DAY 4 - Saturday, May 26 PROJECT CURE MIRACLE DAY

Off to Kyeni Hospital in Embu, the other Catholic hospital Bishop oversees.   We have now shipped two half containers to this facility (2009 and 2011).  Truly THE biggest success story for me in Kenya!!  My gosh.  When we did an assessment of this facility in 2009, the hospital was a disaster!  It had lost it's electricity due to non-payment and had a horrible water supply.  This hospital has a substantial compound with at least a dozen structures and 120 hospital beds, yet they were only seeing 12-15 patients a day, 5-6000 annually. I had a real concern whether they even had the management skill, capacity or volume to utilize a container.

Thank God I'm a stubborn ass.  I agreed to finance the first (shared) container in 2009 and another in 2011.  Wow!  I guess the old saying "if you build it, they will come" is sometimes true!  Dr. Maina informed me today that the hospital saw over 120,000 patients last year and are currently at FULL capacity!  He said to me:

"PROJECT CURE'S CONTAINER HELPED SERVE OR SAVE OVER 100,000 LIVES"!!

Now that's what we're after!!  Hey Doug, if this is true, imagine how many lives this adds up to over Project C.U.R.E's 25 year history!

By example, I took a photo of the maternity ward (which they did not have previously) we equipped last year.  Complete with birthing tables and infant warmers.  I was actually visiting within 30 minutes or so of two births.  However, due to privacy for the Mothers, I took no photos of them.

I am so excited for Kyeni!  Dr. Maina and I have already begun a list of priorities and inventory list for the next container, which I really hope to get to them before year-end.

This day was especially joyful for me because I got to reunite with my DEAREST friend here in Kenya, Fr Patrick Njiru.  He was literally the first Kenyan I met and who introduced me to Bishop Muheria.  Fr is now in a separate Diocese from Bishop but is close to Kyeni, so we were able to visit.

Fr Patrick in front of new Cathedral

Fr Patrick and Michael, my driver for 2 days, in front of the Parish Home where the Bishop lives, Priests stay for R&R and where I stay during visits

I concluded my visit by slipping Fr Patrick $740 for "step downs", the funny Kenyan name for electrical transformers.  Muthale's container had 30 pieces of equipment that ran on electricity but were 110 and not the 240 they operate on over here.

Off to Nairobi.  Very anxious about this.  My luggage has now been lost for 5 days and Michael is going to drive me past the airport to see if they have located it.  I'm getting REALLY tired of wearing the same clothes every day.  I'm also out of Malaria pills.  Ugh.

Whew!  My bag was at the airport.  First thing I did upon return to Norfolk Hotel was to grab a Tusker beer, take a hot shower and put on some CLEAN clothes!