Last Saturday, Kwa Ng’ethe Primary School in Githurai was home to M-Pesa Foundation where they hosted a free medical camp in partnership with Lion’s Sight First Eye Hospital and Zuri Health. More than 2,700 residents of the area and beyond turned up and benefited from medical services like eye care, cervical cancer screening, diabetes screening, hypertension screening and monitoring, eye care consultations, elderly and health child consultations and fistula screening. This was one of the many medical camps that Safaricom and M-Pesa have held throughout the country for years through their corresponding foundations.
Not to downplay the rest of the services but I’m always elated to see fistula in the list of medical interventions, having worked on several stories surrounding the condition with Safaricom Foundation. Fistula is quite widespread and I’m glad that the secretiveness and stigma it has been treated with for years is finally fading and people are coming out to seek help. Two of the most touching fistula cases I’ve covered are those of 75 year old Prisca Ariri from Basiango who had lived with Fistula for 50 years, and little 5 year old Virginia Wanjiku who got fistula from prolonged catheter use after staying in ICU for two months. Both of these cases were sorted out as a direct result of Safaricom medical camps since that is where they were escalated from.
On ground at Githurai were some Safaricom staffers who had come to volunteer their time and also connect with the communities they serve. This is part of Safaricom’s initiative to have volunteer squads from their employee pool being present or even leading community outreaches, clean-ups and medical camps. We got some insights from Peter Njoka – Head of Talent and Shared HR Services at Safaricom – who was at Kwa Ng’ethe for the camp.
Being on ground made Peter see firsthand the impact that Safaricom medical camps have on communities, with the highlight of his day being the sheer numbers who turned up all day. He witnessed how much need there is for good medical services especially at the grassroots level where people are more disadvantaged economically. He urges his colleagues at Safaricom to participate in upcoming camps and be part of the beautiful experience of showing up for communities. Getting to meet customers at their point of need.
Another Safaricom staffer we met at the camp is Claire Kagendo who covers the Githurai/Kasarani territory. Claire signed up as a registrations volunteer and is happy to have been part of the clear impact that was witnessed at the medical camp. As a first-time volunteer, she met lots of people and got to understand the community that she serves better. She appreciates M-Pesa Foundation for organizing the medical camps, since clearly a lot of people are otherwise not able to access medical services.
M-Pesa Foundation and Safaricom Foundation hold medical camps in different parts of the country and reaches out to people with medical conditions that they cannot afford to even have diagnosed, let alone treated. Some are treated, and some are referred to hospitals for further tests, scans, treatment and surgeries when need be. To put the impact of the medical camps in perspective, Since April this year M-Pesa Foundation has held four camps; in Siaya, Mathare, Machakos, and Bungoma, which have impacted more than 14,000 people. Also part of the medical camps initiative is infrastructure development support for hospitals.
“Safaricom, through our Foundations, is committed to transforming lives. Healthcare is one of the major needs of the community which has ensured we invest in medical camps to support communities in all 47 counties. We are also alive to the ongoing situation where some Kenyans need support. That is why we are currently standing with people at this time of need through several interventions, including this camp,” said Peter Ndegwa, CEO, Safaricom PLC.
Ongata Rongai will be host to the next medical camp which will be held on July 12, still courtesy of M-Pesa Foundation.
