Habari #12

(For English, try this LINK and hit the „Translate“ button)

Habari means "message" or "What's up?" in Swahili. If you've missed our last newsletters, simply... HERE click. You can also HERE Sign up for future newsletters.

Our vision:
Making more effective health services possible in East Africa.

Two years ago today, we embarked on our journey to Kenya. Wow, that feels like ages ago! We are so grateful to God for his protection and for all the big and small miracles we have been able to experience. #awsomeGod. We want to thank all of you who make it possible for us to be here and do our work. We appreciate your generosity and your trust!

Small but mighty

When things get tough, Kenyans stick together. Even when food is scarce at their own table, they don't stop looking out for others. Eric is one of those people.
As the former president of the Clinical Officers Association of Kenya, with over 7,000 members, one would think he could have a comfortable career. But no, his main business is running a few clinics in western Kenya, where the population generally has very limited resources. His clinics offer high-quality care that is also affordable. Why would a man with Eric's education and background—and a family—choose to work in one of the poorest regions of the world when he had the chance to earn much more money elsewhere?

Why did you move here?
In the midst of the pandemic, Eric began using our primary care clinic software, BandaGo, in two of his clinics. In an online meeting, Eric explains his reasons. At the beginning of his career, he worked in a clinic serving diverse populations. "I saw people there every day who were discriminated against because of their income. How can you treat someone in need like that?"„
A few years later, he started his own clinic with the aim of serving precisely these people from the lower economic classes: "I wanted to find this difficult balance – to ensure that my employees are paid appropriately and that our patients receive affordable but high-quality treatment," says Eric.

When asked what the biggest barriers are for families in these areas who need good medical care, Eric answers without hesitation: "If a patient pays around one euro for the initial examination, they don't have the money for lab tests or medication." Eric's wealthiest patients earn about five euros a day... for their entire family! Therefore, his goal is to keep the total cost of a clinic visit—including medication—below three euros. Not an easy task.
Many patients cannot pay immediately. His clinics sometimes offer the option of paying for treatment, including medication, in installments or at a later date. If these "microloans" are not managed well, they can ruin the entire clinic.
Another problem is that the necessary medications are often unavailable. Not only at his clinic in the northwest, but even wholesalers are currently experiencing supply chain issues and counterfeit drugs.
All of this means: Clinics here must be run as efficiently as possible!

„"I learned medicine during my training, but not how to manage a clinic! BANDA HEALTH helps me maintain an overview and keep things organized." With the new BANDAgo system, he can see how his clinics are running with just a few clicks. He can check inventory, patient records, etc., from anywhere (provided he has internet access).
People like Eric provide us with valuable input to develop tailored software solutions and processes for clinics in impoverished areas. These developments then benefit the nearly 50 other clinics we support… especially during the COVID era.

Great moms!

Left: I (Lisa) am proud of the approximately 30 children's home "moms" who have completed their first trauma group! Starting in the fall, I will be offering full-time training and workshops as a "mental health coach" to support the approximately 150 employees of the children's home / school to support the organization on its journey to becoming a "trauma-competent organization." Right: Almost all Naomi's Village staff participated in a 3-day course that focused on the question: "How can we best support children who come from a traumatic background?"„

Beautiful

We often talk about the challenges. But when we look back on the last two years, joy and gratitude prevail. We are learning to appreciate and enjoy this beautiful country and life here more and more. Even though life is very difficult for most Kenyans, we Msungus (white people) can learn a lot from them in terms of gratitude and a serenity that doesn't always strive for perfection – as an efficiency fanatic, I (David) have a lot to learn from that. 
A friend put it nicely: "Instead of missing Austrian apples, just enjoy the world's best pineapples and passion fruit." Here are a few joys and highlights we're grateful for:

Safaris in Kenya are a world-famous highlight, but when you see hyenas and a leopard within a few hundred meters of your own house, in addition to monkeys and baboons… oh man, simply cool.

Two wheels don't mean you're limited to two passengers. Right: climbing with friends

Left: A country for nature lovers. Right: Our neighbor with Care of Creation

Left: Lisa with preschool children in the Children's home. Right: Camping with Somalis.

prayer corner

In the summer – from mid-July to mid-August – we'll be back in Austria to celebrate Lisa's sister's wedding. We're looking forward to seeing family (including new nephews and nieces) and friends again. Lots of love and hopefully see you soon!,

the miners