Fighting HIV/AIDS In Kenya    "The Conception of the Ambulance" By Asunta Wagura, Executive Director of KENWA

One of our core programme areas is care and support. And one of the many facets of care and support is to reach our members with services that will impact positively on their well-being. The idea of the push cart was conceived when it became evident that some of our members could not access our services at their respective drop-in centres. In most cases, these were members who were bedridden and needed to, for example, be seen by our in-house nurse on her regular visits to the field. "In most cases, the community around gives a helping hand because pushing a cart on rocky and rugged surfaces with a client on it requires some skill." Joyce Wambui's husband abandoned her and her three year-old daughter after she tested HIV positive. This 30 year-old is jobless and depends on KENWA for both moral and material support. Due to a lack of resources she faces a myriad of problems, including the absence of a proper shelter. At the time the pictures were taken, Joyce was bedridden and complained of chest problems, abdominal pains, difficulty in breathing and stress due to the fact that she was constantly worrying about the welfare of her child. What compounds her situation is the rejection by her family.

At the drop-in center, the nurse gave her a referral to the Mbagathi District Hospital where she was treated and discharged. She is back on her feet now, is on antiretrovirals and is also going on with her clinical appointments due to her persistent chest problems.
The community health workers in the photos are Christine Wambui - who is the drop-in centre co-ordinator - Tom Mboya and Johnson Kamau.

Our drop-in centres cover tens of square kilometers. They have to be on high alert for emergency cases and this push cart plays a crucial role in accessing those impassable areas of our centres. When our members receive news of a client who is bedridden and needs to be seen by the nurse, they mobilise themselves and get into action. In most cases, the surrounding community gives a helping hand because pushing a cart on rocky and rugged surfaces with a client on it requires some skill.