Charley Stone from Merlin’s fundraising team writes about her recent visit to Kenya, where she saw Merlin’s life-saving medical team in action.
Mobile clinics for families on the move
Driving along a dusty Wajir road in North East Kenya, we encounter donkeys and camels pulling carts packed with the possessions of a family constantly on the move. The sight is not unusual: 60 percent of the population of this vast district is nomadic, so Merlin brings health care to them using mobile clinics.
Rain does not fall as often as it used to and disease has been killing the goats most people here rely on for food and milk. Such food shortages have been compounded by the global rise in food prices.
Working closely with the local Ministry of Health (MoH) in Wajir, and Merlin has trained many MoH nurses and clinicians to diagnose and treat malnutrition, as well as how to immunize against common diseases such as polio, TB, measles and diphtheria. Now, all mobile clinics here always include a Merlin and an MoH health worker.
Community outreach to treat malnutrition
I joined one of the mobile clinic teams on my first day and we headed out on a bumpy road that seemed to lead nowhere. With no other people for miles around, it is hard to imagine a more remote part of the world. We finally arrived at Arbajahan, a village whose name means 'place of the six elephants' in the local Somali language.
Mothers and their young children started to gather at the designated spot and I was struck by how the women's bright clothing contrasted with the earthy, dusty scenery and their shy nature. While the mothers waited to be seen by the nurse, a female volunteer took the opportunity to teach them about the importance of hygiene and prenatal care. There are 280 of these village volunteers across Wajir, trained by Merlin to provide health messages to their communities and to encourage them to come and seek medical care when they need it.
After a general check up, the Merlin/MoH team found that a number of the children were moderately malnourished. The mothers of these children were given supplementary food to last until the return of the mobile clinic in two weeks.
One child, Suleiman Ali Farah, was severely malnourished. The 10-month-old boy had been found at his home by a village volunteer who had then persuaded his mother, Bushara Abdikadni, to bring him to the Merlin mobile clinic. Two weeks later, the team was thrilled to see that Suleiman had gained 400 grams – a big step towards his recovery.
On my first visit to the hospital in Wajir Town, I was shocked to see the Merlin-supported stabilization center filled to overflowing with severely sick children. A tent had been erected to accommodate more. While nearly all malnourished children can be treated by Merlin mobile clinics and brought back to full health at home with their families, severely malnourished children with complications are referred to the hospital for treatment.
Combating Kala-azar
I soon found out that the center was full due to a Kala-azar epidemic sweeping Wajir and neighbouring districts. This killer disease is spread by sand flies, transmitting a parasite when they bite. The parasite then migrates to the internal organs causing fever, weight loss, substantial swelling of the spleen, extreme discomfort, and if left untreated, usually death. Children are the predominant victims of Kala-azar, who are from communities where their nomadic lifestyle increases their exposure to sand flies.
Since my return from Kenya, Merlin supported the opening of a stabilization center in another part of the district, and will soon be opening two more centers to help ease the strain on the Wajir Town Hospital. Merlin mobile clinic teams are on the lookout for cases of Kala-azar in the villages they visit, and have added Kala-azar health messages to those they already give to health workers, village volunteers and communities.
I was in the Merlin office in Wajir Town when one of the mobile teams radioed from Griftu village to say they had a young boy with Kala-azar who they were going to take to the hospital.
By the time five-year-old Adan Billow arrived, he had a 107°F temperature and was moments away from convulsions. He was given immediate treatment of paracetamol and tepid sponging; a relatively simple measure that probably helped prevent brain damage since convulsions would have reduced the oxygen to his brain.
When he was admitted, Adan was not even able to sit up. When I saw him the next morning, he was standing next to his mother, Sarura Maalim, on his own.
I saw many children like Suleiman and Adan in Wajir who would have died if Merlin had not been there to provide health care. It was a truly humbling experience to see such happiness and hope in the faces of these children.
Find out more about our work in Kenya
Help us save more lives now: Please make a donation