Imagine an elderly woman caring for her two grandchildren in rural Kenya. The setting of their home is very similar to that of a 19th century American farm; a time when less than eight out of ten infants lived through the first year.
While much of the world outside has changed, she is drawing her family’s drinking water from a well, it would take days to reach the nearest health facility, and she relies on the maize, millet, and greens from her garden to keep her family fed.
Each day presents risks to her family. What if one of the children gets diarrhea and a fever? What if a snake bites her, or a cut on her foot becomes infected? If she doesn't know the severity of the situation or how to deal with it, she is likely to ignore it, or label it as fate.
As HIV/AIDS continues to plague nations like Kenya, this lack of basic medical knowledge becomes even more harmful.
While there are millions of Kenyans living lives like this woman, there are also those who are eager for an opportunity to serve the community as advocates for public health.
Among these public servants are the deaconesses of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK). The ELCK deaconesses receive comprehensive theological training and have demonstrated compassion to their neighbors and faithfulness to the Lutheran Confessions. Yet a large part of their job consist of addressing the immediate needs of the people they visit, many of which are related to health and nutrition. These women have received little or no medical education.
LCMS World Relief and Human Care and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK) are partnering to offer a series of seminars intended to teach ELCK deaconesses and volunteer health workers the proper way to administer and teach basic home-based care in local communities. While there are many public health programs in Kenya, individuals living in remote rural areas are often overlooked.
Home-based care initiatives allow community volunteers to promote healthy living at the grassroots level by teaching members of their community basic knowledge in home medicine, nutrition and sanitation. LCMS World Relief and Human Care is seeking out volunteers to help us in this effort.
While there are millions of Kenyans living lives like this woman, there are also those who are eager for an opportunity to serve the community as advocates for public health.
Among these public servants are the deaconesses of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK). The ELCK deaconesses receive comprehensive theological training and have demonstrated compassion to their neighbors and faithfulness to the Lutheran Confessions. Yet a large part of their job consist of addressing the immediate needs of the people they visit, many of which are related to health and nutrition. These women have received little or no medical education.
LCMS World Relief and Human Care and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK) are partnering to offer a series of seminars intended to teach ELCK deaconesses and volunteer health workers the proper way to administer and teach basic home-based care in local communities. While there are many public health programs in Kenya, individuals living in remote rural areas are often overlooked.Home-based care initiatives allow community volunteers to promote healthy living at the grassroots level by teaching members of their community basic knowledge in home medicine, nutrition and sanitation. LCMS World Relief and Human Care is seeking out volunteers to help us in this effort.
What is home-based care (HBC)?
Home-based care is a strategy to offer and demonstrate basic healthcare to individuals living in areas with weak or non-existent health care systems. This approach is specifically designed to address health and societal issues relating to HIV/AIDS.
HBC promotes
- Basic Nursing Care - Wound dressing, bathing, skin care, and oral hygiene.
- Symptom Management -Treating diarrhea and vomiting, pain relief, fever reduction through pharmaceutical and traditional methods.
- Universal Precautions -Hand washing, household cleaning, disposing of waste, preparing clean water,
- Palliative Care - Addressing the physical, physiological and spiritual needs of those who are dying, and offering this same support to their families and friends.
You can read more about Community Home Based Care here:
http://www.worldbank.org/afr/wps/wp88.pdf
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