PROJECTS ACROSS KIBERA
Kibera Health Fair 2022
WWK Health Fair 2022
By Nancy Glaser, Advisor of Wayo Wayo Kibra
On June 11th, a portion of our donated funds were spent on the Wayo Wayo Kibra Health Fair in the Kibera Slum in Nairobi. It provided free health diagnosis and medications to over 500 residents. Kibera is the largest urban slum in Africa. It is home to between 500 – 1 million residents. Some families claim they are the 7th generation living there. What started out as temporary housing has become permanent homes to the residents living in poverty. With no government services (electricity, sanitation facilities, garbage service, clean water), the residents must fend for themselves. Understandably the health care and services are very poor.
Background of Wayo Wayo Kibra
Wayo Wayo Kibra is a local Community Organization run by an all-volunteer leader and team. I first met the leader, Abdul Hussein, while I was living and working in Nairobi with the Stanford Seed program. I met Abdul through local friends I made in Nairobi. I asked who could take me on a tour and tell me about the Kibera Slum. Through Abdul, I learned firsthand the life the residents were destined to.
Wayo Wayo Kibra began as a free soccer program for the boys and girls living there. We added local health programs when Covid hit, and soccer could not be played. A grant provided us with funds to train our young adults to be qualified as Community Health Workers (started by Dr. Paul Farmer). This year, we used a grant to offer a free health fair to the residents of Kibera in conjunction with the Kenyan Ministry of Health and other INGOs participation.
Wayo Wayo Kibra oversaw the planning, requesting of medications, volunteer doctors and nurses from the sponsors along with the Ministry of Health. Over 500 residents attended the fair on June 11th, were diagnosed by our medical volunteers, Covid vaccinated, children inoculated, and all were given free medications based on their diagnosis. For many, this is the only opportunity for them to receive medical care all year.
WWK Free Community Health Fair – June 11, 2022
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WWK engages the youth of the Kibera slum in a collaborative community-based change effort, to empower young people with skills, confidence, and experience they need to become effective and successful community members.
