We support community health on Mfangano Island, Kenya.
Our focus is on technology, social solidarity, and sustainability.
OHR has been officially endorsed by the Suba District Ministry of Health. OHR will work closely with the Suba District Ministry of Health and Department of STI Services to improve youth-friendly HIV resources on Mfangano, secure provision of condoms, and coordinate data and record keeping.
OHR is working in close partnership with GMCP to pilot the world's firstl micro-clinic program for people living with HIV/AIDS. GMCP will work with OHR to design this social solidarity framework to facilitate psycho-social and nutritional support, improved anti-retroviral treatment adherence, and health education..
Richard and Marianne Reinisch Foundation and the Rae Albert Foundation have generously financed the construction of The Ekialo Kiona Center. This center will be constructed on land that has been donated by a local community leader named Joel "Magioki" Oguta.
FACES is a joint collaboration between the Kenyan Medical Research Institute and the University of California in Sanfrancisco. OHR is working in partnership with FACES to coordinate streamlined treatment referral from Ekialo Kiona Cyber-VCT Center, space for weekly mobile clinics and ARV provision, web access for FACES health workers, exploration of telemedicine technologies, and the development of individualized and portable pill organizer and medical record system for HIV+ club members. FACES is also working with OHR to conduct comprehensive community health research on Mfangano with UCSF medical, nursing, pharmacology, and dental students.
OHR has been endorsed by IMC Kenya. IMC has agreed to provide full-time VCT staffing, management, and record keeping at The Ekialo Kiona Center for the duration of its presence in Suba District. OHR seeks to augment IMC’s Home Based Counseling and Testing Initiative and with support services for people living with HIV/AIDS and explore opportunities to expand the Cyber-VCT Program to nearby communities on Remba and Ringiti Islands where there is currently no static VCT services.
OHR-Mfangano is working in close partnership with KAGENO to coordinate computer literacy programs, HIV awareness campaigns, eco-friendly initiatives, and income generation activities.
OHR is working with Microsoft and RUSCEMP to facilitate information technology solutions for the Cyber-VCT Pilot Program. With the support of Microsoft East Africa we are working with RUSCEMP to fully equip The Ekialo Kiona Center with computer hardware and software, comprehensive solar power system, a dedicated broadband internet connection, and collaborate in the design of our unique computer literacy training programs for staff and residents on Mfangano Island.
Teach for Health: www.teachforhealth.org
OHR is working with Teach for Health to develop innovative health training programs for rural health workers.
Rotary (Fort Collins Breakfast Club, Glenwood Sunrise Club, Glenwood Noon Club, Kisumu Club):
Rotary is working with OHR to finance education, business training, farming, and health activities on Mfangano, and establish the Ekialo Kiona Rotary Club in 2010.
Youth Factor (YF) and the African Broadcasting Association (ABA): www.theyouthfactor.org
OHR is working with YF and ABA to develop and implement the innovative Ekialo Kiona Youth Radio Station to promote health literacy, environmental sustainability, social solidarity, and Suba cultural heritage.
Rhodes Scholar Southern Africa Forum (RSSAF) and DoSomething.org:
RSSAF and DoSomething.org have generously supported OHR with funding for an introductory ferro-cement training course for the Ekialo Kiona construction crew and materials for a ferro-cement perimeter wall for the Ekialo Kiona Center.
Balliol College, Oxford and the Oxford Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology:
Balliol College and Oxford Medical Anthropology are working with OHR to facilitate ethnographic fieldwork on Mfangano Island to understand the economic, cultural, and ecological dynamics of HIV/AIDS transmission on Lake Victoria.
Hesperian is a non-profit publisher of books and newsletters for community-based health care. They are helping us add to our library.