JJ and Emma's Limuru Hospital Fundraiser

Greetings everyone, our names our Johanna (JJ) Ens-MacIver and Emma Neufeld. We are both third year nursing students at Trinity Western University in British Columbia, Canada.This summer we felt called to Kenya to volunteer for a month within a local hospital. Limuru Town, Kenya, is a small town outside of Nairobi located close to the beautiful Rift Valley. During our volunteer shifts thus far, we have come to realize the severe lack of resources within the local hospital. This small hospital has an amazing staff of local nurses, midwives, and doctors who work extremely hard to treat the ongoing heavy flow of patients. However, this can become difficult when faced with a great lack of medical supplies.

Throughout the next three weeks we hope to raise money to directly improve this situation and create funds for the necessary supplies.  Money that is donated will go directly towards supplies such as:

- Blood pressure monitors 
- Stethoscopes
- Gloves
- Syringes, cannulas, and needles
- Catheters
- Gauze, sterile dressing kits, and tape
- Glucose monitors 
- IV sets 
- Swabs, applicators, specimen collectors 
- Soap and hand sanitizer
- Non- stick sterile gauze
- Surgical tools, sutures kits, and staples 
- Thermometers 
- Condoms 
- Medical supply carts 
- Antibiotics ointments 
- Medications 
- Mattresses and linens 
- Pulse oximeter
- Scrubs, medical gowns, aprons, masks, and hair nets
- Eye protection 
- Diapers and female hygiene pads 
- Fetal stethoscopes
- Fetal and infant tubing
- Cord clamps

This week alone has been eye opening for us in realizing the needs of health care professionals and patients in developing countries. We have met strong and resourceful medical professionals who save and change lives under difficult conditions. This experience has been difficult as we find ourselves constantly comparing the lack of resources here in Kenya to what we have in the Canadian health care system. We feel empowered to ask for your help in creating funds to allow for the purchasing of the necessary supplies. 

Although medical supplies is the main focus for this fundraiser, a fraction of the money raised will go towards the purchasing of food for the local tea farming community. Sadly, Kenya is experiencing a drought which is causing this community of 70 families to go hungry due to the
lack of crop production.  These farmers make less than a dollar per 10 kg of tea picked, making life extremely difficult.

Please know all donations will go extremely far in helping the medical staff of Limuru Hospital as well as assisting the farming community in this time of drought.  

We truly appreciate your consideration and will be continually sending updates and photos as the next three weeks progress.

Emma and JJ