Latest news

Report about the Easter 2024 Medical Expedition

01/06/2024

Nairobi, Kenya

Written by volunteer Dr. med. Andeas Eggert

As medical expeditions are one of the main duties of the Divinity Foundation this year Easter Expedition started end of March 2024.
For two weeks medical volunteers from Poland and Germany travelled together with Kenyan colleagues to three remote areas in Kenya.
Starting with a one-day medical camp in Naivasha the expedition continued their help in East Pokot based in Chemolingot on the church ground of Bishop Youssef. Due to the tremendous need in this region, we extended the stay to 4 working days to reach 4 different sites. There is no access to clean water, electricity, food, medical help or education!
Even in the District Hospital Chemolingot we recognized a lack of laboratory diagnostic and pharmaceutical medical help for our administered patients. The circumstances were difficult to endure. In East Pokot we treated in total 1400 women and children for free and donated 1000 famine feed food packs.
The expedition ended in Amboseli staying at the Rescue Center for additional four days with 3 medical camps in very remote areas around the Amboseli National Park. These isolated Maasai communities were difficult to reach due to a lack of reliable roads breaking down our own bus on one of our trips home to the Rescue Center.
We were fascinated by the progress of the Maternity and Children’s Community Hospital which is one of the key projects of Divinity Foundation.  
This hospital will serve families who are in desperate need of a permanent medical facility within their reach.
On our way to one of the medical camps we had the opportunity to visit the Big Girls Foundation - a ray of light for Maasai girls!
We would like to thank our Kenyan colleagues, the committed translators in Pokot, Naivasha and Amboseli especially our girls from the Rescue Center and the whole staff during the expedition.
In total we treated 2900 women and children and touched many more hearts.
Below you see a few impressions of our work.

Divinity Foundation Newsletter December 2023

24/12/2023

Nairobi, Kenya

Multiple authors

Divinity Foundation Newsletter June 2023

01/08/2023

Nairobi, Kenya

Written by CEO Nav Matharu and the Rescue Centre Girls

What's next? Mobile Medical Camp, 31st March - 15th April 2023

20/03/2023

Nairobi, Kenya

Maria Hoos
European coordinator of medical expeditions

From 31st March until 15th April we’ll welcome a very strong team of 14 international doctors, osteopaths and nurses that will be joined by our Kenyan team of doctors, health officers and translators to serve some of the most underprivileged communities in Kenya with our medical help. 
In these two weeks we’re expecting to treat up to 3000 patients, mostly women and children, in our mobile clinic. 
We’ll be traveling to some of the most remote areas in Kenya, for example Pokot region but will also work in Nairobi slums, Amboseli and Naivasha.
Pokot and Amboseli are areas that are currently tormented with a serious famine, so we’ll also cover famine food aid there. 
To be able to provide food packages for 800 of the most starving families in Amboseli and Pokot, we're currently trying to fundraise 4700€. Medical supplies and medications will cost us 4000€.
All our volunteers pay for their own flights, accommodation, transport and meals.
If you’re willing to support our upcoming medical camp, we would be so grateful to receive any donation you can spare to bring healthcare and food aid to some of the most suffering people in Kenya.

Divinity Foundation Newsletter December 2022

01/01/2023

Nairobi, Kenya

Written by the Rescue Centre Girls

Field Report of an Osteopath during the October 2022 Medical Camp

01/12/2022

Netherlands

Adinda Helsen-Lightard
Osteopathic Volunteer

Saturday 22th of October was the start of a new medical camp.
Twelve volunteers from abroad (UK, The Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Australia and France) and nine Kenyan volunteers started with an orientation day in Nairobi. Always a good day to learn more about Kenya, Kenyan culture, Swahili, FGM, tropical diseases, differential diagnosis and about each other.
The next day was the first treatment day at Children’s Garden in Nairobi, always a pleasure to be. All the children are enthusiastic and laughing, it feels as a warm bath and lot of positive energy.After setting up triage, osteopathy, nurse and pharmacy we could start. It was a day without any difficulties and at the end we got a great performance of the children. We treated 219 children, from having abdominal pain, headache, sour legs, runny nose and backpain to only coming to say hello.
We travelled directly to Naivasha after we finished our work at Children’s Garden. Our stay at Carnelly’s campsite was basic but very good.
Monday the 24th of October we woke up at 6am and after breakfast we drove to Aquila Farm for our second treatment day. After setting up our camp we worked in one stripe till lunchtime, a quick lunch and going on. We ended around 8pm, it was already completely dark outside, but with a good feeling. We were able to treat 535 mothers and children and at the end we were all working together as a team to help pharmacy. What a team! Again we saw a lot of different “problems”, lot of ringworm, funghi (because of the plastic boots people wear during their work in the greenhouses), back- and neckpain, abdominal pain and headache. It was a hot day and a special thank you to the osteopaths who had to work inside, surrounded with plastic sheets and with high temperatures, and must have felt cooked inside.During our treatment day some teens broke in in our car and took a bag full of crocs with them, happily we found them and got the bag back.Next day was a long driving day to Chemolingot, Pokot with an amazing lunchstop at David’s’ house.
On our way to Pokot there were several roadblocks, but with a letter of Bishop Youssef we were able to pass the roadblocks.We were told before that the circumstances in Pokot were severe, no water, high temperatures and severe drought. Besides our treatments we brought hygiene packs, food packages and lots of crocs (shoes) with us.  
Our campsite was near the Church of Chemolingot, all staying in our own one person tent. No proper shower and a toilet (hole in the floor), but we were prepared and it means nothing comparing the suffering of the people of Pokot.
After a short night and preparing 200 food packages, we were on our way to Marsapit. After 4 times stuck with the bus we arrived in Marsapit, a lot of people were already there, sitting in the heat waiting for us. Setting up our camp, while the women were singing, felt like a good start of the day. Sad to know that 98% of the women still undergo FGM.Today we saw a lot of babies with dehydration and eye problems, pregnant women, women who couldn’t become pregnant (probably also because of the cutting complications), and almost everyone with headache, dehydration, urine tract infections, bladder infections (all of this because of lack of water), upper respiratory tract infections and ringworm. After the treatment of 482 patients, we were able to provide the food packages, hygiene packs, crocs and other cloth donations. Happily singing and dancing, the people went home.
Next day we went to Mokurr, Pokot.
Again we prepared 200 food packages and loaded the bus with donations, crocs, hygiene packs and food packages. This time osteopathy and pharmacy could be set up in a little building, triage was outside in the shadow. Again a hot day, above 40 degrees Celsius. We saw almost 600 women and children. A lot of young pregnant women, people with urine tract infections, headache, dehydration and backpain (women who do heavy work). The day started peaceful, relaxed and with a good energy, during the day the situation changed. The people from the community we were the day before came to Mokurr again and tried to get food packages again. Violence started between the two communities and for our own safety we had to stop with our work and leave the area.
Seeing how high the need of food and water is for these people is heart-breaking, fighting for food is not what we know in our Western world. We saw also a lot of drunk women (brewing their own alcohol). With a sad feeling, but relieved that we were all safe, we left the area back to our basecamp. Our last treatment day in Pokot was in Tuwot.
Wow what a peaceful place in a dry river, treating under the trees. When arriving here, within a couple of minutes people appeared from all directions, dressed in beautiful coloured clothes, hats on and all smiling and happy. It was my second time in Tuwot and like the first time you could feel the positive energy from the people and environment here. It was a relaxed treatment day, with some little showers of rain. We saw 352 people and gave out all food packages, clothes, hygiene packs and shoes. And again people were dancing and singing and thankful.The conditions of the people was the same as the two days before, we saw a lot of pregnant women who already lost children before, now scary of giving birth. Lot of FGM complications.We are hoping the rain will come soon for this area, they need rain! Next day we woke up at 5am, a 15 hour drive to Amboseli with lunch stop in Nairobi. In 30 hours we managed to get money donations so we could buy more food for 600 families, amazing and thank you to all of you who donated money, medicines, clothes and so on. Without you we couldn’t have done this expedition.
Late at night we arrived at Aaron’s Camp near the rescuecenter, for me it feels always as coming home when seeing the rescuecenter, the staff and girls. A beautiful place with a view at the Kilimanjaro.
No time to relax because the communities in Amboseli needs our help too. And food packages must be prepared.
Our first day we went to Iltilal, the community where some of the RC-girls come from. Two of the girls joined us as translators, so good to see they grown up from little shy girls to confident young women!Today we treated 252 people from 3 different communities around Iltilal. When giving out the food packages people wanted more and didn’t listen so we couldn’t hand out the clothes, hygiene packs and shoes. On our way back it started raining. Day 2 in Amboseli, we went to Noonkotiak, a village in the middle of nowhere at the border of Amboseli NP. Pharmacy and osteopathy were set up in the church and triage outside. Oltukai was here to help us with translations and giving out food packages and preparing our lunch.Today we were able to help 285 patients. Almost all elderly people had cataract and eye problems, the women had a lot of back- and neck pain due to heavy work, the children had a lot of headache and upper respiratory infections. Back at the rescuecenter we prepared another 150 food packages, with the whole team and music on the background it was a good way to unwind.
The last day in Amboseli was in Risa, we started the day with giving out the food packages to the community around the rescuecenter and left after breakfast to Risa. A peaceful village near the border of the Amboseli NP with a school.Triage, pharmacy, nurse and osteopathy were set up inside the school.It was a great place to end our medical camps with the treatment of 258 patients.We saw a lot of terrible wounds here, due to accidents.People were thankful for the treatment, food packages, donations and hygiene packs.
The expedition ended with a well-deserved, relaxation day and game drive in Oltukai Lodge The team felt sad at the end, realising that the medical camp was ending, but also satisfied. As Lawrence said in the beginning: It’s never enough, but it’s never too little! The team was a strong team and it was a good working machine.
The osteopaths were focussed, pharmacy was a good running train, triage was good and quick, the bus drivers were amazing.  
A big thank you to all the sponsors, people who donated money, clothes, medicines and so on.
It was impossible to do this without your help.
Our adventure goes on and we really hope that you are willing to help us in the future.
Lots of love and happiness,
Adinda Helsen

Divinity's NEWS IN SHORT : October 2022

20/10/2022

Nairobi, Kenya

Maria Hoos

Reflection of our Medical Camp in April 2022

30/05/2022

Amboseli, Kenya

Dr. Christine Bauer, Germany

On April 8th, a group of 13 Volunteers from Europe and Canada arrived at Nairobi to meet the experienced Kenyan Team of Divinity Foundation. After a day full of informations about what to expect, tropical medicine, FGM and pharmacy, as well as organisation details and safety briefing, everyone felt prepared to start the medical expedition.  
With a fully packed bus we travelled to several remote areas of Kenya with poor infrastructure, a needy population and FGM-cases.
Female genital mutilation is still practiced in some tribes and a big problem, although it’s forbidden by law!
The SARS-COV-2 pandemic situation and strict measures such as curfew or lock down made living conditions even more difficult for the people, who are already suffering from poverty, lack of water and medical help, hunger and bad hygiene conditions.
During 9 days of our medical camp we were able to treat more than 2300 women and children with a big variety of problems: Acute infections as well as wounds, burns, chronic diseases or traumatic accidents, some of them with fractures.
In our nursery, we did wound dressing, simple laboratory tests, gynaecological preventive care and one day, we even supported the birth of a young mother in the field and were lucky to welcome a healthy boy. Minor surgery interventions were carried out by our experienced Kenyan doctors.  
During this medical expeditions we travel with around 30 basic medications in our field pharmacy and a Team of experienced osteopaths for manual treatments and all this help is free of charge for our patients.
We want to thank all our supporters from the bottom of our hearts for their donations!​

Our next medical camp will take place from 22nd October - 5th November 2022.

Below you see some impressions of our work in Pokot and Amboseli region in April 2022.

What's up with Divinity in April 2022? It's Expedition time!

04/03/2022

Nairobi, Kenya

Maria Hoos
European coordinator of medical expeditions

Finally, after more than 2 years that Covid-19 has brought our medical camps to a halt, we’re so happy to announce, that we’ll be back on the road very soon!
From 8th April until 23rd April we’ll welcome a very strong team of 13 international doctors, osteopaths and nurses that will be joined by our Kenyan team of doctors, health officers and translators to serve some of the most underprivileged communities in Kenya with our medical help. 
In these two weeks we’re expecting to treat up to 3000 patients, mostly women and children, in our mobile clinic. 
We’ll be traveling to some of the most remote areas in Kenya, for example Pokot region.
As this is an area that is currently tormented with a serious famine on top, we’ll also cover famine food aid there. 
Other regions we’ll be traveling to are Amboseli and Naivasha.
All our volunteers pay for their own flights, accommodation, transport and meals.
To equip our mobile pharmacy which contains around 30 different drugs, will cost us another 4000€ in addition to 1000€ of famine food aid. 
If you’re willing to support our upcoming medical camp, we would be so grateful to receive any donation you can spare to bring healthcare to some of the most suffering people in Kenya.

The Humanitarian - Divinity Foundation Newsletter February 2022

22/02/2022

Kenya

multiple authors

Newsletter from the Rescue Centre - September 2021

01/10/2021

Amboseli, Kenya

multiple authors

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Newsletter from the Rescue Centre - April 2021

08/05/2021

Amboseli, Kenya

multiple authors

Divinity Foundation International, 2021