Photo by Shay
This morning we began our travel from Nakuru to Kisumu. The ride was about an hour and a half away and the country scenery made it rather enjoyable. When we arrived in Kisumu, we met with Karin Lane, an associate field director of PMTCT (Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission). Her position is associated with an organization known as AMPATH (Academic Model for Prevention and Treatment of HIV/AIDS). AMPATH is designed to function as a comprehensive care model demonstrating the abilities of a sustainable clinic. They work mostly with HIV/AIDS affected individuals providing comprehensive care and support. From observation, the organization is very effective. Through Karin, we were scheduled to attend three community-training sessions over the course of two days regarding the importance concepts of the Safe Water System and hand-washing hygiene.
We completed one session today where Karin, partnered with Pamela Akhaabi, PMTCT Coordinator, explained and demonstrated the two concepts. Karin walked through the process of cleaning water with PUR and extensively explored the three major aspects of keeping water safe to drink; water treatment, proper storage, and behavior change. The audience seemed to be very responsive and appeared to have gained a lot of insight on the subjects matter. It was a very good event for our team because we have heard countless organizations discussing community trainings and outreach, yet this was our first chance to attend a session and see the community’s response. We definitely gained insight as a team on how PUR is introduced to the community and the barriers that some trainers face. The different angle and perspective, the providers vs. the end-users, was helpful is showing the whole dynamic of the water sanitation cause.
-Amber