Judith lives in Mbita, Kenya with her husband and their six children. Fishing and small-scale farming are the main economic activities in her village.

She has a heart of gold. She is curious and outgoing, which enables her to connect with her patients in an amazing way.

She was trained as a Community Health Worker in 1998. In 2010, she joined MED25’s Community Health Workers. Judith is seen as a light to her community.

Her main goal is to help decrease the 37% HIV infection rate in her community.

She spends her leisure time attending village sports events, tending to her vegetable garden, and walking.

She is determined to make a difference, one individual at a time. By supporting Judith, you have helped serve over 185 households, reaching over 1,100 individuals. Thank you all for your support!

Photograph: Judith is on the right, with her hair plated. On the left is one of her patients, with an orange plastic basin.

Mary  was born and raised in a small village in Mbita, Kenya. Her traditional home is just 2 kilometers away from the MED25 Clinic. Growing up in Kisui Village, Mary watched members of her community unable to make ends meet with their effort in subsistence  farming. Her exemplary small scale farming techniques put her in a position of admiration from a young age.

After graduating high school and starting her own family, a cholera outbreak in her community made her realize she wanted more for herself and her loved ones. In 1998, Mary completed her official training to become a Community Health Worker for her village. In 2010, Mary joined the MED25 team and for the first time was able to refer community members to a facility where she knew patients would get the treatment they needed. She has now become the face of MED25’s growing number of Community Health Workers.

Mary’s primary goal as a community health worker is to educate members of her community on ways to prevent diseases that plague her community: malaria and water-borne illnesses.

By sponsoring Mary, you have provided 422 households, more than 2,500 individuals, with a Community Health Worker. Thank you all for your support!

Photograph: Mary is on the far left, in blue t-shirt. The others in the photo are members of a family she visited in her routine role as a MED25 CHW in October 2011.

Lilian Auma is a house wife and she lives in Kisui Village in Mbita, Kenya. She is 22 years old. The enthusiasm in her was inevitable when she received her antenatal care kit. She says that her baby is a sign of good luck. She likes the number two, especially because she is expecting her second baby, which she hopes will be a baby boy!

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.

In the course of her pregnancy Lilian has struggled with malaria and anemia. She plans to protect her baby from those issues with your help. Her other goal is to ensure that her baby is immunized at the MED25 clinic. Lilian is very thankful for your support.

Helida is one of the most hardworking women from Mbita, Kenya. After losing many loved ones to health ailments, she was determined to learn and equip herself with tools that would help her become the ambassador for health in her community. Dropping out of High School, premature marriage, and loss of loved ones from treatable diseases are just a few of the hardships she has dealt with. She did not allow any of it to deter her from pursuing informal training through Community Based Distribution, which eventually earned her the skills to become a Community Health Worker in 1998.

Helida lights up when she talks about her small scale business empire that supplements her income. She recently expanded from selling vegetables and fish to cooking and supplying lunch to the staff at the MED25 clinic.

Helida is a constant learner. Whenever a workshop or training opportunity arises, she is amongst the first to enlist. She believes in the MED25 approach of focusing on community health and she feels that it has made her very resourceful. She believes that her role is to create awareness in the community about the available health services at the MED25 clinic with the hope of solving the issues affecting her community. She says that when she achieves that, then she is a true ambassador.

Through your donation, you have provided Helida with continuing education on health and the supplies she needs to continue to  serve the 1,600 individuals in her community. Thank you!

In the picture, Helida is outside her house with her children.

Benter is from Uhaga Village in Mbita, Kenya. Her Village is a little less than 10 kilometers from the MED25 clinic. She has six children and has been involved in subsistence farming and fishing, which are the main economic activities in Mbita.

Benter is an active representative of women in her community at various levels, she was amongst the first women to vie for the post of the local council. From 1992 she has been a Community Health Worker(CHW), a position she is quite proud of considering the rigorous training she acquired through Community Based Distribution and Home-Based Care: Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV(PMCT) certification in 2009.

Benter is commitment to serving her community  and she is driven by her experience and events she has witnessed first hand. A huge Malaria and Cholera break out that resulted in the demise of many adults and children was her turning point. Equipped with her swift pace, basic health training, and broad knowledge of the community she decided to take her enthusiasm door to door. Through her long treks she became pivotal in working with MED25 to assess the healthcare in the area and eventually she became a MED25 Community Health Worker.

In her free time, Benter loves attending political and development meetings in the community. Your support for Benter provides an opportunity for a broad impact. Thank you.

Grace Adhiambo is a 32 year old woman from Mbita town in Kenya. She was so grateful when she received her kit that she believes will help improve her hygiene and 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 visit the Med25 clinic each month during their pregnancy to receive maternal education and checkups from clinic professionals.

Grace feels so blessed that she boldly says, “from now on I don’t have any problem.” She is very careful about malaria, and whenever she suspects that she might be sick, she goes to the MED25 clinic immediately. Grace believes that her baby will also receive the same protection as soon as she delivers. SwipeGood, thank you for supporting Grace’s fight against Malaria.

Mercy Awuor Otieno comes from Kombe, a village right  up the hill from the MED25 clinic in Kenya. She is 20 years old and owns a small scale business. When asked about receiving this kit, mercy replied: “I count myself lucky after receiving this net from the clinic. I am intending to use it to protect myself from malaria and also use the water guard to protect myself from water born diseases.”

Each kit includes a mosquito net to sleep under, water treatment drops to provide clean water durring 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.

Mercy has in the past experienced frequent health problems including difficulty in breathing, general body malaise, and malaria. She believes that with the antenatal care kit she will be able to deliver her baby safely, take the baby for vaccination at the clinic, and one day see her baby grow to an adult. Thank you Pradeep for ensuring that Mercy’s baby has a healthy start!

Caroline is a 30 year old woman from the Kirambo Village in Kenya. She sources vegetables from farmers along the lake in her community and sells them by the main road. Caroline was quite excited on receiving the antenatal kit from MED25 clinic: “This kit has saved me money, once my baby is born I will be able to give her a balanced diet from the savings.”

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, 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.

Caroline’s past pregnancies have been plagued by frequent headaches, dizziness and also general malaise. Because Caroline had to save a lot for her babies arrival, she decreased her spending significantly which negatively affected her health through her change in diet. With your gift of antenatal care, Caroline believes she can focus more on her health, helping improve her baby’s health as well. Thank you, Elena and Shanen, for helping Caroline and her future baby to live a healthy life!

Caroline is a strong, busy, and hardworking 32 year old house wife. She spends a lot of her time tending to her live stock and crops. She also works part time for her neighbour as a house help. She was delighted after receiving the maternal health kit from MED25 clinic.

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, 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.

Caroline believes that Malaria is a big problem to her because of her frequent exposure to the disease. She will use the items she received to protect herself and her baby against both malaria and water borne diseases like typhoid. Thanks Kandace, your support has provided Caroline with time to focus on developing her garden and will reduce the amount of sick days she has due to Malaria!