Community Health workers impact at the Soweto Kayole clinic.

Community Health promoters have been very key in campaigning for improved health condition in Soweto Kayole. Ann Ndulu expressed how she has seen the clinic evolve over time and has remained relevant in offering services despite different seasons of testing.

“ My name is Ann, I have worked in this clinic since the year 2007. At a time when Kenya was facing political instability due to the post violence election. Then being identified as the community health workers we were trained on home based care. Then we used to convince the community to remain calm, the ways on how to overcome conflict and keep safe as well as attend to those that were bruised and injured.” Ann Said.

Ann appreciated being instrumental in offering diverse services in the community which has led to impacting families, lives leading to the acceptance in the society. “I have been offering the services in the community ranging from family planning, children vaccination, water treatment drugs, referring the expectant mothers to attend Antenatal Clinics, family visits which help in identifying critical conditions and referring the patients to the clinic.” She said.

“I am so glad that these services have been accepted which is demonstrated by receiving consultation from the community members on heath matters, unlike in the preliminary stages were those that were visited by the community Health workers were labeled as those that were facing serious health issues hence stigmatized. But nowadays the services have been embraced in the community.” She expounded.

She explained how through the services she has been able to create a bond between families by narrating an incident of a woman who had side effects from a family planning method that she was using . “ There is this time that I was visiting homes and encountered a woman who had an inflated hand which was an aftermath of a family planning method. It is then that I took her for a check up. She was attended to and ever since we have been in touch even attending to the family as a whole. I blended well with her children even when they were young. They even address me as a doctor!” She exclaimed.

However promising, the clinic has been facing challenges that has posed a blow to the residents of Soweto Kayole making the community health promoters incapacitated in meeting the need in the community.

“ There has been a shift in the sector of health nationwide which has well affected the residents of Kayole, unlike earlier on, where National Health Insurance Fund would stand for the registered patients, now social Health Authority mainly favour the patients to go for consultation in the public health institution which as well they lack drugs to administer to the patients. So I constantly get patients who need special attendance and complain to me that they do not have funds to cater even for their medicines.” Ann lamented.

“Things look to be thick but we still look forward with anticipation that things will turn for good .” She hoped.