By Lizzie Odegaard | Co-Founder and Director
It is easy to forget how inaccessible healthcare services are for those that have an unstable or insufficient income or live in a remote area without a dependable transportation network. With this in mind, The Moyo Foundation is delivering healthcare to those in need - only able to provide those services with the support of our donors. Since the GlobalGiving disbursement at the end of October, The Moyo Foundation has conducted a few outreach health clinics.
One clinic visited the Samburu communities neighboring Mugie and saw 95 patients of all ages. More than 45% of the patients seen were found to have respiratory issues - 4 requiring referral to a hospital for more serious treatment than we could provide. These respiratory problems stem from the high levels of smoke inside the houses where the women cook. Our Mugie nurse (whose salary is supported in part by Moyo), integrates holistic health and wellness education into these outreaches, using the opportunity, in this case, to discuss the use of gas instead of charcoal and wood fire for cooking, in addition to nutrition, personal hygiene, family planning, and women’s empowerment. The aim here is to further support the general health and living standards of the community.
She brings this whole-health lens to every outreach but focuses on the most relevant of the topics. At the cervical and breast cancer screening clinic held in December, she also spoke to women about empowerment, menstrual hygiene, and family planning practices. Because it is such a challenge to get healthcare to these rural communities, the objective is to accomplish as much as possible - in this case, providing COVID vaccines.
With the new school year starting this month, Moyo has contributed bursaries for 18 students and funded nine full scholarships for students at school in neighboring communities, ranging from primary school to teacher training college. The impact of this contribution is life-changing. Especially in times of drought, as the region is facing now, children tend to abstain from school - because they need to care for livestock, do household chores, or because of a food shortage at the school for day-time meals.
The funds raised through GlobalGiving will continue to support these bursaries and scholarships and help our bi-monthly healthcare outreaches and we look forward to updating you on our progress. The Moyo team and the communities we support are incredibly grateful for the donations made through GlobalGiving and we thank you for helping us change lives.
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