TURKANA CHILDREN CRYNG FOR HELP

David Sims, a member of Merlin’s Emergency Response Team, blogs from the frontline of the east African food crisis in Turkana, Kenya.

A child is checked for malnutrition by a
Merlin health worker in Turkana, Kenya

It feels slightly ironic when responding to a drought that our plans for today were almost scuppered by rain.
The Merlin Response Team had spent much of the weekend working out the details for visiting a clinic we need to rebuild, then at six o’clock this morning it started to rain.
It only rained for an hour or so but it still meant there were excited discussions over breakfast about how far the rain had reached and whether the roads would be passable.
In the end we took our chances and as we set off I was interested to see how the rain had impacted on a parched landscape.
However by the time we reached the road out of town I realised that it hadn’t had any impact at all.
The landscape was as barren and sun-bleached as ever.
Slightly depressed, I realised it will take a lot more than an hour’s rain before any difference will be seen here.

A child is given nutrition substances
by a Merlin team in Turkana, Kenya

Rebuilding Lokichar Health Centre

We reached the health centre Merlin is due to rehabilitate – in the village of Lokichar - at around ten in the morning.

At the moment, the centre consists of four concrete block walls with a tin roof, nothing more, and – due to lack of funds - it is in a half-finished state of disrepair.

The floor needs to be completed, walls built, plastered and painted and equipment purchased.

In order to meet the needs of the local people, severely under-nourished due to the food shortages sweeping east Africa at the moment, the centre needs to begin a food distribution programme as soon as possible.

Merlin is pushing hard to complete the rehabilitation of the structure in time to make this happen.

 It is an uphill struggle, with a lot of extra work required to fix what has fallen in to disrepair.

However, getting the Lokichar clinic up and running is one of Merlin’s main priorities in the region now.

None of Merlin’s work in Kenya, or around the world, would be possible without your support.

Please help us to continue to save lives by giving to Merlin today.

Thank you.

Challenges and change in western Kenya

• news-media
• Kenya
• Turkana
• challenges
• climate change
• health
• Turkana

Challenges and change in western Kenya

Friday 17th June 2011 05:11 PM

Sarah Ireland, Merlin's Funding Coordinator, reports back from a trip to Lodwar Hospital in Turkana, western Kenya.

The sounds, the smells, the vibrant colours, the manic traffic ... I'm back in Africa and on my first deployment with Merlin - three months in Merlin's Kenya mission.

I'm in Turkana at the moment which is a dry, arid district in north western Kenya mainly inhabited by pastoralists who rely on animal herding for their livelihoods.
The first thing I notice is the vibrant colour of the landscape – the yellow of the dust and sand, the green of the sundrenched trees, and the brilliant dress of the local people with luminous reds, yellows, blues and greens dominating the markets and the streets.

The challenges faced by the people of Turkana

Turkana is the most under-developed district in Kenya, where 62% of the population live below the poverty line. Many communities don’t have enough safe water, or access to effective health care services.
Female illiteracy is high, and awareness of health issues is poor. Not only that, but the child mortality rate is 150% higher than the national average and there is only one doctor for every 100,000 people, meaning that quite often, when people do make the long journey for treatment, they aren’t even seen by a health worker.
Today I visited the district hospital in Lodwar, the main town in Turkana. Merlin has rehabilitated part of the paediatric ward, fixing up a nutrition unit that houses malnourished children and their mothers.

Patients in the Merlin-supported nutrition wing
of Lodwar Hospital, Turkana

It was quite amazing to look at the rest of the hospital and then the section that has been rehabilitated by Merlin - bright colours on the walls after a new paint job, the beds and bedside cabinets had been fixed and painted so they were no longer rusty, electrical wires that had been hanging from the wall were now safely stored, mosquito nets attached to the outside of the windows, and doors fixed so they can be properly shut.

Fans had also been installed so the room was cool - previously mothers would take their children outside into the cooler breeze but this meant that the malnourished children were in contact with other children in the ward and, as they were malnourished and with low immunity, they were at an increased risk of catching infections.

Merlin have also rehabilitated other parts of the paediatric ward - new toilets and showers for mothers and children, a drainage and sewage system, new concreted communal space so children aren't sitting in the dirt, and an extra shaded area that can be used as a waiting room, or for more patients if malnutrition cases continue to increase.

Lodwar Hospital, Turkana, Kenya

There are many challenges facing the people of Turkana and, over the past few years, climate change has made it an even tougher place to live.

Adjusting to a changing climate

These days drought comes to Turkana every one or two years, and with drought comes greater food insecurity and malnutrition, leading to decreased immunity to common diseases.

In case the rains don't come, Merlin is looking at how we can increase our activities to cover the increasingly nomadic population as they move in search of pasture and water.

Although I was only in Turkana for a few days, it was great to see the hospital, meet the staff who are working in tough conditions every day, and see the environment for myself.

It's a real eye-opener seeing those caught in an environment that's changing due to climate change and amazing to see how Merlin is working with the local people to help them adjust to those changes.

Promoting safe motherhood in Kenya

• news-media
• Kenya
• Kenya
• motherhood
• Turkana

Promoting safe motherhood in Kenya

Tuesday 15th February 2011 02:20 PM

I am in Turkana, an arid region in north west Kenya mainly inhabited by tribes of nomadic farmers.

Thanks to your support, Merlin has been working in this vast, arid county of Kenya since 2004.
We run primary health care, nutrition, sanitation, hygiene promotion and reproductive health programmes, reaching more than 280,000 people across the Turkana region.
Today, my colleagues and I have travelled to the village of Turkwel for a community meeting on maternal health.

Chief Erot and his three wives
at a community meeting in Turkwel

Meeting the chief

Upon arrival in Turkwel, we are warmly greeted by the local Chief, Erot, and invited to sit amongst a community group that consists of men drinking busa (the local brew), women tending to their babies and young boys making mischief.
First up, a Merlin-trained Safe Motherhood Promoter, Selena, spoke to the community about how she had been selected from her village to be trained in this role.
As part of Merlin’s Safe Motherhood Programme, Selena was taught about reproductive health so that she could advise and assist the other women in her village, and encourage them to give birth in a proper health facility.
After the meeting, one woman told us how she lost her baby when she experienced severe bleeding during labour and was unable to reach the hospital in time.
With long distances to health facilities and not enough money for transport, less than 10% of Turkana women give birth with the assistance of a trained health worker. This results in the deaths of many mothers and babies.

Selena, a Merlin-trained Safe Motherhood Promoter, in Turkwel

Meeting the challenge

With your continued support, Merlin is working tirelessly to combat this by talking to these communities and training women like Selena as safe motherhood promoters, as well as encouraging women to receive antenatal care and give birth in a proper health facility.

As Merlin’s Country Director, Louise Patterson, says:

“Because of their nomadic lifestyle, the Turkana people face huge challenges when it comes to accessing adequate health care, especially pre and post natal care.

“Merlin is totally committed to working with the local community to meet these challenges and is incredibly grateful to our supporters for all their help in preventing the needless deaths of mothers and babies in this part of Kenya.”

• joseph.francis's blog
• 7 comments

Rebuilding Lochikar Health Centre Tuesday 9 August 2011 David Sims David Sims, a member of Merlin’s Emergency Response Team, blogs from the frontline of the east African food crisis in Turkana, Kenya. Read full post

Challenges and change in western Kenya Friday 17 June 2011 Sarah Ireland Sarah Ireland, Merlin's Funding Coordinator, reports back from a trip to Lodwar Hospital in Turkana, western Kenya. Read full post

Promoting safe motherhood in Kenya Tuesday 15 February 2011 Pippa Findlay I am in Turkana, an arid region in north west Kenya mainly inhabited by tribes of nomadic farmers.