Jiggers 2014

 The following is a write up for the jiggers outreach project I did, and am still working on. This accompanies the photos found here: 

https://plus.google.com/photos/109970147349795773741/albums/5980991282905692929?banner=pwa

I wrote this because the staff here wanted to send the photos and project information into head quarters. And since I have been so horrible at keeping up with this blog, posting this here at least gives you all a little glimpse of what I've been working on! 

"My first assignment in what would be my home for 2 years, Chebukaka in Western Kenya, was to determine the needs of my community. While walking the villages and attending meetings with my community health workers, several health needs became evident.  Malaria rates are high, the interior villages had limited access to clean water and there was an overwhelming presence of jiggers. I initially learned about jiggers in a graduate course and was fortunate to be able to work closely with another volunteer to learn a great deal more. My community health workers and I agreed that jiggers had to be a priority.

We, members of my community and I, wrote a proposal for a Peace Corps grant opportunity, the PCPP grant. The PCPP grant allows you to present your proposal to family, friends and strangers alike and they are able to make a tax-deductible donation towards your project. This grant allowed us to request more money than other opportunities, which we needed because the medicine required for treatment is very expensive.

I knew this event would have a major impact on the community if implemented properly so I put a lot of effort in planning. First, I created a registration questionnaire for each participant, which was completed before the treatment event. This would allow us to find out shoe sizes of each participant and have a comparison for our follow up surveys.

On January 24^th, a representative from the national jiggers campaign came to train the community health workers as well as the staff of the health dispensary that serves as my host organization. This training lasted five hours and covered everything from exactly what a jigger is, how to treat and prevent them, and how to help those who have been cured of jiggers to reenter their communities and find work or go to school.

January 25^th was our initial treatment event at the dispensary. The 200 registered participants all came, as well as several other members of the community who had heard about the event. The community health workers and staff, as well as four of my fellow volunteers came together to treat the people from the Chebukaka area affected with jiggers.

We opened with a prayer, and gathered up basins of water and diluted one tablespoon of potassium permanganate in five liters of water to create a treatment solution. The area was set up in stages. Each participant waited in shaded areas for their turn to go through the treatment system.  Each participant received a piece of soap for cleaning the affected area, oil to prevent skin cracking, and a towel, which was organized in individual bundles before the event and distributed to the CHW’s who then distributed to the participants they were responsible for. Medicine was also allotted to each household for treatment after our initial event.

To begin treatment of jiggers, the first thing you must do is to wash the affected areas thoroughly. This not only softens the skin but also gives you a clean and clear picture of where the jiggers are. This is done as gently as possible, because jiggers can be itchy and very painful. Next it is important to clip down the finger and toenails if necessary in order to expose the infested areas if they are underneath the nail. After this you soak in the potassium permanganate solution (dark purple in color) for fifteen minutes, three times per day for two weeks. This slowly removes the jiggers from the person’s body, and is not painful. However, the solution can cause the skin to dry out, which is part of the reason you then dry off and apply oil, or Vaseline to the affected area. This also will suffocate and help kill the adult jiggers living in the body, because they breathe through the opening to the environment they have created. This process must be done completely in order to ensure that you fully rid the patient of the jiggers in all affected areas. After treatment of all the participants, everyone was treated to lunch and my health workers and I discussed our timeline for the next two weeks.

Our first week after the event, we proceeded to each household that we registered, and fumigated the home. To do this we used Sevin Dust, which was spread throughout the houses to kill jigger larvae and to help fight bed bugs in the participant’s homes. During these visits, we made sure to check in on the treatment progress, as well as discuss good hygiene practices with the families.

The second week after the initial treatment day, we once again did household visits to each of the participant’s homes. However, this time we were distributing bed nets and Water Guard. Malaria and water borne diseases such as typhoid are a huge issue in our area, and attacking as many health issues as possible while making sure the treatment was faring on well was one of our goals. To ensure bed net use, the community health workers reached each house first with the net to explain its importance and to open it up and give it 24 hours to air out. The next day together we would go and assist the family in hanging the nets over their sleeping spaces, hoping that this would improve proper usage. The community health workers explained the use of the Water Guard provided, and how to use it was demonstrated if necessary.

Exactly two weeks after the initial treatment event on February 8^th, the participants were invited to return to the dispensary. We were now going to distribute a pair of shoes to each of these newly jigger free community members. In order to try and ensure proper usage, we took the shoe sizes previously given in the registration process and purchased them accordingly. Each pair of community health workers was responsible for twenty participants; each CHW received a bag with their participant’s information inside to create a smooth distribution process. This was very successful, and only one or two changes had to be made. At this event, we also took the opportunity the say thank you to all the donors who made this event possible, both individually and as a group. We would not have been able to do this project and help the community without them!

During the campaign we reached over 250 community members, and are continuing to do so, with a goal of up to one thousand before I complete my service. Some extra medicine has been purchased and we have begun to reach out to schools in the community, as well as continuing to go door to door within the most remote parts of our sub location’s villages. We are also doing follow up with our initial 200 participants to see how well the preventative measures are working. With almost thirty well-trained CHW’s and dispensary staff, proper treatment of jiggers will be able to continue in my community long after my departure."

Contradictions

“I had come to realize that I didn't have any feelings towards the AT that weren't thoroughly contradictory. I was weary of the trail, but captivated by it; found the endless slog increasingly exhausting but ever invigorating; grew tired of the boundless woods but admired their boundlessness; enjoyed the escape from civilization and ached for its comforts. All of this together, all at once, every moment, on the trail or off.”
― Bill Bryson, A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail 

Bill's thoughts on the trail seems to sound a lot like how I feel about Peace Corps. I'm exhausted but happy, love being in the village but often yearn for the comforts offered by Nairobi and home life. I am going to miss this place. But I can't wait to be home and see my family and friends. All of these emotions at once. It just feels like one big contradiction.

Mother Bear Project

Early in the fall, I was fortunate enough to be able to connect with the wonderful Mother Bear Project, and distribute 200 hand knit teddy bears to my students at the primary school. The bears are sent as a donation and only require a small fee to pick up out of the posta. Their only purpose is to bring comfort to children who may have been affected somehow in their lives by HIV/AIDS. Unfortunately, there are too many children affected by this disease in Kenya, and throughout Sub Saharan Africa. Although this project does not preach the sustainability aspect of what most Peace Corps events strive for, the smiles on the faces of these children made up for that ten fold. And who knows, maybe they’ll remember later in life, that people care and they will reach out to others with compassion as well.  Read more about the Mother Bear project in this recent Huffington post article, and visit her website, motherbearproject.org. Click on Kenya and you'll be able to see more of my lovely kiddos with their bears!  

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/17/determined-to-find-a-way-_n_4619784.html

 

Thanks Mother Bear Project for all the smiles! =)

Hannah Visits Kenya!

So the next few posts are going to hopefully go up one after the other because as you can see I have neglected to keep this as updated as I would like. So after a fun August, I was able to have my wonderful friend Hannah visit Kenya for a bit! She arrived and we did a few activities in the Nairobi area, like feed giraffes at the giraffe center, and visit the elephant orphanage. We also got to see the Kazuri bead factory, which was really cool. All the beads are made from clay that is taken from the Mt. Kenya area, and it is put in a kiln and fired in Nairobi, then hand painted and glazed at the factory. Then we were able to go on a safari in the Maasai Mara, and take a bike safari in Hell’s Gate National Park (where scenes for Lara Croft Tomb Raider 2 were filmed, and inspiration for the Lion King landscapes came from!). Afterwards, we visited my site, and Hannah was able to help with the conclusion of rain tank project at my primary school. It was so nice to have someone from home be able to see how and where I live, meet my friends from Peace Corps, and get to experience the culture of Kenya.

 feeding the giraffes! 

 

Hannah and I in the Mara! 

 

Wildebeest migration, crossing the Mara River!

 

King of the Jungle =)

 

ahh my favorite! elephants! 

 

thought this was cool, a wildebeest carcass sitting perfectly with the head still intact.

Camp GLOW

            Okay so August, again another whirlwind of a month that I honestly have to sit down and look at a calendar to remember exactly what it was that I did. To begin with August was the mark of my first full year at site! Being a year at site and over a year in Kenya, it makes one feel seasoned but also like there is still so much left to do and learn. Especially when things in all aspects of your life are finally starting to move at a pace that is almost too hard to keep up with. I was once again in Nairobi for mid service medical, getting a checkup and a dental exam (no cavities mom!) and for meetings. I was accepted to the DPS Committee (Diversity and Peer Support), which is a group who is available for other volunteers to utilize when they are in need of some advice or just a vent session with someone who probably has been in a similar situation. Don’t we look lovely! 

DPS Committee!

            I also participated in the Elewana Education Project camp during this term break, which was prepping students for their big exam in November. Here the KCSE (Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education) is probably one of the most important tests that someone will ever take. After working here for a bit, I then got the opportunity to be a counselor at Camp GLOW, or Girl’s Leading Our World.

            The camp was one where volunteers brought with them counterparts and students to a campus outside of Kisumu and for one week. Here we taught on topics ranging from reproductive health, decision-making, goal setting, career choices, and a variety of other life skills. The camp is not only academic, but included games, talent shows, field trips and of course dance parties. Camp GLOW in Kenya is unique, because we have a deaf education program and one third of the girls at camp are deaf. This aspect creates a rare environment for the girls to learn about the deaf culture within their own country, as well as for us as volunteers in different sectors to be able to have that experience as well.

Just teaching on reproduction and menstruation!

Fellow volunteer Kyle, and I with camper Maureen! She loved taking pictures and was surprising good at it with my iPhone! =)

Camp was split into three groups, these were my girls, the Star Squad! 

Star Squad ladies only! 

 Field trip to the Impala Sanctuary in Kisumu, included up close and personal Zebras!

            Though the camp is designed to teach the girls, and empower them to be leaders in their communities, they are not the only ones who are enriched and learn from this experience. Being able to participate in Camp GLOW was one of the best weeks I have had here in Kenya. The girls come from all over the country, brought from villages where volunteers live, where they may only know one other girl, or just the volunteer. However by the end of the week, they are all laughing and joking, dancing together, sharing stories and learning from each other. Being a part of that and witnessing it was inspiring. It shows us that the youth can become united and will do so to create a better world.

“A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform.” ~Diane Mariechild

It feels more like July…

So its been a super busy few months but let me start back here in July so that I can get you all up to date =)

So July, lots of fun tid bits happened in July! First of all this is the month of American Independence, and as an American, living quite far from home, celebrating with my fellow Americans was pretty much a given. Some of my volunteer friends and I took a weekend and headed to the beautiful Kakamega Rainforest, where we took some picturesque hikes as well as celebrated as true Americans. (We even tried to play a bit of true American-New Girl anyone?- but that didn’t work out so well haha). Overall, it was a great time! 

 Hanging out with the crew at the lookout over the forest canopy!

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.- Thomas Jefferson

A few weeks later, I was lucky enough to get to go into Nairobi along with one of my students, her father, and one of the sisters I live with who is the school’s head teacher. My student had entered an art contest back in March, which was sponsored by PEPFAR (Presidents Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief), which was started by George W. Bush. The contest was to create a poster that represented the theme, “Working Together towards an AIDS Free Generation” bringing together both the United States and Kenya. I submitted her artwork for her, and found out that she had placed for her age group and was being brought into Nairobi for a ceremony! The ceremony was great, and I was so proud of her! Phidencia is only ten years old and is an amazing artist! 

 

A Thank you note from the event =)

Myself with my crew from Chebukaka, along with some of the Peace Corps Admin who attended the event!

 

After this, I had my second birthday here in Kenya! I had some fun in the sun turning 24, and I have to say so far it has been quite a wonderful year, no complaints here!! =)

At the end of the month I got the opportunity to go teach at the training for the new incoming public health class, which was really great. It was interesting to see how far I had come as well as be able to help and guide those who were just coming in with the knowledge I had gained over the past months being in country. Like I said July was busy, but also a great deal of fun!

Girl's Health Day!

“According to UNICEF, 1 in 10 school-age African girls, ‘do not attend school during menstruation, or drop out at puberty because of the lack of clean and private sanitation facilities in schools’.”

“In Kenya, 65% of girls 18 years old and younger have dropped out of school.”-ZanaAfrica

As an educated American woman, it is hard to imagine dropping out of school because I have missed so much of it purely due to the fact that I was menstruating.  These statistics are overwhelming, but they are completely true, especially in rural areas of poor developing countries, such as my small village here in Chebukaka. It is a United Nations Millennium Development Goal to help reduce these staggering numbers, but how can I as a Peace Corps Volunteer help?

A program that many health (and education) volunteers have undertaken here in Kenya is one of reusable sanitary pads. These easily constructed and inexpensive items are a direct way to decrease the amount of school that a girl misses each month. The reusable sanitary pad costs approximately 0.50 cents to create, which equivocates to about 40-50 Kenyan shillings. However, if the girl would have to purchase the Always brand pads (which is pretty much the only thing available here) it would cost around 80 shillings. This figure multiplied by the 12 months of the year comes about to be 960 Ksh per year. When girls come from families where the average income is 300 shillings per month, as it is in my area, this figure is nearly impossible to come up with. If a girl were to make 2 or even 3 reusable sanitary pads, this would cost her only about 120 shillings, and they could last several months. They may not even cost as much if the items necessary were already owned such as scraps of fabric or a sewing needle.

A woman receiving a full education links directly to her health status. A girl who is better educated has the knowledge to take care of herself and her family, and it usually results in having fewer and healthier children. So I decided to do a project that would help the girls in my area on the path to become fully educated women.

Earlier in the year, I applied for a small grant to receive funds for a gender related activity through the volunteer run Gender and Development Committee (GAD) that we have in country. I proposed having a one-day event specifically for girls, which would teach them how to create these sanitary pads, as well as delve into other issues of sanitation and hygiene, and continue with lessons on HIV/AIDS and family planning. I was fortunate enough to receive the grant funds within a very competitive cycle, and at the end of June, I had a Girl’s Health Day at the local primary school, Chebukaka Girl’s Primary School.

As is typical here in Kenya, and anywhere else for that matter, there were hiccups along the way to having the event. Most importantly was the issue of ‘will there be any students?’ because the teacher’s strike was in full force at the time and students were not attending classes. However, thanks to the help of the teachers and headmistress of the school, almost all the students who were invited to attend showed up. (not all on time, but that’s to be expected haha!)

The day ran smoothly with the reusable sanitary pads being our first session of the day! I invited volunteers who are in my area to assist me, and it would not have been the great success it was without them. Breezie and Lori took charge on teaching exactly how to make the pad, and myself, Brittnee, Joy and Andrea all came in and helped different groups create their pads.

 Myself with one of the groups and their finished products!

 Working hard!

We moved on to a lesson in water treatment, which is extremely important, because diarrheal diseases and typhoid are severe, but common health threats in the area. This was followed by a session on hand washing and hygiene, and everyone lined up to wash their hands before having lunch!

 Britt, myself and a few student volunteers going over proper handwashing!

 

Britt discussing how and why you should treat your drinking water!

 Breezie and Targes helping out with handwashing before lunch!

After the meal, Joy facilitated a lesson on HIV/AIDS, specifically discussing the myths and facts, and then we were all able to answer any questions they had in regards to the disease as a group. We discussed family planning, and then had a short talk on the importance of staying in school and how education will empower them as females. 

 

HIV/AIDS Myths and Facts exercise!  

 Discussing family planning and women's empowerment with the girls!

At the end of the day, the students graciously thanked us for being there and teaching, and we were invited to return whenever possible by the administration of the school. The girl’s were then off to play football and enjoy the rest of their Saturday! 

 Myself with the girls, some teachers and a few CHW's!

 My fellow volunteers with the crew! Thanks guys!

I think that the day was a great success and could not have wished it to go any smoother than it had. I am so thankful to the GAD Committee who’s grant gave me the funds to purchase the materials necessary to create the sanitary pads for fifty girls, and to all those who helped me put on the day, ASANTE SANA!

Women should have the same chance at an education and a future as men. By creating a sanitary and inexpensive way to deal with menstruation, hopefully we will have helped at least some girls remain in school.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”- Nelson Mandela

As always, I leave you with a little love and sunshine from Kenya =)