Mercy is a 21 year-old stay-at-home mother. She is married with two children and is concerned about malaria affecting her and her unborn child. During her last pregnancy, her main complication was malaria and the symptoms went untreated for months. As a result, she had preterm labor. Luckily, her baby was born, though very weak and sickly. Mercy was jovial and very keen to get information at the MED25 clinic where she received her antenatal care kit.

Each kit includes a mosquito net to sleep under, water treatment drops to provide clean water for her entire pregnancy, a laboratory test for ongoing evaluations of maternal health, and medications including malaria prophylaxis, deworming, ferrous sulfate and folic acid. In addition, mothers visit the MED25 clinic each month during their pregnancy to receive maternal education and check ups from clinic professionals.

Katie, thank you for your support, which will ensure Mercy has a safe delivery. Mercy felt relieved after her visit to the clinic. This was her only preparation for the birthing of her baby. She will continue to take her malaria prophylaxis in hopes of doing everything she can to ensure a healthy delivery.

Alice lives in Nyahera Village in the Mbita District of Kenya, which is about four kilometers from the MED25 clinic. As a community health worker, Alice serves Nyahera Village and Kombe Village. Alice is married and has five children — one boy and four girls.

Alice has worked as a community health worker for over three years and believes that her experience has taught her how to mobilize people in her community, create awareness about health issues, and teach young mothers the importance of going to the clinic for prenatal and postnatal care. Alice is actively involved in her church and volunteers the majority of her weekend to church programs.

Your generosity, Gary, Lavina, Cole, and Anandi, will cover Alice’s salary for a month — providing her the opportunity to impact the Mbita community. She currently serves over 120 households in the villages she directly serves. Your donation allows Alice to impact the lives of over 720 individuals. Thank you for helping Alice take care of herself, her family, and her village!

Risper lives seven kilometers away from MED25’s clinic in Mbita, Kenya. Being a Community Health Worker has enabled her to build relations with various people in her community. For the past year Risper has served over one hundred households. Many of the patients she has seen have gone back to see her and appreciate her support.

Risper was trained as a Community Health Worker in Mbita, Kenya. After her training there were no institution where she could work and nourish her talent. She believes that the opportunity to work as a Community Health Worker for MED25 has allowed her to share her skills and be respected in her community.

Your support for Risper provides an opportunity for a broad impact in the larger Mbita District. Thank you.

Rose Atieno lives in Kombe Village, Mbita, Kenya. She is married with three children. She looks forward to treating water before drinking, not only for her and her future baby, but for the rest of  her family. Drinking water is mainly sourced from  Lake Victoria. The water is contaminated  and without your support Rose would have no option but to drink the dirty water.

Each maternal health kit includes a mosquito net to sleep under, water treatment drops to provide clean water during her entire pregnancy, a laboratory test for ongoing evaluations of maternal health, and medications including malaria prophylaxis, de-worming, ferrous sulfate and folic acid. In addition, mothers visit the Med25 clinic each month during their pregnancy to receive maternal education and checkups from clinic professionals.

Rose  is experiencing body pains and occasional bleeding, which has made her pregnancy a bit challenging. Despite all the illness, she has been able to save some money and  she is excited to use it to shop for her babies needs. Thank you for supporting Rose and her child during this pregnancy!

Emilly Omogo comes from Kisui village in Mbita, Kenya. Emilly lives with her family in her traditional home, which is about 200 meters from theMED25 clinic. Emilly has worked as a Community Health Worker (CHW) in the Mbita area for over five years.

She was born and raised in Busia District, which is about 80 miles away from the MED25 Clinic. After completing high school, she started a family and later continued to pursue education by completing her CHW certificate. She spends her spare time at her vegetable garden by Lake Victoria where she grows kale, tomatoes, papaya, and other vegetables and fruits. Emilly sells the produce from her garden while also using it to provide her children with a nutritious diet.

Your donation has provided Emilly with the stipend she needs for the next month to support her large family and supplement the produce from her vegetable garden. Through your donation alone, you are bringing a CHW to more than 1,100 individuals.  Thank you for supporting Emilly and Kisui village.

Catherine grew up in a fishing community along Lake Victoria, Kenya. Like many other individuals from communities like hers, she was not able to finish school because her family could not afford it. That did not stop her desire for education. In 1992, she joined a community group that trained women to become Community Health Workers.

Catherine has lost many family members to malaria and wanted to help educate others on how to prevent such illnesses. She volunteered as a community health worker for years and was overjoyed to join MED25 International, whom equipped her with materials to better serve her community.

Catherine is ever smiling. Her smile, which is infectious, shows how she deeply cares for her patients. During her leisure time, she loves knitting and reading story books.

By sponsoring Catherine, you have given her the tools she needs to serve over 549 households, which equates to more than 3,200 individuals impacted by your gift alone. Thank you so much for your generosity!

Photo: Catherine is on the right side, in a green dress with a backpack. She is having a heart to heart conversation with one of her patients.

Penina has worked as a Community Health Worker (CHW) for almost 20 years. Starting with UNICEF in 1992, she saw firsthand how bringing health care and treatment to people in rural communities helps decrease the death rate of treatable illnesses. She  knows that the hard work she has done pays off for her community, as she watches many recover from diseases like malaria, tapeworm, and cholera.

She was born and raised just 4km away from the MED25 Clinic. When asked about her schooling, she replies “I was one of the lucky ones.” As a female in her community, it is rare to graduate from high school (in this district only 11% of women attend high school even for a single year). With the support of her family, she was able to graduate with a high school diploma, a luxury that many women in her village have not had. After completing high school, she started a family and continued to pursue education by completing her CHW certificate.

Thanks to your donation, Penina has the stipend she needs for the next month to support her husband and seven children. While you are supporting Penina, you are also supporting her village in Kenya, as she serves over 180 households. Through your donation alone, you are bringing a CHW to more than 1,100 individuals. Thank you so much for supporting Penina and Chamakowa Village!

In this picture, Penina is pausing for a photo after a hot and sunny day of working within her village.

Olga is 26 years old. She lives on Rusinga Island in Kenya and works as a copy typist.

She was very delighted and thankful for the maternal health kit, which she believes will help protect her from mosquito bites.

Each kit includes a mosquito net to sleep under, water treatment drops to provide clean water during her entire pregnancy, a laboratory test for ongoing evaluations of maternal health, and medications including malaria prophylaxis, de-worming, ferrous sulfate and folic acid. In addition, mothers receive monthly visits from the the Med25 clinic during their pregnancy to get up to date maternal education and checkups from clinic professionals.

During her pregnancy, Olga has experienced a number of setbacks including bleeding and malaria. She feels that the kit provided will allow her to use her minimal income to transport herself and deliver her baby at a health clinic.

Thank you for ensuring that Olga’s baby is safely delivered at a health facility and not at home.  Your support is highly appreciated!

Ruth is from Kombe Village in Mbita, Kenya. She is a house wife, and is expecting her second baby. She was grateful on receiving the antenatal care kit. She is now confident about protecting herself and her future baby from malaria.

Each kit includes a mosquito net to sleep under, water treatment drops to provide clean water during her entire pregnancy, a laboratory test for ongoing evaluations of maternal health, and medications including malaria prophylaxis, de-worming, ferrous sulfate and folic acid. In addition, mothers visit the Med25 clinic each month during their pregnancy to receive maternal education and checkups from clinic professionals.

Her  health has been good. She has not experienced complications during her pregnancy. Ruth plans to take her baby to the MED25 clinic for vaccination and postnatal care.

Thank you very much Sterling and Melinda for ensuring that Ruth and her baby are protected!

Alphine is a 21 year old house wife from the Kamreri village of Mbita in Kenya. She was very surprised when she was given an antenatal care kit after her visit and said ” I am very happy.”

Each kit includes a mosquito net to sleep under, water treatment drops to provide clean water during her entire pregnancy, a laboratory test for ongoing evaluations of maternal health, and medications including malaria prophylaxis, de-worming, ferrous sulfate and folic acid. In addition, mothers recieve monthly visits from the the Med25 clinic during their pregnancy to get up to date maternal education and checkups from clinic professionals.

Prior to Alphine’s visit to the MED25 clinic, she was having a lot of back pain and headaches. She had been saving money and stocking food as part of the preparation for her first baby. Thank you so much for helping Alphine be better prepared for the birth of her first child and for making her pregnancy a more comfortable process. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!