New banks for Thugunui Children

sh. Today we organized a big gathering of all school children up in the mountain village of Thugunui on 3000 m. Reason was the transportation of the chairs and tables that we got by container from the Swiss "kids-to-kids" organization. As it had rained last night, it was not easy to bring the two trucks up the mountain on the wet dirt streets. And once we had to push the truck by hand thanks to our hospital crew. As we approached the school, excitement among the young people was big. The children greeted us with palm branches and sang and danced for us. Also all the other inhabitants of the village joined the children and we had a real feast. Luckily the weather was also nice besides a small 5-minute rain. The children brought their old banks out of their classrooms and compared them with the new ones. The joy was visible in all their eyes and they were full of gratitude for all the gifts. The whole event started at 10 am and lasted until 5 in the afternoon. Watch our pictures!

Before...

... and afterwards

Singing, dancing & enjoying new T-Shirts

Today the Swiss TV crew from "Tele Südostschweiz" was busy filming youngsters getting T-Shirts (sponsered by Intersport) and they all were happy. Many refugees were singing and dancing. It was also busy time for the hospital crew who always show their gratitude of being part of Mama Matata's team. I am also happy to be back in the Rhein-Valley Hospital after some longer than expected stay in Switzerland due to a leg injury.

- Stephan Holderegger

Visit from Swiss TV Station

ak. Yesterday evening, Rhein-Valley Hospital founder Stephan Holderegger arrived in Nairobi with a two-man television crew from TV Swiss South-East. The crew is in Kenya to film a six-part miniture documentary series of the hospital and its director, Ruth Schaefer. Marco Nuessli and Marc Hosig from the Swiss station made their first trip to the hospital today and were very impressed with what they saw. An appropriate day for a first viewing, it was Thursday Neonatal Day, which provides a hectic atmosphere throughout the day. Once the number of patients had reduced in the late afternoon, we enjoyed a soccer game against the IDP children and then Marco had his hair braided.

Lawn Maintenance

ak. It was lawn maintenance day at the Rhein-Valley Hospital. Since electric or gas-powered lawnmowers are rarely used in Kenya, the most common way to the cut grass is by use of a "slasher", a machete-type tool with a slight angle at the tip of the blade. To use a slasher, you must bend your body approximately 45° at the waste and slash horizontally in an arc, back and forth. Over a course of 2 to 3 hours, a skilled slasher will slash an approximate area of 20m x 20m, or 400m2. Not very efficient, but certainly an excellent workout!

A Difficult Case

ak. Today was yet another busy day at the RVH. In the late morning, we dealt with a rather difficult, complex and disturbing case. This young woman, whose exact age is unknown, is the daughter of her mother and uncle. As a result, she has a mental disability, which in Kenya is very difficult to find support for. Her mother is so poor that they cannot afford shoes and both had walked barefoot from Thugunui, four kilometers downhill. The girl presented with a severe case of pneumonia, having had symptoms for over one month. It was also discovered that the girl had been raped two years ago, and after testing, it was miraculous that she showed no signs of STIs or HIV. Sadly, despite the efforts of the RVH to properly educate and care for the people of Kasambara and Thugunui, this example shows that either neglect and/or ignorance persist as significant obstacles in dealing with patients in a rural setting, be it in Kenya or in the Western world.

Busier than Normal Sunday

ak. As Sundays are normally quieter at the Rhein-Valley Hospital, it was unusual to see so many patients today. Considering it is currently the short rain season and evenings of late have been rather cold, it is not suprising that there seems to be more cases of pneumonia and upper respiratory tract infections, especially amongst children. Although it is unfortunate to see that more people need care, it reassuring to know that these patients are a least receiving care. Prior to the RVH's existance, several of these patients could have died from such diseases which are otherwise easily treatable.