Hatua travels to Malindi to co-hold a Medical Camp

On the weekend 13 - 14 October, Hatua Likoni in partnership with the Pamoja Africa Initiative traveled to Mjanaheri village just North of Malindi to hold a free Medical Camp for the local community.

Doctors and nurses from St. Peter‘s Hospital, Malindi and other medical personnel from the Ministry of Health in the region volunteered their time and services over the weekend. APHIA PLUS were also present, hosting VCT (Voluntary Counseling and Testing). The camp was hosted by friends from Italian Supermarket Malindi, and White Sands Hotel and Spa provided mineral water for the whole team for the weekend.

The Medical Camp ran from 9am until the afternoon on both Saturday and Sunday, and over the weekend the team treated over 400 patients seeking treatment for a range of ailments including respiratory infections, skin diseases and dental complaints. Other services included cancer screening, deworming, family planning, jigger treatment, pharmacy prescriptions, nutritional screening and laboratory testing.

Despite heavy rainfall on Saturday, a number of families still managed to travel to attend the camp. Come Sunday, the rain had subsided and many more people came for the free medical care.

On Sunday, we also visited a nearby orphanage, Pumwani Childrens Home, with one of the doctors to carry out medical check-ups on the children.

The weekend ran smoothly, and was a great opportunity for us at Hatua to make new friends. It was also a great learning experience as we assisted the medical team in washing the children's feet as treatment for jiggers.

"This was the first medical event Hatua has been involved in. It has been an eye opener for us and we're now looking forward to hosting our own medical camp in Likoni," Kwame says. "For us to provide scholarships we need healthy kids, so it makes sense for us to provide this service to the community."

Many thanks to all those who volunteered their time and resources; to our hosts, doctors, nurses, and the organizers for their commitment and hard work to make the camp such a success!

Visit Hatua's Facebook page to view more photos from the weekend.