Slum Ministry: Health
The Holistic Health Ministry is involved in health care. Those living this ministry address the health needs of children, youth, adults, and persons with handicaps (physical and mental).
The Church and those living this ministry are involved in direct service to persons in need offering health care, advise and medicines to those who need them. In many of the slums, those in charge of the ministry of health work on a a community-wide basis to establish comprehensive community-based primary health care programs.
The Pro-Life Ministry promotes and protects life and raises awareness on issues affecting life.
It supports women in pregnancy crisis (often women abandoned by their child's father).
The Pro-life Ministry reaffirms the value of human life and its inviolability, and works towards: respect, protection, love and serving life, every human life. As pastors and as christians we proclaim and recognize that human life is a precious gift from God; and that persons and society, must protect and nurture human life at every stage of its existence.
Kibera Christ the king Holistic Health Center
The Holistic Centre takes the person in her wholeness, and takes care of the different aspects: body, spirit, needs, psychology, etc.
The Holistic Health Center of Christ the King, Kibera has four departments:
- Dispensary
- Pro-life
- Social Office
- Counseling
Dispensary Christ the King
The Dispensary has the service of a full-time nurse; Elizabeth Chalmandried, a French voluntary from the D.C.C.
"Délégation Catholique pour la Coopération". The dispensary counts also with the services of two volluntary doctors: Dr. Aloo who deals with general medicine on Tuesdays and Sr. Catherine O'Sullivan (Medical Missionary of Mary), who takes care of pregnant women and children on Fridays.
The Dispensary is open daily from 9 a.m. to 1p.m. and the nurse takes care of the patients and prescribes basic medicines. The main sickness at the dispensary are chest infections and malaria.
When the patients present serious symptoms they are referred to the two closest government hospitals: Mbagathi Hospital and Kenyatta Hospital.
The afternoons are dedicated to home visiting. The nurse accompanied by the social worker and members of the Christian communities go those who are seriously ill and cannot walk. The parishioners come to the Dispensary to announce when a neighbour or a member of the family is seriously sick, and they lead the nurse to the home of the sick.The dispensary does not have the possibility of testing for HIV/AIDs, because there are many VCT centers around. But none of them does home visiting so the patients unable to move remain without care. This is why the Parish Dispensary goes home-visiting. When the nurse detects somebody sick with the possibility of being HIV positive, and needing a text, she goes with the patient to the AMREF Dispensary where the test for HIV/AIDs are done. In that way she is able to follow them to make sure they take their treatment.
All the clients are visited once a week, as the follow-up is the most important. The patients with TB are referred to AMREF, to MSF or to Mbagathis Hospital.
During the visits the personnel of the Holistic Health Center gives also spiritual help. Every sunday, the nurse with some brothers and sisters go to take communion to the Catholics who desire it, and pray with them. In all the visits there is a moment of prayer if the patient wishes. When visits are done to persons belonging to other Churches or religions, they are also asked if they want to pray, nearly all accept and are glad, as in the African vision of the person, the holistic aspect is very important, and spirituality is a main factor. |
