Last week, Ex-Lewa was visited by three representatives of Apotek Hjärtat Heart, Paulina Lundström, Hasna Farah and Lena Cervin, accompanied by Richard Ohlson, chairman of the Gundua Foundation.
On the first day of the visit, Friday, October 11, they received a tour of the clinic, where they gained insight into the health care work at the Gundua Health Center. And then they had the opportunity to get acquainted with the staff at the clinic.
Next day Paulina, Hasna and Lena, held a workshop with the clinic staff focused on two subjects; menstrual cups and patients’ ability to follow prescribed medical instructions.
Menstrual cups are a helpful aid, especially for school girls from disadvantaged families – the same cup is reused for several years and is easy to keep clean. And, the reduced costs make it easier for girls to go to school even when they cannot afford sanitary napkins. Otherwise, there is a high risk that girls stay at home due to menstruation.
In the discussion of how common it is for patients to have difficulty following self-medication as instructed by doctors, a comparison between Sweden and Kenya was made. It is a challenge for public health in both countries, but can be helped by healthcare professionals talking more with their customers about the dangers of not following your medicine prescriptions.
The Apotek Hjärtat visitors also brought a donation of healthcare materials, among which were a number of blood sugar strips. These will come in handy when Gundua Health Center performs blood sugar research in the Ex-Lewa community.
On the last day of the visit, Sunday October 14th, Paulina, Hasna & Lena were greeted at Gundua Secondary School. Principal Mrs Lydia Marete showed the school library and introduced them to form 4 class who were preparing for their final secondary school examination. They spoke to the students and gave them words of encouragement.
Hasna shared his own life experience:
“I became the mother of three children and made a conscious decision to go back and finish my high school education, and then I continued to university.” – despite the early challenges of her life, she was determined to complete her studies and fulfill her dream. Currently she works as a pharmacist at Apotek Hjärtat and has a Master of Science in Pharmacy. She especially encouraged the girls not to give up whatever obstacles they encounter in their lives.
The students said they felt inspired by the life experiences they shared, promised to get good grades on their forthcoming final examination – Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) – and thanked the visitors for their continued support of the school.
Those of you who are customers of Apotek Hjärtat can easily support their work with Gundua Foundation, read more about it here (page in Swedish).