We support community health on Mfangano Island, Kenya.
Our focus is on technology, social solidarity, and sustainability.
Seeding an Emergency Solution!
Home to high risk home deliveries, active children around open fires, deadly snakes and endemic infectious tropical disease, emergency health services are virtually non-existent on Mfangano Island. This Spring, the Organic Health Response is seeding an Emergency Health solution!
A local Mfangano Island boat owner jumpstarted our efforts through a generous donation of a 30ft wooden boat and 40mp outboard motor. The Ekialo Kiona team sprung into action, giving the craft a fresh coat of paint, making a few repairs, and outfitting it for patient transport. With help from a key donation from the Durrett family of Glenwood Springs, CO, we're up and running with the region's first ambulance boat!
The Ekialo Kiona Center is now ready to begin coordinating urgent care for the remote island communities we serve. Six Mfangano residents have been recruited to form the EK Emergency Team and are getting pumped for a weeklong Wilderness Medicine training near Mt. Kenya in mid-May, thanks to donations and coordination from Katie Fiorella and Wild Med.
Big things on the horizon for the EK Emergency Project this summer ... we'll be training 400+ Mfangano residents in basic first aid & emergency assessment, sending our team for additional EMS training, and researching regional health resources. Special thanks to the inspiring students 
at Glenwood Springs High School, who are using their creativity and energy to help us raise critical funds to keep the emergency boat running and to allow Kenyans to get the care they need, when they need. Through your ideas and donations, we hope you'll join us in this innovative life-saving effort!
at Glenwood Springs High School, who are using their creativity and energy to help us raise critical funds to keep the emergency boat running and to allow Kenyans to get the care they need, when they need. Through your ideas and donations, we hope you'll join us in this innovative life-saving effort!EK Emergency Team:
Program Manager & Triage Nurse: Peter Manwari
Head Coxswain: Walter Opiyo
Assistant Coxswain: Okinyi Joseph
Tielen Masanta
Motorcycle Transport: Tyrus Kitenyi
Elija Okeyo
First Responders: Theresa Adhiambo
Jane Alinga
Adam Sewall
Mfangano can now boast of it's first-ever wind turbine. Last week, the OHR crew worked alongside Dr. Sam Duby and his team from Access:Energy to install a hybrid wind + solar power system on top Soklo Mountain on Mfangano Island.
Tower Up!
"We set off down the ring road to Sena, under excellent grey skies that immediately opened up into a morning drizzle. It was perfect running weather. Senior Men ran 10km, from the EK gate to the main village at Sena and back. Everyone else ran the 5k, from EK to Mala Masa and back. At least half of the participants opted for bare feet, an impressive strategy in all the rain and mud. Women ran in skirts and a half dozen Suba Council Elders (all over 55) ran the 5km. Our prizes were chosen to promote the budding organic agriculture movement that is taking off here on the island. First place finishers in each category took home new foot-powered water pumps (www.kickstart.com/moneymaker), 2nd and 3rd place finishers took home a wheelbarrow and a 165L water tank. All finishers took home new tree seedlings, including grafted mangoes and oranges, grevelia trees, and jacaranda timber trees." ... continue reading here.
The Sisterhood Exchange Program (SEP) members traveled to Eldoret this September to receive training from the Imani workshops. The training took place for two days where members were trained on making shopping bags, yoga bags, pajama suits, double sided apron, and school uniforms. There was also training on beaded jewelry, clay, cards, books, and picture frames. Much of the training emphasized quality control and members are now working to improve the quality of their products.
The Ekialo Kiona Farming Department also traveled to Eldoret where they were motivated by the AMPATH farm and learned they will need a good irrigation system like drip irrigation which is used at most of the farms in Eldoret. They realized doing that will give them a green and healthy farm as water plays a big role in plant life.
OHR Aquaponics Project Awarded $10,000
CRAIGSLIST BLOG AGAIN!
CRAIGSLIST BLOG!
OPENING DAY AT THE EKIALO KIONA CENTER - JUNE 10, 2010
SAN FRANCISCO FUNDRAISERS
2010 MILLION MUSTACHE MARCH
HESPERIAN FOUNDATION: OUR NEW RESOURCE FOR BOOKS
BUILDING THE "EK"-- A LOCAL ENDEAVOR...
WORLD AIDS DAY 2009
Wind Power!
Mfangano can now boast of it's first-ever wind turbine. Last week, the OHR crew worked alongside Dr. Sam Duby and his team from Access:Energy to install a hybrid wind + solar power system on top Soklo Mountain on Mfangano Island. During 4 hardworking days this crew completed a challenging install amidst several setbacks in a very remote setting. All equipment, including masts, turbines, props, batteries, panels, racks, tools and more, were hiked up the mountain by hand and back in serious muddy conditions. With determination and skill the 1kw wind turbine was successfully erected and connected to the 220w solar paneling and batteries. Power is up and there is a lot of it!
Next month our friends from Inveneo and Byce Broadcast will join us on Mfangano to install a 70-km broadband Internet connection as well as the EK Radio transmission system. This turbine will power each of these systems, making EK Radio sub-Saharan's first-ever wind powered radio!
A huge thanks to Sam Duby and his team. Access:Energy, a sustainable energy collective based in Kisumu, works to design, locally source and manufacture, and install appropriate energy services to rural households throughout East Africa. Without access to grid electricity, Access:Energy's award-winning Heron Wind Turbine provides many rural communities renewable energy that is reliable, safe and cheap.
New Murals Brighten Walls at EKC
Walls and domed ceilings at the Ekialo Kiona Center have found splashes of new colors. Eva Goetz, a local artist from Maine USA, has spent the last few weeks on Mfangano hosting a painting workshop at EK for Sisterhood Exchange Program artisans and kids. The large concrete spaces in the center have been transformed by EK's first community mural! Over 20 community members participated, including constant hand fulls of on-lookers!
A huge thank you to Eva for sharing her love and talents with our local artisans. Check out Eva's work on her website, 108angels. Additionally this mural would not have been completed without the paints and supplies generously donated by Artist & Craftsman.
Tower Up!
Ekialo Kiona has successfully erected a 56-foot communications mast near the top of Soklo Mountain on Mfangano Island. This mast was designed, welded, transported, constructed, and safely grounded entirely by hand thanks to the tireless efforts of the EK Sustainable Design Guild, dozens of volunteers from Soklo community, and our international team of engineers including Forrest Lowell, Graham Tattersall, and Tyler Hutchinson.
This communications mast will relay high-speed internet to the island from Kisumu, 70-km to the Northeast, as well as serve as the FM Broadcast Transmitter for the Ekialo Kiona Youth Radio Station. Now that the mast is visible on our mountain skyline, EK has been receiving excited congratulations from community members and local leaders. Thanks to everyone who has helped us achieve this important step.
Successful Apron Open House!
Above Left: Table display of jewelry, crafts and dolls by the Imani Workshops of Eldoret, Kenya
Above Right: Nancy Reinisch shows off hand-delivered apron from Mfangano Island
On November 18, 2011, Glenwood Springs, Colorado was the location of a successful fundraiser for the Sisterhood Exchange Program. Nancy Reinisch, the mama of OHR Executive Director, Chas Salmen, turned her house into an all-day market and showcased products made by the Sisterhood Exchange Program of Mfangano Island and the Imani Workshop of Eldoret, Kenya.
Friends and family were treated to a visual feast of table after table of over 125 aprons hand-delivered from the island. The SEP women and men tailored and beaded the aprons on the treadle sewing machines donated by the women of the Roaring Fork Valley, CO. The different "sister" apron styles are named after three native languages spoken on the island. Shoppers could buy a short "Dada Apron" (Swahili for sister), a beaded, medium-sized "Nyako Apron" (Luo for sister), or a long and beaded "Omwala Apron" (Suba for sister). Each apron was crafted by the SEP with a labor of love and no two were alike. Each apron came with its own "her-story card" and the mission of the SEP.
In another part of the "market," a table was filled with jewelry and unique crafts hand made by the SEP. Beautiful beaded bracelets, necklaces, earrings, stuffed dolls, accessory kits, and bags decorated the table. Special handmade mama and baby African dolls were a popular gift!
Over 75 people shopped at the open house and together they raised over $1700 for the HIV+ women and men of the Sisterhood Exchange Program. These funds guarantee that the women and men will continue to have a fair-trade income through the SEP cooperative. And more importantly, it guarantees that they get a chance to support each other through the stigma and challenges of "living positively" with HIV.
To make a donation to the SEP Program click here. To place an order for aprons please contact Nancy Reinisch, SEP Liason at nrein@rof.net.
Check out Nancy's video from the open house!
Mfangano Celebrates World AIDS Day 2011 with a Road Race!
In honor of World AIDS Day, OHR organized the fourth annual World AIDS Day celebration on the island. This year, the communities of Mfangano participated in the island's first-ever road race! Over 50 residents registered to run, each knowing their HIV status before the kick-off. The race started at EK's opening gates, headed towards the neighboring village of Sena and back again, depending on the leg: 10K or 5K. Here is the latest blog post from the island:
"We set off down the ring road to Sena, under excellent grey skies that immediately opened up into a morning drizzle. It was perfect running weather. Senior Men ran 10km, from the EK gate to the main village at Sena and back. Everyone else ran the 5k, from EK to Mala Masa and back. At least half of the participants opted for bare feet, an impressive strategy in all the rain and mud. Women ran in skirts and a half dozen Suba Council Elders (all over 55) ran the 5km. Our prizes were chosen to promote the budding organic agriculture movement that is taking off here on the island. First place finishers in each category took home new foot-powered water pumps (www.kickstart.com/moneymaker), 2nd and 3rd place finishers took home a wheelbarrow and a 165L water tank. All finishers took home new tree seedlings, including grafted mangoes and oranges, grevelia trees, and jacaranda timber trees." ... continue reading here.
B4H Gears Up to Ship 400 Bikes to Mfangano!
In a Denver warehouse on December 3rd, a gang of bikers, OHR supporters and a slew of friends will assemble a holiday package for Mfangano Island: 400 mountain bicycles! Thanks to Bicycles for Humanity - Colorado a crate loaded with 400 bikes will ship from USA to Kenya in mid-December.
Have an extra hand?
Come join the bike load-up on Dec. 3rd!
When: Sat. Dec. 3rd, 10-2pm
Where: B4H HQ-1100 E 73rd Ave, Unit J, Denver, CO
What to Bring: Positive vibes, gloves, pedal wrench and allen key set if available!
Questions, please call B4H Director Josh Pace at 415.717.2771
Once this package hits Mfangano in January, the 400 bicycles and matching helmets will be distributed from the EK's first-ever bike shop operated out of the Ekialo Kiona Center.
As an EK business, the bike shop will participate in the EK "post-test club," offering EK Members the opportunity to purchase mountain bicycles at an extremely discounted rate. The EK Bike Shop will also provide bike repair services for the community, as well as offer free basic bike maintenance trainings to any EK Member.
OHR Featured on NPR!
On October 6th OHR was featured on Worldview: "Global Activism," an NPR program from Chicago's WBEZ. NPR hosted an hour-long discussion with Founder Chas Salmen and Program Coordinator Marco Salmen highlighting OHR's continued work within the HIV-affected fishing communities of Lake Victoria, Kenya. The interview sheds light on the fascinating origins of the Suba people, the 1980s explosion of the Nile Perch fishing industry within the region, and the future of Lake Victoria.
Have a listen!
Sisterhood Exchange Program Training in Eldoret
The Sisterhood Exchange Program (SEP) members traveled to Eldoret this September to receive training from the Imani workshops. The training took place for two days where members were trained on making shopping bags, yoga bags, pajama suits, double sided apron, and school uniforms. There was also training on beaded jewelry, clay, cards, books, and picture frames. Much of the training emphasized quality control and members are now working to improve the quality of their products.
The Ekialo Kiona Farming Department also traveled to Eldoret where they were motivated by the AMPATH farm and learned they will need a good irrigation system like drip irrigation which is used at most of the farms in Eldoret. They realized doing that will give them a green and healthy farm as water plays a big role in plant life.
Google Tech Talk
On August 17, 2011, Chas Salmen, the Founder and Director of OHR had the opportunity to present at a Google Tech Talk on HIV/AIDS Prevention Collectives in Western Kenya. Specifically Chas discussed the Mfangano Island Healthy Networks Pilot Program. To view Chas's full Google Tech Talk, click here.
Internet Access on Mfangano!
Free Internet access has taken a step closer to 20,000 rural Kenyans living on a remote island in the middle of Lake Victoria in Western Kenya. The Organic Health Response, with the help of San Francisco-based partners, Inveneo and Equal Access, is preparing to install a wireless Internet link and community radio tower on the top Soklo mountain on Mfangano Island. Based on a comprehensive topographical survey by Inveneo’s connectivity engineers, Equal Access is developing a radio broadcast map using open access satellite software to assess the reach for Mfangano’s first community radio station. On the ground, OHR is moving forward with site preparations and the tower’s challenging construction 1600m above the Lake shore. Thanks to land generously donated by the Okello family, a 12th generation Mfangano family living atop Soklo mountain, the tower site will serve as both the point of reception for OHR’s 70km long-range Internet link, and the point of transmission for the Ekialo Kiona Youth Radio Station. Actual construction of this unique tower will be carried out by the Ekialo Kiona Sustainable Design Guild, a team of local Mfangano carpenters, welders, and masons who successfully completed construction on the Ekialo Kiona Center in May 2011.
Born in 1925, Joseph Okello Misiara is a native of the Soklo clan that has lived on Mfangano Island for over 12 generations. He is now the Elder responsible for taking care of the sacred Kwitutu forest, an old growth forest and ancestral burial site that remains atop the highest point on Mfangano Island. Inspired by the land donation made by Joel Oguta for the Ekialo Kiona Center itself, Mzee Okello and his eldest son have generously donated their family’s land near the Kwitutu forest, to bring free Internet to 20,000 of their fellow residents on Mfangano Island. During a visit this June, Mzee Okello explained that although he has never used the Internet or touched a computer himself, he knows his land will be used to build a tower that will “connect the world together.” Mzee Okello sees this donation as a landmark for his children and grandchildren and his final legacy to the community of Mfangano.
(OHR Executive Director, Richard Magerenge (right), discusses the radio and Internet tower with Mzee Okello (left) during land negotiations at his home atop Soklo mountain on Mfangano Island.)
(The view from Mzee Okello’s land atop Mfangano Island, where OHR’s new Internet tower will direct a wireless Internet link from Kisumu, 70km to the northwest, to the Ekialo Kiona Center along the shores of Lake Victoria on the southern side of the Island.)
OHR Aquaponics Project Awarded $10,000
Selected from over 200 entries, OHR has won 1st place in UC Berkeley's "Big Ideas" Competition. The annual competition inspires innovative and high-impact student projects aimed at solving the world's most pressing problems. The aquaponics project aims to address "Big Ideas" category Global Poverty Alleviation by increasing food security in the Lake Victoria basin.
Headed by Matthew Tierney, the aquaponics project is a sustainable food production system that combines aquaculture, or fish farming, with vegetable and chicken farming. Not only could this system provide a more secure and nutritional diet, but aquaponics disincentives unnecessary slash and burn agriculture and overfishing in Lake Victoria, and allows fishermen to stay at home with their families.
OHR's First West Coast Roundtable
OHR members from across the U.S. recently convened in San Francisco for the first official OHR retreat. With over 15 volunteers present we spent the weekend getting to know one another, bringing the team up to speed on the many projects and programs, and dived into OHR’s first visioning session, led by our very own Hal Campbell!
Overall, the retreat was a huge success. We emerged with a promosing action plan for the upcoming year and OHR's new vision statement:
“Seeding health possibilities through community-rooted partnerships."
We look forward to having our Kenyan partners join us in our next great get together!
Margarita Night in Minneapolis
When: Wednesday, March 23rd
Time: 7:30-9:30pm
Where: Bar Abilene
1300 Lagoon Ave.
Minneapolis, MN (Uptown)
You are enthusiastically invited to join Organic Health Response in celebrating the-day-after-World Water Day. From 7:30 to 9:30pm, $3 of every margarita purchased goes straight to OHR’s effort in turning the tide against HIV/AIDS, including efforts to increase community access to safe drinking water. Surrounded by Lake Victoria, it’s hard to imagine Mfangano Island has any issue in accessing water--yet increasing water pollution, droughts, and lack of proper health-related infrastructure consistently threaten the lives of Mfangano’s residents. So conserve water by drinking a margarita in support of a great cause!
Please spread the word! If you are not in Minneapolis, tell all of your Minneapolis friends!
February Mfangano Update from EK’s Executive Director, Richard Magerenge
Ampath and Imani have teamed up again with SEP for craft and business trainings. This week the women have expanded their jewelry product line, among other crafts, and will soon receive course completion certificates.
The ferro cement guild has also been so busy at EK center doing their construction and I had a brief meeting with them and they are very confident that they are ahead of schedule. By next week all the gables will be completed and all the palings and trashes will be on the roof.
Joel Oguta, OHR’s Agricultural Coordinator has been attending business training from Ampath. The farm is doing well, though it is a very dry season, however, soon the rains will come and the farm will recover from the shock from the heat, which has affected most plants. Joel has also been participating in the business trainings and said they will really help him on the farm.
Construction of the VCT wing has kicked off and in a few months time we will be having a new building at the center to host VCT, clinical activities for care and treatment, a small store and a Library. We appeal to anyone reading our website and is interested in donating a book or books to our library.
CRAIGSLIST BLOG AGAIN!
Craig Newmark of Craiglist featured the Organic Health Response on his February 1st post, stating:
"The folks at Organic Health Response are doing really good stuff, using IT and environmental sustainability on Mfangano Island in Western Kenya to work against HIV/AIDS across Lake Victoria."
Read the rest of his post here. Thanks again for your support, Craig and the Craigslist Charitable Foundation!
WORLD AIDS DAY 2010
On December 1st, the Ekialo Kiona Center hosted its 3rdannual World AIDS Day celebration. Hundreds of guests gathered to hear speakers from all over Mfangano, with special messages from the Mfangano East Chief (above), Mfangano’s public health official, representatives from FACES and the Ministry of Health, along with other area chiefs, clan elders, church elders and community members.
Youth representatives from various villages performed poems, songs and plays, informing and challenging their peers to avoid risky behavior, to stay informed and to know their status. Twenty people were tested and counseled, helping to bring the Ekialo Kiona Center’s total number of people tested to 776!
"FOR THE LOVE OF AFRICA"
Last week, OHR Director Chas Salmen was interviewed by the Post Independent of Glenwood Springs, CO. Check out the article here. You can also find a separate piece about Nancy Reinisch and her work with the Sisterhood Exchange Program by clicking here.
CRAIGSLIST BLOG!
All of us at OHR would like to extend a personal thanks to Craig Newmark and the Craigslist Charitable Foundation for their generous contribution of $20,000 to the OHR-Inveneo Partnership to help us improve our computer lab and encourage HIV counseling and testing at the Ekialo Kiona Center on Mfangano Island.
Craig Newmark of Craiglist has also featured OHR on his December 6th blog.
MFANGANO SUMMER 2010 UPDATE #2
In June, Organic Health Response officially opened the Ekialo Kiona Center for membership! Since opening, Ekialo Kiona has enrolled over 400 members, all of whom have gone for Voluntary Testing and Counseling.
Voluntary Counseling and Testing - World Cup Program:
The World Cup Program was a sounding success. In just a few months after opening our VCT program, OHR has tested over 400 individuals, more than any other Suba Disctrict VCT Clinic in this time period. Ekialo Kiona Club members also enjoyed the opportunity to watch the World Cup with our new projector and satellite tv!
Research Project:
OHR is hosting a team of UCSF/UCB Global Health students and supporting a research project in Mfangano East. The student group has supported nine newly hired research staff members and OHR staff in learning research methods and how to carry out the upcoming household survey. The survey will assess community health and demographics, including income, food, and water security, HIV/AIDS knowledge, and social support. Both staff and community members look forward to getting started with the project and using the information to shape OHR's programming.
Agriculture:
With the help of a grant from the Rotary Foundation, our farmers are planning farm improvements and new programs! The increased support is allowing OHR's organic farmers to prepare the farm for demonstration and to support broader community programs.
Grant Writing:
With the help of OHR Grant's Coordinator, Hannah Graft, OHR hosted a grant-writing workshop in mid-July. Over 20 community members were trained on how to formulate a proposal, research grant opportunities online, and write a grant.
HIV+ Women's Craft Group:
The craft group's sewing, paper, and beadwork departments are going strong. The group is looking forward to additional training in sewing and will soon add a suite of apron designs to their repertoire!
Ekialo Kiona Radio:
The Ekialo Kiona Community Radio Committee is currently working to develop strong programming for EK's radio station, to air sometime next year, focusing on positive health, environmental issues, and social solidarity, amoung other relevant topics. The committee has hosted several community events, including a hugely successful Earth Day, and several HIV awareness forums, and continues to meet regularly for journalism skill development workshops.
Sustainable Design Guild:
In addition to constructing the Ekialo Kiona sustainable building, the Sustainable Design Guild has led several ferro-cement training workships with local masons and a neighboring technical school.
THE SISTERHOOD EXCHANGE PROGAM
The Sisterhood Exchange Program connects HIV+ women of Mfangano Island, Kenya with local and global sister organizations to model "positive living", increase social support, and train in entrepreneurial craft making.
- Thanks to the support of individuals and organizations in western Colorado, the Sisterhood Exchange Program is off and running. In just a couple weeks, Glenwood Springs resident Nancy Reinisch will travel to Mfangano Island to lead a crafts training workshop and connect the women of the Ekialo Kiona Crafts Cooperative with their sisters of the Advocate Safehouse Project. She'll be joined by members of the Imani Workshop from Eldoret, Kenya who will assist the Ekialo Kiona Crafts Cooperative towards production of their unique, handmade crafts.
- To learn more about the Sisterhood Exchange Program, click here. You can also check out the attached document (at the bottom of the page) to learn how you can join in our vision to build a global sisterhood of "positive living." For any other information or to order products from our local-global sister please contact Nancy Reinisch, SEP Liasion, at nrein@rof.net. Donations to support the Sisterhood Exchange Program are welcomed and appreciated ... Thanks!
MFANGANO SUMMER 2010 UPDATE #1
I'm writing to you today on a cell phone modem and a solar charged laptop from the one and only official home of the Organic Health Response, the Ekialo Kiona Center at Kitawi Beach. I hope to provide semi-weekly updates over the course of the summer, so that all our supporters have a sense of the ways that their energy is contributing to our mission.
I've been back on the Island for one week and my cup is really overflowing. Its wonderful to back among old friends, introducing our student volunteers from the University of California San Francisco to the Ekialo Kiona family, and getting down to business with a summer full of hard work, research and service. Its very inspiring to see our vision materializing, and our ideas beginning to have a real impact in the lives of the families and people we've come to know and come to care for greatly. EK Center is now operational and the place is beautiful. Big, cool ferro-cement domes over the office, and high open ceilings with wind vents in the computer and seminar rooms.
The EK Ferro-Cement Crew has done a wonderful job (Thanks Gabby, Adam, Mike, Ochieng, and Sam!). We have not yet finished the roof over the VCT block, so our offices are serving for now as counseling and testing rooms. Each day more and more members have been coming to join our Voluntary Counseling and HIV Testing Club. To date we have over 350 Members. Each member joins by going through a specialized HIV Counseling and Testing session. I received unofficial news yesterday that we are currently the leading stand-alone VCT center in Suba District for monthly intake. Not bad for our first month of operation! Last night about 200 of us piled into our hall to watch the World Cup final on satellite TV and our new projector. We rocked the house until midnight, and I'd say pretty much everyone was rooting for Spain.
We are still waiting for the arrival of our computers and solar panels. Expectations are really growing, the community is eager. I think once we have them installed our membership is really going to skyrocket. The community is so excited to be wired, and I really want our members to be able to start signing up for emails and corresponding with their friends in the US. We're being patient with our partners in Nairobi who are also working hard to bring the hardware and connectivity that we need out here on the Island.
I've been very encouraged to see all the Ekialo Kiona groups that remain active and dedicated to helping build solidarity and hope within their communities. The EK Women's Crafts Cooperative has been meeting each Friday, beading jewelry, recycling paper into journals and books, and showing an example to all of us on the possibilities of positive living. The EK Organic Farm, coordinated by Joel Oguta, is going to begin making fence and irrigation improvements this month, and we're designing a future nutrition program for HIV-affected families. The EK Youth Radio team has also been meeting each week, we've organized journalism clubs in the area secondary schools, and we look forward to going on air within the next year.
Lake Victoria remains cool and inviting, however the catch is significantly down this year. The Fisheries department is promoting fish farming very heavily and we're making place to promote our own specialized version of aquaculture/agriculture designed by Matthew Tierney. We'll keep you posted.
We're also very fortunate to have 8 medical, pharmacy, nursing, social work, and public health students from the University of California in San Francisco. We've designed a community health baseline research study, in partnership with the Kenyan Medical Research Institute. We've spent the last week training a group of 20 local research volunteers and staff who will work with us to complete the study. Its been a great workshop, the first official seminar series within the EK Seminar room.
That's it for now from Lake Victoria. Thanks again for all your encouragement and support, it really means a lot to us out here on Mfangano.
over and out from Kenya,
Chas Salmen
OPENING DAY AT THE EKIALO KIONA CENTER - JUNE 10, 2010
The Ekialo Kiona Center officially opened on June 10, 2010 on Mfangano Island! In celebration of the World Cup, we are featuring the World Cup Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) program for the next 5 weeks. With our new projector purchased with help from the Rotary Clubs in Kisumu, Ft. Collins, and Glenwood Springs, Colorado, OHR is providing big screen World Cup viewing to all members of the Ekialo Kiona Club. Members join this unique club by learning their own HIV-status through a specialized counseling and testing session with OHR's newly hired VCT counselors. On our first day of counseling and testing we registered over 120 club members, a Mfangano Island record for a single day of VCT testing! With our partners at the FAMILY AIDS Care and Education Services program, we are ensuring that all HIV-positive friends receive an appropriate and effective treatment. The Ekialo Kiona vision is off to a great start thanks to the hard work of our ferro-cement construction crew, dedicated staff, and countless volunteers in the US and Kenya. Special thanks to Lauren Friedman, Adam Sewall, and Richard Magerenge for their tireless efforts and steady teamwork to help OHR reach this important milestone.
SAN FRANCISCO FUNDRAISERS
OHR raised $1690 through a San Francisco Biodiesel Bus Party: On May 13th, 2010, Forty medical, nursing and pharmacy students from UCSF rocked out around San Francisco in a Sustainable Party Bus. The bus was generously donated for the evening by our friend Jens-Peter Jungclaussen at www.teacherbus.com. Our close friends and OHR supporters Alex Neves and Steven Arevalo donated driving skills and refreshments (respectively), the event would not have been possible without them. After touring SF hotspots including Golden Gate Bridge, Treasure Island, and Twin Peaks, the party concluded with a gathering at Finnegan's Wake in Cole Valley, www.finneganswakesf.com, where 20% of the bar tab for the night was donated directly to OHR by Finnegan's Owner, Tom Frenkel. We're very grateful for the support of our event sponsors, and the generosity of everyone on the bus! These funds will go directly to supporting the Ekialo Kiona World Cup Soccer program, providing Big Screen World Cup viewing at Kitawi Beach for all Mfangano Island residents who know their own HIV-status.
Organic Health Response raised $3578! at the 1st Annual OHR Oyster BBQ and Promises Auction: On June 6th, 2010, OHR hosted the first annual OHR Oyster BBQ and Promises auction at Reverie Cafe in Cole Valley SF. Four Hundred Sustainable Oysters and Champagne were donated by Reverie Owner, Roger Soudah. Reverie Staff and OHR Friends, Samer, Jill, Jen, Elder, and Ezekial helped serve and greet over 100 guests. Guests dined outside and enjoyed live music perfomances by UCSF students. Ben Thomas and Joe Leech served as MC's raising over $2200 through a Live Promises Auction featuring talents and skills including, archery and beer brewing lessons, homemade dinners, airplane rides, hand-knitted mittens, and original art, etc. donated by a wide range of OHR supporters. We want to thank all the auction donors and buyers--your contributions will go directly to supporting staff salaries at the Ekialo Kiona Center in Kenya.
2010 MILLION MUSTACHE MARCH
(Participants in the 2010 Million Mustache March- from left to right- Jared Worley, Peter Ouwerkerk, Cyril Otalora, Eduard Huard, Sivasantosh Chinnasamy Thiyagarajan, Ryan Schoop, Adam Salmen)
60 of the world's upcoming entrepreneurs from America, Europe, and Asia are working together with the Global Entrepreneurship Program (GEP) to uncover opportunities in global markets. In February, two students made presentation on Guerrilla Marketing (a new type of viral marketing, using organic means to advertise a msage) in Hangzhou, China. This presentation morphed into a month long initiative to raise money and awareness for AIDS. "We just saw the link" said Adam Salmen and Jared Worley. "We wanted to show how synergies in business and society, on an organic level, can really impact the world. we realized that this is what OHR is doing, so we decided to wear it on our faces for the next month." And that was the start of Million Mustache March..." that and I really wanted to challenge my Indian buddy Siva, who has a really mean mustache!" added Adam. The Million Mustache March not only helped masters students demonstrate Guerrilla Marketing to global entrepreneurs, but perpetuated that theme to help OHR fund the radio station on Mfangano Island which will provide a means for local Kenyans to market and raise awareness of their own issues. Many thanks to the "Million Mustache March" participants, Babson College and the GEP for your help in our cause.
HESPERIAN FOUNDATION: OUR NEW RESOURCE FOR BOOKS
We met this cool group at a UCSF Global Health Conference. They will be providing some innovative literature for the library in the Ekialo Kiona Center.
Look for OHR on their blog in the near future!
Hesperian is a non-profit publisher of books and newsletters for community-based health care. Their first book, Where There Is No Doctor, is considered one of the most accessible and widely used community health books in the world. Simply written and heavily illustrated, Hesperian books are designed so that people with little formal education can understand, apply and share health information. Developed collaboratively with health workers and community members from around the world, their books and newsletters address the underlying social, political, and economic causes of poor health and suggest ways groups can organize to improve health conditions in their communities.
BUILDING THE "EK"-- A LOCAL ENDEAVOR...
(Gabby, Adam, Okiki, Okoth, and Ochieng: The EK Ferro-cement Crew)
If you’ve ever been to Kenya (some may accurately generalize – anywhere in Africa), you know that time is rarely of the essence. When you plan to meet a friend at 1pm, you know never to show up punctually at 1pm because you WILL wait anywhere from 30 minutes up to 2 hours for your friend to finally arrive.
In 2008, when we set our building completion date for December 1st, 2009 – in celebration of World AIDS Day – we knew we were setting ourselves up for a challenge. We gave ourselves 1 full year to design and build a solar powered community center … on a remote island in the middle of Lake Victoria, with no electricity, no vehicles, and a 3-hour wooden ferryboat ride between the mainland and our site at Kitawi Beach on Mfangano Island. We also decided to build this center as from our community---no outside contracting firms... We decided to build the EK center from local designs, with local sand and stones, with 100% local labor, and through local leadership.
Back in 2008, Adam Sewall, one our Kenya-based construction crew leaders and OHR founders, had highly recommended using an eco-friendly yet extremely durable building technique using ferro-cement. Its economical advantages and sustainable characteristics made it a desirable option for our vision of building – in its broadest sense - a long-lasting, ecologically sound, community owned and operated, public education and support center for the people of mfangano.
Learning the skill seemed to be invaluable to the islanders as a way to build stronger structures with less material. Ferro-cement took the cake and we all jumped aboard. Before we knew it, ferroism had taken over and we were all eating off of ferro-cement forks and wearing ferro-cement shoes.
So far, we’ve encountered only a few bumps along the way. Designed, built, and managed almost entirely by Kenyans, we are extremely proud of our work thus far. We continue to work hard to complete the roof, windows, doors, and interior details.
If you happen to be in the area (Mfangano Island, Lake Victoria, Kenya) stop in for a tour of the building, a game of football, and most importantly, a warm welcome. Our next steps of interior set-up and program implementation will begin in the Spring of 2010.
(Nearly finished...)
WORLD AIDS DAY 2009
(First rock concert in Mfangano Island History)
World AIDS Day is celebrated on December 1st. The World AIDS Day theme for 2009 is ‘Universal Access and Human Rights. December 1st is an opportunity to increase awareness of HIV/AIDS, as well as a reminder of the education and commitment needed to eradicate this disease. OHR is hosting a large World AIDS Day event at the new Ekialo Kiona Center at Kitawi Beach.
The Ekialo Kiona Center will provide access to resources to encourage young people and residents to get tested and know their HIV status. It is centered around improving access to care and increasing education through free high-speed internet access, as well as a library and study room. World AIDS Day and the opening of Ekialo Kiona Center provide a chance to generate enthusiasm worldwide to work towards an end to HIV/AIDS and is the beginning of an opportunity on Mfangano Island to stimulate discussion, reduce stigma, and connect this island community with communities around the globe.
A UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP: THE OHR-GMCP INITIATIVE FOR HIV/AIDS
A UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP: THE OHR-GMCP INITIATIVE FOR HIV/AIDS
The OHR-GMCP Initiative for HIV/AIDS represents a unique partnership between the Organic Health Response and the Global-Micro Clinic Project (GMCP). GMCP is a global organization that seeks to catalyze integrated health solutions around the globe using the power of an organic social network. The partnership recognizes a shared vision for activating the force of social solidarity to implement sustainable community health strategies. Through this partnership OHR is providing the necessary institutional, physical, and human infrastructure on Mfangano Island, Kenya that will support GMCP to implement the worlds first Micro-Clinic pilot for people living with HIV/AIDS.
This pilot program and partnership represents a best practices collaboration with a focus on scalability and expansion for similarly affected communities across East Africa and the globe. In the past year, OHR has recruited a diverse team of public health expert, researchers, and student volunteers in the US and UK to contribute energy towards health experts, research, and service projects for OHR and GMCP. “The OHR-GMCP Initiative for HIV/AIDS” now represents a coalition of staff and volunteers based in the US that will support a local partnership between OHR and GMCP on the ground in Kenya.
ACADEMIC COLLABORATIONS
(Michele, Teja, Chas, Dr. Adero, Richard, Marco, Nancy, Nadine, and 1/2 of Jenna)
A group of students at the University of California San Francisco have proposed a research project to measure the potential impact of the Organic Health Response on the overall health of HIV-affected communities on Mfangano Island. Their scientific evaluation will evaluate program effectiveness and determine potential scalability of OHR pilot programs for similarly affected communities across Lake Victoria, sub-Saharan Africa, and beyond.
The overall objective of this study is to gather comprehensive qualitative and quantitative data in four general Domains to establish a community-wide health baseline for the long-term evaluation of OHR’s indigenous HIV/AIDS initiatives on Mfangano Island, Suba District, Kenya. Broadly, the four Domains of this baseline investigation include: Health Literacy, Attitudes and Support; Utilization of Biomedical and Traditional Health Resources; and Nutrition and Water Security; HIV/AIDS Disease Status.
This baseline study aims to:
- Establish systematic health baseline within Mfangano East sub-Location, Mfangano Island, Kenya.
- Inform the development of systematic program evaluation and monitoring strategy for OHR pilots.
- Generate hypotheses for subsequent collaborative research projects for Kenyan an US graduate student teams.
- Inform the ongoing design and implementation of OHR and FACES health interventions on Mfangano Island.