NEWS - AUGUST 2009

Land Rover Donated by CHAPS:

Thanks to the tremendous fundraising activities of CHAPS (USA), the Nomadic Communities Trust now has a new Land Rover 300 TDI. This vehicle should be ready for the road by the end of this month. The impact of this vehicle for NCT service delivery will be enormous. In the meantime, the “Mitsubishi” that has been out of service since mid Feb is being repaired. Hopefully this vehicle can be used for admin/office duties and short mobilizations in Laikipia.

Solar powered fridges for camel transport:

Prof Soboyo and his team from Princeton University have recently provided two solar-powered immunization fridges specifically designed for camel transport. This project represents a partnership between Princeton University and the Art Center in Pasadena California, USA. These fridges will accompany the mobile clinics in May for a trial run. At the same time another “camel refridgeration solar pack” designed by Clem and Daniel (two volunteers from Australia) and funded by Donna Thorson of CHAPS, will also be put to the test. Both fridge designs have been tailored to meet “African conditions” and will greatly enhance the NCT/CHAT immunization strategy for remote regions in Northern Kenya.

The Gertrude’s Garden Children’s Hospital/Nairobi:

With the assistance of the Kijani Trust, this hospital recently established a three-month working relationship with CHAT to provide pediatric HIV/AIDS services to the Laikipia region. Amongst other activities this partnership recently identified a young female orphan in need. This young girl is now under the care of “Nyumbani”, which is a well-established home for positive children in Kenya.

PLWHA’s Support Groups:

CHAT/MCT previously signed a sub-agreement with Family Health International (FHI) under the APHIA 2 Fund. From this arrangement MCT has been fortunate enough to link the PLWHA’s Support Groups to CARITAS and World Vision. These organizations will provide follow up education, nutrition and home-based care training for support group members. They will also assist affiliated orphans and vulnerable children.

Recent volunteers to NCT/CHAT:

Conrad Chilvers from the UK recently returned to Laikipia. He will make another visit in October this year. Tara and Ian Dollard from Scotland are volunteering with the clinics for six months. Tara Dollard is a Medical Doctor and Ian is an Engineer. A student volunteer from Cananda, Hannah Oakley, will soon be assisting with administration. Katie Hames from England has been working with the clinics for 4 months. She returns to the UK at the end of April to continue her medical studies at Leeds University.

FIMAFRICA:

Dr Ameet Aggarwal from The Foundation For Integrated Medicine in Africa (www.fimafrica.org) recently accompanied the mobile clinics on a field excursion. Dr Aggarwal is exploring the possibility of providing homeopathic and alternative health treatments to remote rural communities. FIMAFRICA comprises naturopathic doctors who offer an integration of holistic and conventional medicine options for various health concerns. NCT/CHAT recognizes that Traditional healers are already using highly effective “homeopathic treatments” for STI’s and opportunistic infection. CHAT/NCT are currently exploring various options for integrating biomedical, traditional and alternative health strategies into its overall health care programme. In this regard the Trusts are collaborating with Traditional Health Care Providers (THP’s) and are liaising with Dr Aggarwal.