Sponsorship Request: Medical need

Addendum: What a quick response! Within 6 hours of my posting this, a lovely Seattle couple has volunteered to pay the full cost of his visit! Thank you for all others who considered supporting him! Believe you me, there will be many other opportunities to help.

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Therapists Without Borders aims to have a sponsorship/scholarship fund in the future, where people can donate to support people with disabilities to get medical assistance, supplies, and an education.

For now, Village Volunteers will accept donations on ThWB's behalf, to support the people who need help as soon as possible.

Kevin Ochieng is "16 years old but orphaned, and is now staying with his grandma. He is in class 8 and has been ill for the last 7 years." (as was described by Edwin, co-director of Dago Dala Hera)

At this time, his leg's growth has increased to the point that it is becoming difficult for him to walk. See pictures below.

If you or someone you know can help pay for all or part of a trip to the doctor, that could change (or save, depending on whatever is causing this growth!) his life!

Here is the breakdown of costs:
Transportation for him, his grandmother, and Edwin (who can negotiate and facilitate the process) to the town of Kisii, to Aga Khan Hospital (70km away) = 3000 KSHS or KES (Kenyan Shillings) = $36.85 USD

X-rays = 6000 KES = $73.71

Doctor fees + consultation = 4000 KES = $49.14

Total = $159.7 USD

Extra buffer for miscellaneous/unexpected charges (including transaction fees from banks to withdraw our wire transfers) and to round it up to an even $200 = $40.30









To Donate: Click here and follow instructions to donate specifically to "Kevin Ochieng"

And let me know when you do it so I can tell them the good news and update this post! Thank you!!!!

Follow-up: Jacqueline Achieng

Over two months ago, I wrote a post about a lovely 12 year old girl named Jacqueline. She has had a history of 30-minute epileptic seizures and is one of 8 children. Her disabilities has impaired the daily lives of the entire family (lacking the father who prefers to spend his time with his other wives) and threatens their survival.

Thankfully, Jackie now has a sponsor! An outstanding woman and sister in Christ, this person has helped send Jackie, her developmentally delayed sister Rose, and their mother to get to the hospital. Below are some excerpts of emails I have received from my in-country contacts (emphases are mine).

Sept 4
... We are just from Kisumu [where the hospital is] now. The gals have been attended to greatly, the doctors recomended lab tests for both especially the blood & urine samples. They have been given prescriptions, jackline was given reglol200 gms tabs for a whole month pending review that was recommended to be on a monthly basis. They also suggested a city [CT] scan on the head that they said will cost kshs 12000. They also recomended a protein enriched meal for her coz they feel her diet is not good for the kind of medication she is introduced to. All in all the family & i are so greatful for your support. Thank the lady who helped in the fundraising as well as all who donated towards their medical care & support. Can you believe this is their first time in a car? Just as you know our matatus, they had several convaltions & vomitings because of the crowding the seats. I know God will help them. ...

Sept 9
... Jacklin & her family too are good, i have been helping monitor her medical care. She's doing good though, with regards to the protein enriched meals, the mom has a slight problem. With the poor harvest, she does not have enough. If you guys can help in anyway,just do it. Otherwise just lets focus on her next medication. ...

Oct 4
Its so amazing that Jackline has so improved. Im at Dago and things are great. Imagine Jacklyn can count numbers upto 50 now and can write her name. Im so greatful. She is finishing her medication tomorrow and should be going back to hospital for check up and pick medication. Please if you can, help us get her the check and medication. ...

Name: Nathan Parningo

Chronological Age: 7
Grade: Introductory (i.e., Kindergarten)
School: Sirua Aulo Academy
Vision Screening: Appears to be WFL
Hearing Screening: Appears to be WFL
Evaluation Date: July 5, 2008
Evaluation Location: Transmara District
Examiner: Linda, M.A., CCC-SLP, through Emmanuel as our Swahili/English translator

Reason for Referral: Nathan was brought to the school at my request to meet all children in the area with disabilities.

Educational History: Nathan attended nursery school with his twin brother, but was refused entry into the next and consecutive classes. His brother is now in Class 2 (i.e., 2nd grade) in a public school, while Nathan has been forced to stay at home for the past 3 years.

Medical History: Nathan presents as a healthy boy with a normal birth and developmental history.

Interview: They say he has a "heavy tongue" and that he "doesn't talk." However, further questioning revealed that he does speak, but it is not often and inaudible. I did not hear his voice in my short period with him. Mom reported that he can follow directions and if he wants something he can do it himself. Her biggest concern is that he has not gone to school.

I was not able to do a complete oral-motor examination with him; he did not imitate or follow directions much, though Emmanuel stated that he "understands everything." My clinical judgment is that he is selectively mute, and his segregation from his brother and peers has not helped his emotional-behavioral development. The tongue thing? Habit. He was able to close his mouth sufficiently, and I see no other reasons for him to maintain that open mouth posture. (Check sinuses? Darn, I didn't think of that! But I didn't see or hear about respiratory problems to indicate it)

In any case, Nathan's situation drives me crazy! He would do perfectly fine in school alongside his brother! In fact, we incorporated Nathan into the Intro class right away, and during break time he played soccer along with the other boys his age just fine! He didn't verbalize then either, but the boys allowed him to kick the ball and participate. He could catch up to his brother in no time, at least to Class 1, with tutoring and the higher quality education Emmanuel's school is providing.

For a tax-deductible Dollar A Day, you can help Nathaen get quality education, food, clothing, and in the near future, shelter, for A YEAR. $365 is a fraction of what you spend on coffee every year. Please help to ease the burden for this one family, and let this child realize his full potential. Contact me at autosmiler at gmail dot com and/or donate through the Village Volunteers website.

Name: Naeku Nkilasi

Chronological Age: 10
Grade: Nursery
School: Sirua Aulo Academy
Vision Screening: Appears to be WFL
Hearing Screening: Appears to be WFL
Evaluation Date: July 5, 2008
Evaluation Location: Transmara District
Examiner: Linda, M.A., CCC-SLP, through Emmanuel as our Swahili/English translator

Reason for Referral: Naeku was brought to the school at my request to meet all children in the area with disabilities.

Educational History: Naeku has not attended school. No public school will accept her (even if they could accommodate her), and family cannot afford to send Naeku to a private school, though there are none in the area anyway.

Medical History: Born normal but had delayed milestones such that by two years of age they "realized something was wrong." As she grew up, she has had epileptic seizures lasting a couple minutes each, with up to 4 month breaks in between. Fortunately, she has not had one in the past three years. Naeku has a mental age of approximately four years old. Receptive language appears to be a relative strength, as she speaks about 10 Swahili words.

Interview: Mom reported that her biggest concern is that Naeku has not gone to school. She can wash dishes, sweep, wash clothes, and bathe herself.

Naeku is a very sweet kid. Although she was fearful of me as a mzungu, she clinged to Emmanuel right away, who is a stranger to her, and seemed to really enjoy socializing despite being kept at home for her entire life.

Here I do a simple oral-motor evaluation with her, which not only reveals any potential structural or coordination deficits but also gives a sense of her stimulability and expressive/receptive language skills.

And since I didn't feel like captioning this, here are a couple notes:
"Mzuri sana" means "very good" in Swahili.
"Asante sana" means "thank you very much" for those people-in-a-cave who haven't seen "The Lion King"

I suggested that Naeku and the other child with a disability (who will be profiled in my next post) start school in October when I return so that I can try to get them sponsored and come back to train the staff on how to accommodate them. But Emmanuel accepted them immediately into Sirua Aulo Academy, saying he's sure I could find them sponsors.

If you are touched by Naeku as I am, and want to sponsor her education, feeding, clothing, and in the future, her sheltering as well (when the dormitories are built) for an entire year, please contact me at autosmiler at gmail dot com. It is only $365 [a dollar a day!] to support her for an entire year. And don't forget, donations made through Village Volunteers are tax-deductible.

For the Nkilasi family, Emmanuel, and myself... Asante Sana.

Name: Jacqueline Achieng

Chronological Age: 12
Grade: none
School: none
Vision Screening: Unable to complete
Hearing Screening: Unable to complete
Evaluation Date: June 24, 2008
Evaluation Location: Dago Village
Examiner: Linda, M.A., CCC-SLP, through Edwin as our Luo/English translator

Reason for Referral: Jackie was referred for intervention due to significant concerns regarding her health, development, and cognitive status affecting the family's daily living and survival.

Educational History: Jackie has not attended school. Public schools cannot accommodate her needs. She is unable to walk to school or be unsupervised.

Medical History: Hospitalized for severe malaria at age 3 and has had epileptic seizures ever since. Mom reports doctor recommended she eats several small meals instead of 3 normal ones in order to decrease her chances of choking on reflux or vomit during an attack.

Family History: Jackie has 7 siblings and lives with her mom in a small mud hut in Dago village. Jackie's father has other wives and rarely visits this home. They suspect it is because of the disabilities in the family: Jackie's 10-year-old sister, Rose, is developmentally delayed.

Interview: Mom reported that Jackie zones out particularly when the moon is in its ascending phase for 5 days, and when it's in the descending phase for 5 days (so, a total of 10 days). Her seizures last an average of 30 minutes, and there are times when she stares off into space.
Mom reported that she constantly falls, resulting in scars on the back of her head. Mom says she "can't think straight" so she does everything for her (feed, bathe, etc.). I noticed she drools as well. During my visit, the moon was not in the right phase for me to see her in her more 'active' state, during which she can help with simple chores, talk, and feed herself.

On an average day, Mom must get up very early to make breakfast for her 8 children. This involves gathering firewood, getting water from the river, and preparing all food from scratch. She also does the laundry for all the kids, and by 10-10:30am she has to make another meal for Jackie before her other children return for lunch.

Around 4pm, Mom makes another meal for Jackie, and later makes dinner for everyone before bedtime. Dishes, farming, cleaning, and other chores are done somewhere along the way. Jackie has a habit of wandering around in addition to falling during seizures, so she has to be constantly supervised.

Mom's biggest concern, beyond her worsening state, is Jackie's inability to bathe herself. Jackie likes to follow her sisters to the river and tries to even copy washing panties, but she is ineffective and wastes their soap and takes up a lot of Mom's time.

Caregiver Education: I educated Mom about epilepsy, grand mal seizures, how it affects her growth and learning, and the different treatment options available to help her function normally. Having only cursory knowledge of epilepsy disorders, I couldn't do much else. I explained again my background in rehabilitation, and the training I can provide after the seizures are controlled. I had to emphasize that only through medical intervention like medication, which can be a long, complicated process to find the effective dosages, can she be able to function and learn.

However, I was determined to do SOMETHING to help while I was there. I returned the day after with some felt and a headscarf I bought in Kericho last year. At least to prevent more major scars from falls, she can wear a wrap like other women do, yet hide the extra padding underneath. Mom liked this a lot.



Next, at my request to observe the bathing process, Mom set up a little area out back with a tub of water and a wall of leaves. Mom said when she's not in her dazed period, she can do almost everything herself except bathe herself. The best way I thought I could help was to see what the problems were in person. Over the next half hour or more, I observed how Jackie bathed and how Mom interacted with her throughout the process, then taught Mom about teaching techniques, and finally spent time practicing with Jackie. I tried to give just some basic ideas like keeping to a routine, giving hand-over-hand help with verbal cues, and keeping her instructions short/simple. The best I could do then was leave her with some notes using donated paper and markers (Thanks again, folks!).


I wish you could each see the pained expression on Mom's face as she talked about her children, her sense of helplessness, her fear for their future. She was desperate for help. No, she IS STILL desperate for help. She's already doing everything she can for Jacqueline and her family, but has nowhere to turn. Mom is also a devote Christian, and said that she "trusts in God because He made her, and will do anything for her to improve her life".

Before I left her home for the last time, I committed myself to helping her and her family. First thing's first, Jacqueline needs medical attention. Edwin is still helping me figure out the costs and logistics of transportation to/from the hospital, potential medical fees, etc. so that I can have a ballpark figure to target when fundraising. Meanwhile, I think I can now start the process of creating awareness, arousing sympathy and requesting help.

To donate by check, please make checks payable to Village Volunteers and note the purpose in the memo line ("Jackie Achieng of Dago"). Checks should be mailed to:

Village Volunteers
5100 S. Dawson St., Suite 202
Seattle, WA 98118
USA

You can also make a donation online. Village Volunteers uses PayPal to securely process all online donations.

Or, if you would like to wire a donation to Village Volunteers, please email Florinda Peralta at florinda@villagevolunteers.org for our account information.

Pamela tells about Susan's background

This is after I revealed to Susan and the family that Susan will be sponsored by an American couple for the rest of her education (she's in 6th grade now). Pamela, who is trilingual in Luo, Swahili, and English, had adopted her earlier on and now is expressing her appreciation and describing how Susan came to her household.

My kids

Like reading the definition of autism from a textbook and then meeting a child with autism, I hadn't fully understood what it's like to experience the midnight sun. It's freakin me out, actually, that it's 12am and it's twilight. About 10 people are still up and very active (I'd include me cept I'm falling asleep at the keyboard) at this hostel. And yes, of the 10 of us, there's only one other girl (but have you heard the saying, "The odds are good, but the goods are odd."?)

Anyway, I have been perpetually exhausted since Kenya and trying to catch up with this life so I will make this post short, and just introduce you all to my kids.


This is Brian Tajeuo. He is a rambunctious 5-year-old in the nursery class who loves to volunteer even if he doesn't know what he's volunteering for. Loves attention yet shy at the same time. Cute, sweet, and happens to have a cleft palate.





Lerionka Ololgisoi is in class 2. I began sponsoring him last year without having met him yet. Among my options, I chose him almost purely because I liked his name. It's fun to say (it's a Maasai name). Very shy.





They are $365 each to sponsor, which clothes, feeds, shelters, and educates them for an entire year.

A dollar a day, to give a child a chance at life.

Fairbanks, AK

Arrived safely, finally, after 20 hours travel from Kenya-London-Seattle, a 3 day ferry ride from Washington, and 13 hour drive north through the Yukon Territory... to start work at my new short-term assignment at a private SLP & OT clinic in Fairbanks. Yes, they had me start the moment I arrived at 11am today, all my belongings still in my car! So again I must apologize for not updating - I've been internet and cell phone deprived for over a month! If you're mildly interested, utterly bored, or dutifully procrastinating, I'll put more details with pictures about my northernly adventures in my private blog.

For now, at least you can enjoy a couple videos. The first is of a typical scene where 23 bodies crammed into Emmanuel's car (which was named after me last year, as you can see pasted on the back window). He doesn't drop them all home, but gives 19 children rides on the way to his own home after Sirua Aulo school lets out, so it saves these kids 30-45 minutes of walking.



This second is another that makes me smile. I am telling 12 year old Susan Adiambo (which means "born in the evening" in the Luo language. They nicknamed me "Akinyi", which means "born early in the morning"), who is an orphan but adopted informally by my host family, that she will get to be sponsored from now on. The thing is, as you watch, you may wonder what the big deal is to sponsor an orphan. Yes, Susan is currently fed and sheltered, and is going to school. But with sponsorship, she can go to a boarding school to get quality education and be able to focus on that as her priority, rather than the constant chores of daily living at the home (I've another video of her showing me around the compound, talking about her life; I still need to caption it though, so again please be patient!). She will also be able to go to secondary school (i.e., high school), which is currently still expensive for families to afford.

Some notes before you watch: Patrick and Edwin are the natural sons of Pamela. They both live in Nairobi now, so you see them in city clothes (I made fun of Edwin that when he put on his sunglasses in that outfit he looks like a 'player'... a term he has never heard and tried to find in the dictionary but couldn't...)



Currently working on captioning the video of Pamela explaining Susan's background. I'll load it in the next post, along with information about other children who need sponsorships-- all children with disabilities.