While volunteering at Common Ground in the summer of 2007, a fellow volunteer suggested that we check out a medical clinic down the road that he had worked at. Kit, the volunteer I was working with, and I had both come to Kenya as business students with an interest in micro-credit and had no qualifications whatsoever to work in a medical clinic. We were assured that none of this mattered, that we would be welcomed at Sister Freda’s like family, and that we would have an incredible experience.
We decided to see what Sister Freda’s was all about one morning, and went down to visit the clinic. As promised, we were greeted by friendly, grateful workers and immediately made to feel at home. Instead of feeling burdensome as we thought we might, the doctors and nurses were thrilled to show us around and teach us about the clinic and everything that Sister Freda’s has to offer.
We worked in the lab a bit, learned to test patients for malaria, and spent time visiting with patients. We were introduced to Sister Freda, the incredible woman who saw immediate needs in the community and was able to create a clinic to service these needs. She introduced us to Richard, who treated us to a two hour tour of the coffee, banana, pineapple, and other crops grown on the property, and showed us his fascinating methods for irrigating and raising the water level to enhance agricultural production.
When we got back from our tour, lunch had been prepared and as Kit and I ate with Sister Freda and Richard, we discussed what we could do to help the clinic. We knew that they were in desperate need of funding as 98% of medical services are provided for free as most patients cannot afford to pay. They also have to fund the orphan feeding and schooling program, which currently provides for over 100 orphans. When factoring the nursing school, mobile medical clinic, and other community outreach programs Sister Freda offers into the equation, the need for funding became even more apparent.
I visited Sister Freda’s a few days a week for the remainder of my time in Kenya. Kit and I got to know the children at the school by playing with them and photographing them. We figured that one way to raise funds would be to find sponsors for these amazing kids whose stories were painful to even listen to. After getting to know the nurses, doctors, children, teachers, chefs – everyone working at Sister Freda’s, we decided it would be a great place to locate a volunteer program. The staff was incredibly excited by this idea. They love welcoming visitors and were honored that we thought volunteers would enjoy staying and working on the property.
To us, it seemed an ideal location. There is a huge variety of activities volunteers can partake in, whether it be working in the clinic, teaching, looking after the children, working with the outreach programs in the local community, or working on the farm. Sister Freda garners an enormous amount of respect from the community and her staff, whom are all incredibly generous, grateful, and fun people to be around.
Sister Freda’s has left a strong lasting impression on me and the other volunteers who have been fortunate enough to get to know everyone involved with this wonderful foundation. It is a truly special organization that uses what modest resources it has to produce tremendous outcomes. With so much already being accomplished, it will be great to see what Sister Freda’s can achieve with its new resources now that a volunteer program has been established.
Lindsey Casagrande
August – September 2007