Clinic Day One

Finally!  This is what we came here to do.  Today was the first day of clinic, where we begin to do health screenings, vision screenings, dental screenings and real dentistry for our orphans in this area.  Today was for the Dirubi Orphanage (130 kids), tomorrow we will do their feeding station and nearby Lee McGraw Orphanage (110 together).  Then on Thursday we will do Lee McGraw Orphanage and Sondu feeding station (140 combined). On this trip we are able to set up once here at the Vocational Training Center, and have the kids walk down from their homes to us.  This saves us a lot of time packing, setting up, and driving to hotels, like we usually do.  The team all agrees that this is a much better way.

 

Before the clinic opened, I began to teach the directors from all of our orphanages how to build tippy-taps.  This cool invention, which Becca Yocham found on the internet, is a way that kids can have a hand washing station nearly anywhere, and can be built with easy to find, local materials.  The plan is to have one outside every choo (latrines) at our orphanages and feeding stations. You can read more about these at tippy-tap.org.  Also you can see our pictures from the day at facebook.com/kwoministries, assuming the network is stable enough for me to upload.

 

As the kids began to arrive, they first washed their hands with the tippy-tap.  Then they were greeting inside and Rhonda Jones did a demonstration of good hand hygiene, using the black light and special hand cream to show how much dirt and germs remain after washing, then by demonstrating the proper way to wash your hands.  The kids really love the hands-on and the activity really helps break the ice.

 

Next, the kids went to Elise Howard's station where she demonstrated how to brush your teeth and floss.  Each kids gets a flosser and a new toothbrush with cover.  She also brought her guitar to play for the kids, and let them play with as well.  She has been a big help.

 

After tooth-brushing each patient sits down with SheriHoward and a translator to take a medical history and discover any health concerns.  She writes their comments on a patient record card that follows each one from station to station.  This is sometimes a tedious process, as communication between two different cultures and languages is difficult.  While the kids wait on the doctor, they have a vision screening.  Todd Yocham, Becca, Shelly Durham and several of the Kenyan nurses have taken turns at this station.

 

Doctor Howard then meets with each one, trying to help with their health complaints.  Mostly he is respiratory problems and skin issues, but there have been other issues as well.  His son, Daniel has been acting as the pharmacist, dispensing prescriptions according to his dad's directions and also for the dentists.

 

Next the dentists do a quick screening and decide weather they need any fillings or extractions. If not, they are given a fluoride treatment, de-wormed, and sent on their way.  If further dental work is required, these Doctors are well equipped.  We brought a new portable dental machine, giving them the ability to do fillings and complicated extractions with air, water, drills, and suction.  There is also another small drill, and suction machine so the two dentists, Bob Sears and Reno Sonneberg can work simultaneously.  Ruth Sears is supervising the dental side and rotation our Kenyan nurses through the stations so they can see in a practical way how to do many of the simpler processes.

 

Things went very well on this first day and we were able to see everyone, though it took working til 7:30pm to do it.  Tomorrow we plan to streamline operations a bit and try to be done earlier.  Also we are having to adjust to a Kenyan meal schedule.  They typically eat lunch at 2 and dinner as late as 8.  Tomorrow there will be adjustments for that as well. 

 

After we closed up shop, we went to the Dirubi Orphanage for evening devotional.  Their chorus sang us beautiful songs in the near-dark and Thomas delivered an inspiring, short lesson.  He is really a good preacher.  I can't wait to see him in the pulpit at GCR some day.  It was a very long day, but our team was ecstatic with all we had accomplished.  Tomorrow, should be even better.