Project overview

Esiarambatsi Health Centre is one of the health centers established in the wider Emuhaya district to cater for the medical needs of the local people in the community. It’s a community-based health center which cares for mothers, children’s and also people living with HIV/AIDS. The centre also offers pre-and ante-natal cares to women. The local community is composed of the Luhya community which occupies the vast western Kenya region and the local people are hospitable and welcoming. HIV/AIDS is a major challenge in the local community that has resulted into many challenges that have had a negative impact on the socio-economic development of the community.

The health center is a community initiative that is currently run by the Ministry of health and has three nurses who work under a nursing officer in charge.

The center offers curative, preventative and promotion services.

Water is available from streams, rain water occasionally harvested and volunteers have the opportunity to learn to live in adversity and especially when Kenya grapples with the poverty challenge that is the single most obstacles to sustainable development.

Objectives

The main objective of the project is to provide health care to the community using locally available resources.

The empowerment program reaches out to ensure that the local community is integrated into the day to day activities and the role of the volunteers is to play the role of the catalyst to re-activate the process.

Most community members are small scale farmers who are not even able to produce enough food to support their own families

Target Group: The target group consists of community members.

Location: The project is located in Emuhaya District of the Western region of Kenya approximately eight hours drive from Nairobi city.

Nature of Work: Volunteers placed in this project will be involved in the following activities:

• Medical work in the dispensary such as registration of patients, giving out patients following the doctors’ description, observation and noting the progress of every patient, and cleanliness at the hospital.
• Family planning services, immunization, maternal and child health are some of the services offered at the project
• The volunteers will also be involved in awareness creation in the community to promote the sustainability of the livelihood among community members both in community forums and also in local schools. Moreover, volunteers placed in this project will engage the community members in a study topic: focus on public health and sanitation especially in the local schools to be able to develop a young generation that is equipped with information. Hence volunteers will be expected to work hand in hand with the hospital management to realize the goals of the placement in this project and thus enhance the capacity of the health facility.
• The volunteers will be assigned duties in the health facility by professional staff

AGE: Volunteers have to be at least 18 years old to participate in the work camp. There is no upper age limit

PROJECT Activities

The facility offers health services to the local community members

TYPE OF WORK CAMP: MEDI

Volunteers will work for maximum of six hours daily from Monday to Friday and the schedule is flexible to suit into the capability of individual volunteers. The focus will be on the following:

Work and Intercultural activities:

• Volunteers will be assigned duties in the health facility by professional staff
• Cultural days for various nationalities
• Home visits and topical discussion with the local people on thematic focus of the project
• Excursion to Lake Victoria in Kisumu and Kakamega Rain Forest

PROJECT PARTICIPANTS: Maximum 20 volunteers from Kenya and the international community

What to carry?

This is outlined in the detailed info sheet and includes, sleeping bag and mat, toiletries, torch, flashlight, sandals, mosquito net, national flag from your country, among others

DONATION AND GIFTS:

These are usually symbolic gestures to enhance the solidarity of volunteers and the hosting community. Kindly contact KVDA for details in case you are willing to support a worthy cause in the community either by offering a donation or long-term intervention on the project.

THEME: REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH EDUCATION, PROMOTION OF GENDER EQUALITY AND WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

• Gender equality implies a society in which women and men enjoy the same opportunities, outcomes, rights and obligations in all spheres of life. Equality between men and women exists when both sexes are able to share equally in the distribution of power and influence; have equal opportunities for financial independence through work or through setting up businesses; enjoy equal access to education and the opportunity to develop personal ambitions.
• A critical aspect of promoting gender equality is the empowerment of women, with a focus on identifying and redressing power imbalances and giving women more autonomy to manage their own lives. Women’s empowerment is vital to sustainable development and the realization of human rights for all.
• The project aims to empower the women to actively continue with the struggle to enhance their capacities and ultimately take the lead in community development. This takes cognizance of the fact that despite being overrun by pro-men cultural foundations, women remain the pillar of families and the most vulnerable gender in the current societal set-up.

Orientation: Will be done on 8^th August 2021 at KVDA Residence in Nairobi and the team will leave for the project on the morning of 9^th August 2021.