Welcome to the Mama Tumaini
Health Clinic page!
This page is a tribute to the hard work and
huge spirit of the people of A Wind of Hope in the Arid, as well as
to you, our generous donors! Without your support the construction of this clinic, the only community run health clinic in 500 miles, would never
have been possible.
It has been barely 9 months
since I sent out an email asking for support, an email that traveled
as far as Spain, to people I've never met but who were nonetheless
moved by the incredible story of the people of A Wind of Hope in the
Arid. Since my visit to Isiolo, the clinic's progress has moved
so rapidly that the building structure is nearly complete, and we will
be ready to launch in May 2008. Once launched, the clinic will serve a 120,000
people who would otherwise not have health care. It will honor
the women whose strength and tenacity in the face of unspeakable hardship
inspires us everyday, and inspired the people of Isiolo to name this
clinic "Mama Tumaini," Swahili for "Mama Hope."
We started raising funds for
this project in May of 2007, close to Mother's Day, to honor women
who overcome hardship everywhere. I never imagined how quickly this
project would get off the ground. But the timetable has proved,
once again, the principle that we at Mama Hope have based our organization
on—development works best when it is placed ultimately in the hands
of the community.
I witnessed this first hand
when I arrived in Isiolo in July. After a Health Clinic Committee
meeting with all the local leaders, the foreman told me "I will work
my hardest to get this health clinic built because I know someday it
will save my and my family's lives." Because of this level
of dedication, the project moved at a rapid pace, with a new development
on each succeeding day:
- Monday: We visited the nearby
desert communities to invite then to a meeting about the clinic.
- Tuesday: The entire community
met, blessed the project and held a ceremony to locate the building
site.
- Wednesday: The people began
construction so early the next morning, I slept through the groundbreaking.
Mama Tumaini Health Clinic:
What Needs to Happen Next
We at Mama Hope are grateful
everyday for your incredible generosity that has gone so far toward
building the Mama Tumaini Health Clinic. But, as always, there
is more work to be done. The next step toward creating a better,
healthier, safer environment for the people of Isiolo, Kenya, is sustainability.
We are looking to raise $50K for two years of health clinic sustainability.
Imagine that-- it costs a mere $25K to run a clinic that services up
to 120,000 people per year in Isiolo. That in itself is a miracle.
Please help us to make this number a reality. With each donation
you make we are one step closer to our goal of the clinic being self
sustaining and completely community run, in accordance with Mama Hope's
mission of empowering people to help themselves.
