Buying 200 mattresses and more ...

Stephan is back home in Switzerland and I started my day with shopping. We need 200 mattresses and I tried to get the best price in the industrial section of Nakuru. I finally payed 390 for one, which is not bad - including the transport. I will control the loading tomorrow morning and then we will bring them to the hospital. While being in town I checked our post office box. By the way that's the only way to get the post - in Kenya there are no postmen, to save costs. In town I met the boys who usually look after my car while I am shopping. I then called our doctor and asked how the little boy with the tumor is. The patient will be brought to the Kijabe Hospital for an urgent operation and I gave them the needed money. Until 6 pm I had no news about him. I also sent one of our staff members to Nairobi to get the documents for our container still waiting to be released. Also here no news yet how things went. - Mama Matata

Swiss TV reports on the Rhein-Valley Hospital

The French speaking Swiss TV station tsr included a report on the Rhein-Valley Hospital in yesterday's programme "Le Journal". They recently visited the facilities (see our earlier posts) and interviewed the founder, Swiss Stephan Holderegger (picture).

Red Cross will help with the sanitary installations

rs. At midnight Stephan arrived in Nakuru. He again will help our crew for a couple of weeks. And he also brought some gifts from Switzerland. The Rohner company sponsored 1200 pairs of socks. In the morning, our first activity was the meeting with a representative of the local Red Cross in Nakuru. After discussing the sanitary situation they agreed to help build the toilets and showers so that minimal hygienic conditions are guaranteed. We also talked about the rules for the refugees established at our camp and how they can be implemented. Later in the afternoon we had to go home because our electrician was expected to repair our electric system. After 1 1/2 hours everything was back in order. Now we can make our last preparations for tomorrow. On Monday we have a big food distributions action because this time the people will get the portions for the whole week.

After an intense day we were rewarded with a nice sunset!

Visit our Kenya Photo-Blog !

On the new photo blog "Kenya Photos"
you will find one new picture of Stephan Holderegger every day,
and even in much bigger format!
Here is the link:

http://kenyaphotos.wordpress.com

Austrian Food Container arrived in Nakuru

sh. This morning we had to get up early to greet the two representatives of the Austrian "Schilling für Schilling" organization at the Airstrip in Nakuru. They sponsored a food container that arrived today at the hospital. Oliver, Michaela and the Manager of the African Safari Club hotel in Mombasa came for the arrival but could only stay for two hours, before they had to continue their journey.

Today we gave out food for 3500 refugees at the Rhein-Valley Hospital and there was a vaccination day for the mothers. We also had an important visit: Mr. Meina (left in above picture together with Stephan Holderegger in the middle) from the UN World Food Program was here and appreciated our work. He plans to hold a press conference tomorrow where he will inform about our activities at the hospital. While here he also called up the secretary of the Swiss Ambassador in Nairobi and told him about our constructive work for the poor. Mr. Meina said that he hasn't seen so much inspiring activities for a long time and that he tries to get foods from his organization.

We just heard that the National Swiss TV SF DRS1 with Gaby Schädler from the "Rundschau" program will visit us from March 21-27 to produce a film in Nakuru together with Swiss dulcimer player Nicolas Senn.

Mama Matata's friendship with streeet boys

sh. Tonight Stephan Holdereger arrived in Nakuru as mentioned in yesterday's post. On the way to the hospital we saw 3 large fires, but couldn't find out any deatails. Today we discussed the program of the coming week and the street boys that always helped Mama Matata (Ruth Schäfer) came to see her. They haven't been around for quite some time. The boys were happy and greeted Ruth cordially. They all got 1 Liter of milk, 1 kilo of bread and a portion of French Fries. We also met a boy who has a mutilated leg. He recognized us because we previously checked the possibility of an operation, but it unfortunately was not possible. Mama Matata is the last resort for these boys.

New plaster will help the burn patients

Yesterday a boy with some heavy burn visited again our hospital for checking his condition. Last week we could successfully reduce the infections he had and a new skin is regrowing. We are now waiting for a new plaster that we should soon get from a company in Kerzers, Switzerland. With this plaster we can treat all such burns in the future.

Today we gave out more baby food, corn and cabbage, which had first to be cleaned before we could use it. The temperature again was high with 30° C (see also our regularly updated weather chart in the right column) and there is a strong wind blowing in our region. Asthmatics are suffering from the occuring dust. Tonight my partner Stephan Holderegger again is coming to visit me and the hospital. I will pick him up at the Nairobi Airport and then we have another 3-4 hours until we reach Nakuru.

I would also like to thank all people who kindly donated money for our hospital in the last few days.

Ruth Schäfer

TV interview with Stephan Holderegger

km. This evening the popular Swiss local TV station TeleZüri invited the founder of the Rhein-Valley Hospital Stephan Holderegger for a 30-minute live interview. They also broad- casted recent video footage that Stephan took in Nakuru. Ruth Schäfer, the director of the Rhein-Valley Hospital and partner of Stephan, joined them on the phone from Nakuru. It's great to see that Tele-Züri fully sympathizes with the project and asked the viewers to participate with a donation. At the end of the interview Stephan also mentioned that all the donated money is used 1:1 for the help in Kenya. The full interview can be seen as podcast here.

Stephan and Dutch friend visit the Hospital

sh. Stephan Hoderegger, the founder of the Rhein-Valley Hospital and his Dutch friend Hennie arrived in Kenya yesterday. Only 10 people left the plane in Nairobi. At the airport as well as on our route to Nakuru, not many people were on the streets. The population still lives in fear and from 7 pm to 7 in the morning there is a curfew. Stephan and Hennie visited the poor today and realised how severe the situation is. The world only saw the brutal pictures of the fights but does not see the calamity behind the scenes. So many people - women, children and men - are on the run. Die big organisations are completely overstrained. Ruth Schäfer of the Rhein-Valley Hospital gave food to 3000 people in one day alone and took 100 childern in her shelter. She also plays with the children, teaches them in mathematics and still tries to remain happy! The pictures were all taken today.

That's all what they have ...

Interview with Stephan Holderegger online

km. Through my connection with Kids To Kids (a Humanitarian Aid Programme inspired by Sri Chinmoy) I met 60-year old Stephan Holderegger from Switzerland. Since his childhood he has been handicapped by a severe immune deficiency disease that destroys the lungs. Two weeks before his predicted death, he got a phone call, inviting him to the main hospital in Zurich for a lung transplant. He grabbed his prepared suitcase and jumped into the ambulance. He called all his friends and told them if he survived the operation he would open a hospital in Kenya for the poor. Stephan got a second life and started his ambitious project right away. Not only did the hospital open in 2004 under the guidance of his partner Ruth Schäfer, but Stephan started various ventures promoting the hospital and donating organs. First he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, then he ran the New York City marathon. If you want to know more about the founder of the Rhein-Valley Hospital, watch this interview of LIFE Voices, a monthly podcast presenting fascinating people from around the world. Just click on the image and the video will start! The HD broadcast version can be seen on srichinmoy.tv and soon also on vimeo.