TERRY HOPE CENTRE

The Terry Hope Centre is now the proud owner of a brand new loo block thanks to a very generous donation from the Australian High Commission Direct Aid Programme.

It’s an innovative system with a large tank sunk into the ground and filled with water. The loo structure is then built on top and no flushing is required. There are no mechanical parts meaning no maintenance, making this an ideal system for installation in a slum community.

As expected the children are thrilled. The excitement is indescribable. Many of these children are very rarely given an opportunity to play; they are either at school or helping in their foster homes. We are determined to provide the orphaned children with a safe, fun place to play and develop as ‘normal’ children do.

It is wonderful to see this objective being fulfilled. The next stage is to lay a new ground surface on the entire area. This will begin in early July before the school holidays begin. We will lay a hard surface which will reduce the mud and make a more suitable play area for ball games, hopscotch and skipping. It will also include drainage so that the rainwater runs off easily.

MALTESER INTERNATIONAL RUN EIGHT CLINICS IN NAIROBI FOR THE TREATMENT OF TB AND HIV

Malteser International work within the slums in a catchment area of 600,000. It is very difficult to control the infection rate of any disease in these areas but TB even more so as it is spread through the air, it’s highly infectious and is often deadly. However, it is curable with a six to eight month course of antibiotics.

It seems so easy to treat people but the problem is the pills make you feel better so the TB patient doesn’t complete the full course. As a result the disease just lies dormant and often returns within months but more aggressive and now resistant to the antibiotics.

Malteser Int quickly identified this problem and credits their success to the Volunteer Community Workers. Watch our 3 minute interview with Purity and be inspired. Click here to watch the video.

ST JOHN’S DAY CELEBRATIONS

We were very pleased that the Archbishop of Nairobi, Cardinal John Njue, celebrated the St John’s Day Mass for us on Thursday 24th June.  The Papal Nuncio, H.E. Archbishop Alain Paul, Fr Marino Gemma and Fr Vincent Wambugu joined the Cardinal.

Many Ambassadors from other diplomatic missions in Kenya, as well as Kenyan government ministers and many friends of the Order of Malta joined us. During the Mass Alice Murphy and Sam Mattock read the scripture.

Schubert’s Ave Maria was sung during Communion. Drinks and canapés followed the Mass. The national anthem of the Order of Malta was played and a speech was deliverd by the Ambassador.

LOURDES PILGRIMAGE AND SHOP

For the second year running we had a shop in Lourdes selling many different items all made for us in Kenya. The shop opened on the Friday afternoon and by mid afternoon on the Monday we had all but sold out completely. We were delighted with the way it went and we received much positive feedback from everyone who visited.

Most importantly we raised much-needed funds to support our work here in Kenya. We were very grateful to receive help with the shop from members of the Order from Monaco, Germany and Britain.
For those who did not buy while in Lourdes the products are always available from our online shop: www.icare.co.ke.

LAMU DISTRICT HOSPITAL

Sarah and Christopher Cornell, Companions of the Order of Malta, who were holidaying on Lamu Island, alerted us to the desperate state of the hospital there.

Paul Ochieng, of Malteser International visitied Lamu in March 2010, with Alice Murphy, and produced a detailed report on the help required and suggestions on how the Order of Malta could assist. Alice Murphy and the Ambassador, Gianfranco Cicogna Mozzoni then followed up this trip in late June 2010.

During this visit we met many people on the island including the Director of Kenya Wildlife Service, The Deputy District Commissioner, The Curator of the Museum, the Chief Medical Officer and many other local characters.

It is now absolutely evident that there is a great need for our help in the district, particularly in the area of maternal health and child welfare.


The challenge will be prioritising in which area the need is greatest. Lamu is a predominantly Muslim area and there is a dire need for more female doctors to treat the women, but unfortunately very few women in the area receive the education required to pursue a career in medicine.

The next step will be meetings with the Ministry of Health in Nairobi to discuss how the Order of Malta can assist the government, so that we can begin to eradicate the unnecessary deaths and sickness of mother and baby occurring through childbirth in this area.