Tharaka Medical Camp

Hello everyone!

We are back from our trip in Tharaka where we helped with a medical camp. The trip out to Tharaka was very rough and we were all hot, tired and hungry by the time we got there. Thankfully, Douglas had made us delicious cake and packed us fruit which we all enjoyed under the whimsical Baobab tree! The lodge we stayed at was very nice and we had quite the animal noise orchestra at night to keep us company. After setting up the tents on Wednesday night, we ate dinner at the Baobab Lodge and all tasted goat for the first time.  We woke up early on Thursday morning to eat breakfast at 6:30am with the rest of the staff and there were patients lined up who had arrived the night before. The medical camp offered free services including: blood pressure and blood sugar screening, malaria and other lab tests, eye screening, dental care, family planning, HIV testing, dressings, pharmacy and visiting with a clinician. We started seeing patients at 7:30am and we all got to participate in the different areas of the medical camp. It was the hottest weather any of us have ever been in, but thankfully it rained in the afternoon to cool it down a little bit. We served 894 patients throughout the day, and they presented with a wide variety of health needs. The patients that we saw had traveled as far as 80 kilometers (48 miles) by foot, bike, motorcycle and a few by public transportation. The Tharaka area is very arid and poverty stricken, and these patients were very grateful and happy to receive free medical care. After cleaning up the camp, the nurses welcomed us with open arms and hearts into their culture by teaching us traditional songs and dances. In return, we taught them the Cupid Shuffle as well as other songs. It was so much fun to be immersed in their culture and to share a bit of ours with them. The nurses loved learning the Cupid Shuffle and then we shared dinner with them to finish off the night. This morning we got up and had breakfast with the staff and then headed back to Chogoria. We spend the afternoon doing some laundry and saying goodbye to all of the special people we have met here in Chogoria. It is safe to say that this place will be missed greatly by us all. Tonight we are heading out to dinner with some friends and we will head to Nairobi tomorrow morning for a new adventure! Thanks for reading and we send our love!

All of us before starting the medical camp! Thank you Sharon for taking pictures all day!