Welcome to the Marine Mammal and wildlife Research and Community Development Expedition blog where you can keep up to date with all the happenings and information from Kenya

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Health project: helping with construction of the new youth centre in Shimoni

On the way to the dispensary this week, Kopa and I noticed the new youth center was coming along very nicely, but what’s this, no one to wheel-barrow the coral rocks needed for the concrete floor? Well we weren’t going to just let that slide. 


Luckily it was a very quiet day at the dispensary so Kopa and I could go and see if they needed a hand. We went back and forth from the top of the hill and picked up the coral rocks and wheeled them back down to the youth center. Although it was only an hour and a bit of work the sweat was definitely freely flowing and the Public Health Minister was enjoying ordering us each time we came back to get another wheel-barrow full.

A Youth Center is a much needed addition to the Shimoni community, with next to no areas for the youth to get together and have a bit of safe fun. The centre will also be used as a community hall and will be available for renting by the community in which all money will be put back into the community for development purposes.


As part of an addition to the health system the youth center will be used as a consult room for the public dispensary clients. ARV (anti-retroviral) therapy is also a large part of the work done at the public dispensary to treat the symptoms associated with HIV/AIDS. When ARV therapy, as with most anti-viral therapies, is administered it can have similar side effects to that of chemotherapy. The side effects for chemotherapy are common and can sometimes be very debilitating. The new youth center will be a place for public dispensary (public health) clients can receive ARV therapy in a more private setting, in which not all the community will witness. I think this is a great idea, seeing the side effects of anti-viral medications (as well as chemotherapy) first hand in some of the hospitals that I have worked in, I know that no patient would want to be left in the waiting room with drugs pumping through their arms, hands, CVC’s, portacaff’s etc. etc. while being the main act of associated negative symptoms for all the public to see.



Shaun Avis - Health project volunteer

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