LOOKING BACK ON 2011 AND LOOKING FORWARD TO 2012

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!"

A HAPPY ENDING TO THE CONTAINER SAGA

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

MORE INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEERS SUPPORT US

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.

LOOKING BACK AT OUR ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2010

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.

Alison Lowndes from AVIF Visits Arrow Web Hospital

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.