receive word from them that our proposal was accepted!!

Once this equipment is secured, the hospital can request inspection for the next highest level of accreditation under NHIF. It will also allow us to begin accepting referrals from outside facilities.

This opportunity bring us another step closer to long-term sustainability. We look forward to providing updates and pictures very soon!

Arrow Web Hospital Patient Assistant Training Program

2009-03-01T13:58:00.000-08:00

A Brief History

About 2-years ago, Simiyu J. Bramuel, the Executive Project Coordinator for Arrow Web Hospital initially presented the idea for a Patient Assistant training program. He wanted this program to be specifically targeted toward the many orphaned children living in the slum areas outside of Nairobi. Most people living in this area earn less than $1USD per day. Bramuel and the board members worked together to try and determine an appropriate budget to start the program. They found that they would not be able to realistically manage it if they took too many students, so they decided to start with 3 with the requirement that the student must be orphaned-without both parents. The training program was set up to last for 1-year.

In 2007, Arrow Web Hospital began recruiting for the program and were able to find 3 students. These students successfully graduated and are now working in local hospitals at Patient Assistants. In 2008, they recruited another 3 students. These students finished their studies on January 30, 2009. Arrow Web Hospital is committed to helping each of the students enrolled in the program secure employment upon their graduation. Since the inception of the training program, Arrow Web Hospital has found that the cost per student is roughly $15/mo. This covers their education materials, breakfast and lunch.

In 2009, they were hoping to have enough funds to recruit 10 students, but unfortunately they do not have enough money to support that. They recently accepted new applications for a new class and received over 40 applicants from the local community. We know there is much interest in the local community based on this response. Unfortunately due to lack of funding, the hospital will only be able to accept 3 students again this year.

Meet our New Students

Arrow Web Hospital is proud to introduce the newest students accepted into the training program:

Irene
Irene was born in the Kayole Soweto slums to a single mother. In 1986, her mother later died and left Irene alone to care for her 2 brothers and four sisters. Through well wishes, Irene managed to achieve an A-level education. She is the only bread winner for her brothers and sisters. Arrow Web Hospital has accepted her into the training program to provide her with the education and experience she needs to help change her life and the lives of her brothers and sisters.

Doreen

Doreen was born in Kisii and later moved to Kayole-Soweto where her both parents died leaving 9 orphaned children. Doreen is the first born in her family. She was born in 1983 and is now the primary bread winner for her 5 brothers and 3 sisters. Through well wishes, she achieved an A-level education. Doreen is taking the 1-year patient assistant course at Arrow Web Hospital so that in future live she can financially assist her family once she gains enough experience.

Charles

Charles was born in Kiambu and later moved to Kayole Soweto where both of his parents died leaving 5 orphaned children. Charles was 17-years old when his parents died. He is the first born son and has 4 brothers. Born 1982, he is the bread winner for his family. Through well wishes he managed to achieve an A-level education. Charles is taking one-year patient assistant course at the hospital so that he can gain the experience necessary to better assist his family in the future.

Long-Term Sustainability

The hospital would love to make this a more sustainable training program and we are interested in obtaining ideas on how to do that. We are looking for organizations that may be able to provide funding, or sponsors willing to donate $15/mo. for 1-year so that they could then increase the number of students. Micro-finance has also been considered as a possible option. If you have ideas or are interested in helping us, we'd love to hear from you. Our team of online volunteers is presently discussing options for long-term sustainability in our virtual village at Nabuur.com

The New and Improved Reception Area

2009-03-01T02:42:00.000-08:00

Arrow Web Hospital began accepting National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) cards on October 1, 2008. Since that time, each month we have been able to utilize the reimbursement funds provided to make improvements to the facility. One of the things that NHIF requires is a standard reception area.

Here is a picture of the artist working on the new reception desk:

This is the end result:

Medical Supplies Arrive in Nairobi

2009-02-27T14:33:00.000-08:00

Last year, Motorsport Medical Services in the UK agreed to donate 2 boxes of medical supplies to Arrow Web Hospital. Alison, from AVIF Volunteers worked tirelessly to negotiate transport of the boxes with Kenya Airways. Before it was all said and done, 9 more boxes were added to the donation. The first 2 boxes arrived safely in Kenya last week and were picked up and delivered safely to Arrow Web Hospital.

The last 9 boxes arrived yesterday, but unfortunately the same agent who released the two boxes of supplies to Bramuel last week now believes he needs $200 to release them. All 9 of these boxes were marked to show they are of no monetary value. The KRA official asked Bramuel to provide official paperwork, which he obtained from the NGO Council. This was still not enough for this official to be satisfied and release the donated supplies.

Bramuel and Alison from AVIF worked all day trying to get the donation released. A formal complaint will be filed with the anti-corruption office, but for now we wait.

Bicycles Donated for Arrow Web Hospital Community Health Team

2009-02-27T11:52:00.000-08:00

For the last several weeks, we have been discussing options for better transportation for the 5 members of the Arrow Web Hospital Community Health Team. We decided that bicycles with carriers may be the best and most feasible option right now. Last weekend, I sent out several emails and fully expected information back regarding how to apply for assistance, or requirements for submitting a proposal. The next morning, I was very happy to receive an email back from the Tour D'Afrique Foundation. They informed me that they have a bicycle donation scheduled in Nairobi on March 7th. They also told me they could have 5 bicycles ready for Arrow Web Hospital if someone could come to the donation ceremony, which of course, Bramuel happily agreed to do.

I personally would like to extend a very hearty thank you to Mike from the Tour D'Afrique Foundation for making this happen with short notice. We are so appreciative to you for your efforts on behalf of the hospital. Bramuel looks forward to attending the donation ceremony being held on March 7th at the Indaba Explorations campsite. Thank you so much for making such a big difference!

Hi All

2008-12-30T00:54:00.000-08:00

Please intuduce your self hear like what is your interest and you like
Debbie thanks for joining us we are happy to see you we kike to hear your ideas and thoughts on how we can to better soon i will sent the tasks that we will be tolking about it.thank you waiting to see you more joining.
warm regard
Bram

Welcome to Arrow Web Hospital blogger

2008-12-21T04:14:00.000-08:00

Dear all

Welcome to Arrow Web Hospital - Arrow Web Hospital focuses on providing primary care, HIV/AIDS mitigation, family planning, ante-natal care and prevention of mother-to-child transmission. The hospital provides medical in and outpatient care, laboratory services, and an urgent care center. The hospital has registered more than 34,276 total patients to date. The hospital treats between 200-254 patients per week. Arrow Web Hospital is accredited by NHIF and accepts NHIF cards. Our main purpose is to improve the lives of countless suffering people in the slums of Kayole-Soweto.

Arrow Kenya opened Arrow Web Hospital in February of 2005 as a clinic located in a 2-room house. We began with 3 staff members-a nurse, a laboratory technician and receptionist. We operated in this 2-room home until November of 2006. By this time, the community demand for our services was very high. We had registered more than 5,000 patients.

Our seven-member Board of Managers called a meeting to discuss next steps and decided to hold a community fundraiser to raise the money required to rent a bigger building and accommodate more patients. This event was successful and we were able to rent a bigger building, an 11-room house, as well as purchase emergency equipment. With a bigger building, patients began coming to the hospital in greater numbers. Once we were settled in the new building, we were able to begin operating as a full hospital with both in and outpatient services. The Kenyan Medical and Dentist Board recommended Arrow Web Hospital and provided us with our current operating license.

Since then, we have employed 14 employees including ;

2 Clinical Officers of Medicine-which head the hospital
4 Registered Nurses
3 Enrolled Nurse Midwives
2 Laboratory technicians
1 Pharmacist
1 Cook
1 Guard
The hospital has registered more than 34,276 total patients to date. The hospital treats between 200-254 patients per week. Arrow Web Hospital focuses on providing primary care, HIV/AIDS mitigation, family planning, ante-natal care and prevention of mother-to-child transmission. We continue to be supported financially by members contributions and the donations of friends.

I also welcome new volunteers to join our project. Each person has an opportunity to help from behind his/her computer or by visiting the project to offer his/her services on site. To help online, please visit our project on Blogger page or Nabuur. I will be very appreciative of seeing you joining our project.

Thank you, Asante Sana
Yours Sincerely,
S.J. Bramuel
Executive Project Coordinator

Our contact
ARROW WEB HOSPITAL
COMMUNITY SUPPORT CENTER
P.O BOX 756-00518
NAIROBI
TEL: +254 20 780 197
CELL: +254 20 2063919
EMAIL:info@arrowwebhospital.org