Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Disruption



I am uncomfortable. My senses did their job in Kenya. They collected sights, sounds and information for me to wrestle with. My mind will not be the same. Old beliefs and realities cannot accommodate the new information. The process of reconciliation is not tidy. It won’t work for me to come to simple explanations and conclusions. I will need to sit in the dissonance for a while and build new constructs of thought.

My world at home has changed. The face of my son, his bright eyes are no different the eyes of the children I spent time with. Would we ever allow a child in our country to sleep on the street? I consider that there are nearly a million orphans because of HIV. This is just one of many looming injustices for me to consider...there must be a balance of witnessing these truths but not being paralyzed because of them.  

I have an ache. The Community Health Workers (CHWs) of the slums are with me. No official title, no formal education, no clear certification and no governing body. They choose to work for as volunteers. They choose to comfort the dying in the middle of the night, they wash the bedridden. Where is their honor? Why are they invisible? I remembering learning of times when nurses where invisible...handmaidens. The correlation between the CHWs and Nursing resonates in my chest and I feel accountable. How would the health status of a slum change if the CHWs were honored and treated as health providers and problem solvers?

I will continue to collaborate with Tatua. My energy will be aimed at empowering and supporting the Community Health Workers in the slums of Ngong, Ngando and Rongi. It isn't enough to provide mission work to the slums. The solution has to grow from within. The CHWs are uniquely positioned as access points to healthcare. My mind can rest on this.

A new chapter begins for me here with the CHWs.  

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