This is all about Community Health Volunteers work in Kenya. As some of you may be aware, I am a human rights defender. I defend the rights of indigenous peoples in Kenya and around the world.
On 22 February, 2023 I paid a visit to Kamar Location to support Community Health Volunteers who are doing fantastic work in Baringo County and will be visiting other Community Health Volunteers in at least 3 other counties.
These Community Health Volunteers were trained in December 2021 and they have been working for 14 months educating their communities on the need for child spacing, importance of constructing pit latrines for enhanced hygiene and encouraging men to visit health facilities when they are sick and stop thinking that the facilities are for women and children.
Poor Road Infrastructure
We noted with a lot of concern that the road infrastructure in Endorois territory are in poor state. There is a lot of shoddy road works. Curvets are just laid across the road and they look like bumps and small vehicles find them challenging to cross.
Rocky grounds – hard to dig pit latrines
We discovered that one of the reasons some homesteads do not have pit latrines is that the area is rocky which is challenging when digging pit latrines. In some areas it can take up to two hours to dig enough sand to fill a spade! Hence, it is expensive because it is time consuming and a difficult task. One resident estimated that he spent Ksh. 1,500 per foot to have his 6 feet latrine dug.
A poor household will weigh in between purchasing food or other essential needs against hiring men to dig a pit latrine. The state will have to go a long way before they achieve a defecation free country.
Access to water
Most of the rivers we crossed have dried up due to the prolonged drought in Kenya. Local residents take their time to travel long distances to the dried river beds where they scratch the ground for the last drops of water.
Those who have money fetch water from the boreholes dug and equipped by the humanitarian agency known as World Vision. The organization has drilled boreholes, constructed water tanks and set up water kiosks at strategic places across the Endorois territory.
However, one Daniel Ruto called upon the government and other humanitarian organizations to expand the water projects and ensure water is easily accessible by all the households in their territory.
Snake Bites
According to the residents of Kamar Location, snake bites are common in the territory. This because Baringo is home to some of the most poisonous snakes in Kenya. They bite residents and to add salt to injury, there are no anti-venom drugs at the local health facilities. The victims of snake bites have to travel long distances to access health care services at referral hospitals to get access to this essential drug to save their lives.
https://twitter.com/gkerosi/status/1628431174291935232
A twitter user by the name Sibuor Mang’ng’a advised me that I should organize a training for Endorois people on how to handle snakes and use their skin for trade. This is possible but it requires putting heads together to plan and think around the idea before it is put into practice. Some people harvest venom from the snakes which is used to make anti-venom drugs.
Finally, my colleague Wilson Kipkazi believes that the community can set up a snake park but it requires applying for a license from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). He added that “it also requires huge investment and expertise.”
All good ideas are most welcome in the comments sections about the work of Community Health Volunteers.
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