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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.