Day 5a...Mulot Market and Baraka Health Clinic

Another chock-a-block day full of inspiration, passion, and pride! :)

After a post-breakfast crash course in Kiswahili from our warriors we headed off to the local subsistence market to try our hand at shopping and bartering! I have no pictures as this is an actual working market where the locals go to do their weekly "shop" - getting up in the wee hours of the morning to walk several hours to buy/sell necessities at the market.

It was quite an experience as you can imagine! I have to say, compared to some of the markets I've been to in other countries this was quite a pleasant experience. Although everyone was flogging their wares (locally grown food, fabrics, second hand clothes and shoes, miscellaneous household items etc) and trying to get the best price for them (and boy did we have "foreigner" stamped on our foreheads) they were very polite and not overly aggressive. Our warriors, James and Jackson, were instrumental when it came to getting a "good price".

To help us get the most out of the experience, we were divided into groups of 4 and tasked with buying "gifts" for another group with 200 Kenya shillings (Ksh) per person (about $2). We exchanged the gifts at lunch and I have to say everyone stuck to budget and did pretty well. Below is a picture of what I was given (tea and a mug wrapped in a piece of fabric). I bought the little stone heart myself for 50 Ksh.

It was so nice to interact with the locals and some of our group did really well conversing in Kiswahili. This was a really wonderful bonding experience for our group - working together and also thinking about our fellow travellers and what they might like to take away from Kenya.

One group was exceptionally creative and purchased all the ingredients for ugali and mboga (spinach) and had the kitchen cook it up for dinner! It was pretty tasty.

Gifts from the local market

 

Next up was a tour of the Baraka (Blessing) Medical Clinic. Here we met one nurse and two "clinicians". I have no idea if they are doctors but they seem to do everything from talking with patients, taking blood samples, running tests in the lab, delivering babies, and minor surgery! (Although, according to them the babies pretty much deliver themselves as the Mamas walk to the clinic when labour is well underway!)

Baraka Health Clinic

Ambulance

James giving us the history of Baraka

Baby unit in the maternity ward

 

Obviously, it is an amazing accomplishment to have built this permanent health clinic which serves over 40,000 community members. I was really impressed to see the lab facilities - a lot of the tools and equipment are the same as the lab I worked at in Ottawa (on a much smaller scale though). And the clinician took great care and pride in his duty to get test results accurate. Actually, both clinicians were extremely proud of the clinic and the great work they do there - as well they should be! It is a beautiful establishment and would not be out of place in most towns in Canada.

What a fabulous morning....and that wasn't even the best part of the day....stay tuned ;- )