Our vision:
Making more effective health services possible in East Africa.
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Old – new home
The visit to Austria was wonderful. Especially the time spent with our families and our new cousins! Back in Kenya, some new things awaited us. We decided on a different place to live and a new school. Kijabe It's located an hour outside of Nairobi. Because an important hospital and a large international school are located there, many families live in the area, which was one of the main reasons for the move. The children can move around more freely and make friends more independently.
Visit to a small church nearby 
„Playground“ in our new garden
Old – new work areas
Lisa's work situation is undergoing some changes. She will continue to work in the field of trauma processing. Last month, she received an inquiry to join a Children's home With its affiliated school, the project aims to supplement the training of teachers and "mamas" (caregivers in the children's home) in the area of trauma processing. This essentially aligns with their vision: "To support women in dealing with their personal wounds in a healing way, so that they can pass this on to the next generation." If this work is as "exciting" as the commute (see picture), it will be fantastic!
The sports coaches in Kariobangi remain a priority for her. Lisa will try to continue coaching Judy (albeit remotely) so that she can grow into her leadership role and effectively support the young female coaches. My (Lisa's) visit to the Tazama Nia Community Center last week was also very encouraging. I (Lisa) started a trauma support group there in April, which had to be suspended due to COVID-19. Now, even the local chief has recognized the importance of this work and regularly sends people to the groups (after issuing a special permit allowing these groups to meet despite the pandemic).
What's happening at BANDA Health
Now, during the Corona pandemic, these services (consulting and software) are even more important than usual, as so many clinics and companies are on the verge of... insolvency Standing. That motivates David and his team.
I (David) would like to tell you about two exciting new projects:
BANDA Campus
In Kenya (and other African countries), there is a professional group that doesn't exist in Europe: the so-called "Clinical Officers" or COs. They have more decision-making authority than nurses but less training than doctors. Because there are so few doctors, many tasks performed by doctors in Europe are handled by COs. They undergo three years of training and then work either in hospitals or small clinics. A large part of basic medical care is provided by these clinics – the Kenyan equivalent of a general practitioner.
Most of the people I deal with are Clinical Officers. They are involved in... Community Health While the general medical care staff are surprisingly capable, the clinics often fail due to organizational or financial reasons because the training of COs is currently focused too narrowly on health-related topics. In our experience, there is a clear educational gap here.
The BANDA team is now working closely with the organizations AMH and KCOA Together, we are responsible for the training, certification, and continuing education of these Clinical Officers. We develop the learning materials and curriculum for topics such as warehouse logistics and purchasing, finance, accounting and budgeting, as well as human resources management, organization, and ethics. Our work thus has a broad impact and builds on my previous experience. However, this is new territory for BANDA, not only in terms of education but also in dealing with such organizations, which, due to their official nature, operate differently than we do.
BANDA & MEDS
The second project also has a lot to do with partnership, specifically with the organization. MEDS, which stands for Mission for Essential Drugs and Supplies.
We have seen that our clinics struggle to obtain high-quality and affordable medications and medical supplies. There is a huge problem with so-called "fake medicines" in many developing countries. A whole counterfeit industry behind it. Furthermore, many of our clinics are so small that they cannot buy directly from the large manufacturers or wholesalers and are forced to buy expensively through several intermediaries.
Photos from MEDS, September 2020
Through our partnership with MEDS, we aim to enable our partner hospitals to save up to 501 TP3T through bulk orders, while also securing a quality guarantee for their patients. This will allow patients, some of whom are among the poorest in the country, to receive better and more affordable care.
This is also new territory for BANDA Health, as we haven't delivered anything physical before (except protective equipment as part of COVID relief efforts). Knowledge and software are logistically quite straightforward, but I'm looking forward to the challenge.
Anyone who would like to learn more about the work of BANDA Health can subscribe to regular reports (in English). register.
Thankful…
- for the time in Austria – family, friends and supporters
- for the great and affordable accommodation option in Kijabe
- that so much has gone further in the work of Lisa and David despite the distance
Hopeful…
- that the schools will actually be able to reopen in January and Layla's motivation increases.
- that Lisa uses her talents in Naomi's Village (Children's home) can contribute well
- that the economy, and especially the clinics of Banda Health, are showing resilience in these difficult times
She will give birth to a son, whom you are to name Jesus, Savior, because he will save his people from their sins.
The Bible, Matthew 1:21
Greetings from Kenya, where summer is just beginning…
The Miners
PS Here in Kenya we have our Kenyan phone numbers back, but you in Europe can still reach us via WhatsApp: Lisa +43 670 5570808, David +43 670 2028850 (we are just 2 hours ahead of you).
