Mount Meru Hospital and Kanzi Kibera

I have decided to climb Kilimanjaro in less than a week to try and raise money for the Kanzi-Kibera friends charity in Nairobi. This charity is supported by my family and local church and I will be visiting them in October.

Kanzi-Kibera are a British registered charity, raising funds to help support education in the slums of Kibera, just outside Nairobi. The word ‘Kanzi’ means ‘Hidden treasure’ which, they believe, relates to the unlocked potential of children in Kibera; destined for a life of poverty if they are unable to gain an education.

Because the people living in Kibera are viewed as squatters by the Kenyan government, the education provided is inadequate. As a result of this, informal schools are created by individuals who believe in the importance of education. They have connected with four such schools and pledged to help them reach their goal of raising children out of poverty through the gift of education.

I am also working in Tanzania at Mount Meru Regional Hospital. I will have been here for 12 weeks before heading to Kenya. I have been so moved by the people's resilience and kindness. Especially the decisions made as to whether they pay for their healthcare or to feed their families. Despite being a large government hospital, the resources are few and their access to drugs even less. For the whole emergency department and the whole of internal medicine, there is one blood pressure machine and one oxygen monitor. They have no access to tests such as ECG's, fundoscopy and ketone monitoring. For my non-medical friends, these are very simple and basic tests that can tell you a lot about a patient's condition. Any money over from the education funds will be used to buy equipment for the hospital.

I understand now is such a hard time to donate, but even a small amount could make a huge difference.

Thank you in advance.

With love and blessings,

Harriet

xx