Kenya’s Hardest Hit
By Halogen TV | May 9, 2011 at 12:35 pm
Kenya’s Doctor Shortage
Kenya spends $14 per person on healthcare and pays its young doctors about what a cab driver makes. As a result, Kenya suffers one of the worst brain drains in the world. In the last decade, nearly 1,700 physicians have fled the country in search of better jobs.
Kenya’s Hardest Hit
Lwala is a farming village in western Kenya in a province called Nyanza, which has the highest rates of HIV and child mortality in the country – and the lowest life expectancy. The nearest doctor is 25 miles away. If the sick are seeking treatment for HIV, the trip is 50 miles.
The Vision: Erastus Ochieng
Before he died in 2005, Milton and Fred’s father began making plans for what would become Lwala’s first hospital. After his death, the brothers – with the village’s help – set out to finish what he started.
The Struggle
As Milton and Fred were able to send money home, the villagers of Lwala began to build their clinic. Funds, however, often ran dry, which forced construction to stop. Sick patients from other villages often walked miles hoping to receive treatment only to find the clinic locked.
A Clinic of Their Own
Milton and Fred spent nearly two years raising money in America to build their father’s clinic. The total cost was $90,000, donated by strangers and students around the country in buckets and piggy banks. In its first 8 months, the clinic saw 12,000 patients.
About the Author:
