Drinking water most needed

rs. If you drive around Nakuru, busy traffic marks the image of the region and you can feel Christmas time approaching. If you are on the road you better keep all valuable things at home, otherways you risk them to be stolen. The temperature is still very high, we measured 35 °C today. It's not only the heat that bothers the people but also the dry warm wind. So our water station is used very frequently especially by the children because they have now holidays. I always tell our guards to ask the children only to use clean vessels, but what can you do. Also their outfit is dirtier than dirty. Even at night many Kenyans do not change clothes, so it is also not easy to convince them to change into proper clothes when they are in our hospital.

An emergency case

rs. Yesterday night we had an emergency case. A young woman was brought to the hospital in strange conditions. It seems that she had been raped. We always tell our people to be cautious when it is dark; best is to go in groups.

Preparing for Christmas and 2009

rs. Christmas time is approaching and we have a lot of work, also in the administrative sector. We have to order the lacking medications until December 15 and the holiday plans for our crew have to be made for the coming year. Everybody speaks of Christmas although we do not know it in Kenya as we do in Europe. Still it is a nice time where people sit together and have a nice meal. As my family is not here, I will be together with my staff members.

More exercises would be of great help

rs. Today we had our weekly children's and babies' day. Our doctor is not only prescribeng medications, but he also informs the patients how they can take care of themselves, especially by doing some physical exercises which are not very common among the average population. It would also help the children in the schools to have some gymnastic lessons.

Tourists are still lacking

rs. Today we had again hot temperatures with 32 °C and I took the chance to visit a sightseeing point, the highest in Nakuru. As I entered the ground, an Askari asked for an entrance fee. Although this is certainly not a good decision to ask for money, I wanted to go in but realized that there were no tourists, not even locals.

Our potatoe harvest is ready

rs. It is time to harvest the potatoes. Men and women helped in the garden. We were happy with the total of 150 kg. We also discussed what we want to sow next. People would like Sukumu Wiki, a Kenyan form of spinach, which is eaten together with Ugali, the white, fairly strong corn we only know in Kenya. If I eat Ugali, I am not hungry anymore for the whole day, but in fact I prefer lighter meals...

Positive and negative sides of life

rs. Our gardener David took care of the garden today. He loves the garden and 3 years ago he had the idea to plant a small banana tree with the hope to have our own bananas some day. Nobody believed him and today he proudly presented me the first fruit. It was delicious and sweet, I really enjoyed it. At 3 pm a rainstorm announced itself and I went home. As always the traffic was crazy and again I was witness of a tragic accident. These moments are especially hurting me. I am always grateful and happy when I reach my home.

The baby's prolem was also her mother's

rs. Before I entered the hospital, one of our patients came to me. He laughed at me and said that is already feeling much better. He also praised our doctor Wanjara. In the waiting room there was a mother with her baby that had a high fever. Suddenly the doctor realized that the mother also needed an examination but she didn't want to spend some extra money. We told her not to worry and when she finally was examined we found out that she carried worms and this was als the reason for the baby's problem.

Very busy the whole day

rs. Early this morning we already had a lot of patients. Victor was busy preparing all the medications. Kennedy and Mathew were taking care of the mothers ans their babies. Also doctor Wanjarawas als busy until 3 pm before he found the time for a little lunch break. (Click on the picture to view it full size as it is published on our Photoblog)

Controlling the corn in the team

rs. The refugees helped controlling the corn today. Often, little stones are mixed with the corn and they have to be eliminated. As we grind the corn ourselves, it has to be clean, otherways it would demolish the machine. Still there were some stones to be foud in the grinding process and we had to carefully remove which was quite time-consuming.

Increased use of our water station

rs. Although there have been a lot of rain in recent times, we still have a water shortage in our region. Our big water tank has to be refilled daily. Because of the cholera, the people became more cautious about their drinking water also take more care about the purity of the vessels they use. Also we have a lot more refugees and therefore a lot more water use. With clean water we can reduce many illnesses like typhus, stomach inflammations and diarrhoea.

Enjoying the peace of the animals

rs. Today I did an excursion to the nearby Nakuru Park and visited the African animals. Although the Government is trying to bring back the tourists, the park is still not very frequented. I only saw some Indian tourists from Nairobi and rich Kenyans who have the money for a Safari. I enjoyed watching the animals and thought how nice it would be if the human beings would live as peacefully as these animals...

Busy hospital and 34 °C heat

rs. Our medical crew was very active for a Saturday. The waiting room was full with patients of all ages. Some came for a routine control only, others got their second injection of a 3-day treatment and to were Malaria cases. In the camp there are no holidays so we had a lot more going on. As it is snowing in Europe, we had again high temperatures of 34 °C.

Eddie Kroll vists Thugunui water project

rs. Today Eddie Kroll visited the water project in Thugunui together with family and friends from Austria. Since one year the locals of this area have access to fresh drinking water. The project is called "Schilling für Schilling" and came into life through the initiative of Eddie Kroll who wanted to create it as an act of gratitude for the survival in a serious boat accident in Kenya. Eddie was amazed how well the project is functioning. After giving out some presents for the local children and receiving a goat from the inhabitants, he descended the mountain to the Rhein-Valley Hospital and there also he praised the purity and order established by Ruth Schäfer and her crew. Soon he had to leave to catch a flight to Mombasa, his next station of his short African visit.

Waiting for the survey of our land

rs. Today we waited in vain for the surveyors who intended to measure our borders with the neighboring church. They said they didn't have a car to take, so they asked us to go to town to make a new date. We probably have to wait until next week for a new appointment...

4 hours by foot to bring the old father

rs. She had to walk for 4 hours to bring her sick father to our hospital. The father has high blood pressure. For the past few days he had pains in the heart region, but he was nto strong enough to go to the hopspital by himself. So his daughter who lives in Gilgil went to Thugunui to get her father and then together they came to this place. Our doctor Wanjara examined the man carefully and informed the daugther in all details. He also asked if it would not be better to bring the father to her home. The daugther herself has four children and had to leave again, but the father will stay here for a coupe of days. By the way the father already missed medical examinations in the past. Otherways perhaps the doctor could have acted earlier.

Lovingly caring for the wife

rs. It's nice to see how this elderly couple helps each other. The husband helps his wife to get some massage for her hand and is always at her side. In fact this would be a case for a nursing home financed by the Government because the grandma really needs daily care. Unfortunately the Government has no such projects so we try to fill in with the facilities of our small hospital.

A malaria case in the early hours

Today the nice weather prevailed. Already at 9 am the temperature was around 30°C and it seems that the rainy season has ceased for a while. On the way to the hospital I met taxi driver John and he asked me I got the latest news from our doctor Wanjara. This morning at 4 am John was driving a mother and her sick child to the official Sankt Meris Hospital in town for an urgent examination. But the doctor refused to examine the child and asked the mother to come back at 8 am. What a concern! The taxi driver spontaneously proposed to drive to the Rhein-Valley Hospital where they found doctor Wanjara who immeditately looked after the girl and gave her an infusion. It was a severe case of malaria and with the correct medications she can go home in three days. John was amazed to see how nicely our doctor was fulfilling his duty and I was surprised to get such a compliment from a Kenyan citizen. - Mama Matata

Some small patients

rs. I was in the hospital only for a short while today. I had to help restart the telephone computer because I am the only one who knows the necessary PIN code. There were not that many patients because on a Sunday people go to church and only then they remember to look for the doctor if they are ill. Still there were some small patients today with various illnesses.

A letter from Kasambara

I was born, raised and schooled at Kasambara. Today I had time to visit your blog and all that was left of me after going through the whole website was emotional tears. I could see even marathon being organized far from home just to see that the people in Kenya - Kasambara are leading a better life. May God bless the pioneers volunteers and everyone else who is troubled to see that Kasambara people are leading a decent life.

RVH has come by with so many other developments i.e. water, electricity and even school projects. These are projects that we the people of Kasambara never even one day thought would ever reach our area. I am a keen observer of the tireless effort by Ruth and all other volunteers who are there to ensure that their vision is fulfilled despite various setback by the local people. I blame all these to lack of education and exposure. We the young generation of Kasambara are fully backing this project. Our young people are now employed by the hospital. Roads to the hospital and beyond are always maintained. My heart is so grateful. My mother, father and siblings are beneficiaries of this hospital. Let no one stop the FIRE BURNING. Congrats Ruth, congrats everyone. MAY THE LORD MIGHTLY BLESS YOU. Hope to meet the management soon.

- Monica