HEART Newsletter
September 3, 2008 Brought to you by HEART
HEART Reaches Rural Kenya With Prevention Messages
HEART hosted a Health Seminar in Migori (about a seven hour drive from Nairobi) that was sponsored by Sierra Grace Church in Auburn, CA and Wayne and Janet White. It was an awesome weekend … wish you had been there … over 1,500 adults on Friday that registered … Tammy counted close to 550 children that she taught just on Friday. The youth also came in large numbers.
Our team consisted of: Pastor Bob (logistics) and Tammy (children’s ministry), Bishop Abel (MC, teacher, interpreter), Melissa a HEART Intern (teacher), Lisa also a HEART Intern (teacher and photographer), William (driver/teacher), Jackson (driver/children’s ministry/teacher) and five VCT counselors, Nick, Charles, Joseph, Jesse and Deborah and then myself! 14 of us rolled out of the compound with our two vehicles loaded to the hilt on Thursday.
When we arrived in the village it was as if a country fair had arrived! We do adult, youth, children teaching and the testing for HIV – Mobile Voluntary Counseling and Testing.
Tammy and her staff taught health and Christian education to the children. She uses puppets to share about the importance of hand washing; the children play games and color pictures about HIV/AIDS as they learn about the health issues affecting their community. We have to locate her strategically so she is not seen clearly from the adult sessions or we loose some of the adults to her puppet shows!
Youth are taught some with adults and some in separate groups of boys and girls. The girls are taught on their monthly cycle and we give them sanitary towels. The boys are taught on responsibility and importance of education and both are taught to abstain from sex until marriage. This is done through skits and various fun activities.
The Mobile Voluntary Counseling and Testing (MVCT) was tremendous … We had our 5 HEART VCT Counselors (that was trained by Liverpool and funded by CDC) and two counselors from the Ministry of Health DASCO (District AIDS Sexual- Transmitted Diseases Community Officer).
We started the Seminar with the Health teaching on why they should be tested and then challenged the Leaders to be the first to go and be tested (Pastors, Elders and Asst Chief) they all went to be tested along with Wayne and Janet! All the counselors were worn out on Friday … people responded in an unbelievable way! The counselors from DASCO were very surprised. They said this had never happened in their area before. They had thought we would not even test 200 people in two days and we ran out of test kits the first day! We got more test kits later that day and started earlier the next day and they tested a total of 443 with only 20 positive! (4.3% I think …if I figured right). The people waited in long lines and would not even leave the waiting area to go for lunch for fear they would loose their place! We provide lunch for all attending.
Then on Saturday we continued the teaching and at lunch we met with the attending pastors (32 from all different churches in the community) some from quite a long distance. During our discussion one Pastor asked “what will HEART do to help us with the widows and orphans in our churches? I answered by asking, “what are you currently doing to help the widows and orphans in your church? He kind of stumbled through an answer of, “well, there is so much stigma” … at that moment … Nick came to ask me a question and I put him on the spot and asked him to share how Community Transformers (CT) started … they had nothing but began to help the sick in Mathare … he shared so well … then I said, “Nick I do not want to embarrass you but can you tell us how many times your team went to bed hungry that first couple of years before you got your pass through grant from HEART”? He shared how eight of them lived in one room and many nights went to bed hungry ….not eating even once a day every day …
Then I told the Pastors … “start where you are … help the sick … widows and orphans … don’t just have a vision but start doing something … I personally will not help someone that is not already helping their community”. I told them if I get a request from someone that has a vision and a proposal but is not currently doing something meaningful … that document goes to the bottom of the pile!
They shared their health needs in the community with malaria (we had brought 500 nets and they were so excited). Sanitation was at the top of their list, many homes had no choo (latrine). I challenged them to dig the choos as community leaders and prepare to put up the wall and roof and HEART would donate the funds for the cement floor. It was a wonderful gathering and they agreed to meet monthly and start a Pastors Fellowship with the purpose of addressing the health needs of their community! This is amazing as there were different tribes present and since the post election violence … it is not easy for a group like this to come together. I strongly believe we made a huge impact on this community!
Can you tell I am excited and thankful the Lord gave me the privilege to serve in this beautiful country of Kenya and to be an agent for change!
We are making generational impact!
Thank you for your support … and generous spirit to help us accomplish our goals!
Donations can be made by mail or through our web site!
Vickie Winkler
HEART Kenya
Founder and Executive Director
www.africaheart.com
P.O. Box 631964
Highlands Ranch, CO 80163-1964
(303) 730-3779 |
