Irene Chan
Welcome! We are four students from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, Canada's premier institution for naturopathic medical training. In May of 2008, we will be traveling to Africa to volunteer with the Abha Light Foundation (ALF), a natural health organization that is dedicated to providing affordable health care to the people of Kenya, a country where over 60% of the population lives in poverty. Our aim is to help treat those in need and employ the skills we've learned by helping train our patients and fellow students. By swapping our knowledge, Canadians and Kenyans alike can benefit from shared medical wisdom.Naturopathic Volunteers
This project is completely volunteer-run, so any financial support is deeply appreciated. Donations can still be made by clicking the link below.
http://www.givemeaning.com/project/abhavolunteers/
Travel Blog Posts
June 28th 2008
There isn't an overlying theme to these photos. Plus I would like to share the following incident with you that has no corresponding photo: Mzito, Jayani and I were walking to dinner one evening when something flew into Jayani's eye. She gave a small yelp and stopped, and Mzito and I went to see what it was. In less than 10 seconds, out of seemingly nowhere, a crowd of people had surrounded us, someone was shining a flashlight into her eye so we could see better and someone else brought a tissue to clean her eye with. We quickly removed the offending object (a bug), everyone cheered, then went on their way. I've never seen such goodwill and a sense of community anywhere else. Now that is civilization.... read more
June 28th 2008
On the way from Mombasa to Nairobi, we stopped by a Maasai Village for a brief visit. They are traditionally a nomadic tribe, but as their land has been progressively gazetted by colonialists, their traditional way of life is becoming harder to support themselves with. Tourism now provides them with a bit of income as many foreigners are curious about the "tribal culture" of Kenya. I think we all had mixed feelings about visiting the Maasai: while they openly invite tourists to see their villages and welcome the income they bring, we weren't sure if we were exploiting them a bit. We didn't want to treat the Maasai as merely a tourist attraction. They deserve much more respect than that. Anyhow, they encouraged us to take pictures and I'll share a few with you here.... read more
June 27th 2008
I have never seen such an array of wildlife in my lifetime, all living together peacefully. That is, until the lions get hungry. Canadian wildlife seems so lame in comparison. We spent 2 nights and 3 days in Tsavo National Park, then another day and night at Lake Nakuru National Park in the Rift Valley. What surprised me the most was how close the animals got to our van. Most were not afraid of us at all. In fact, many would gaze back at us just as curiously as we were looking at them.... read more
June 26th 2008
Kenya boasts some of the most beautiful scenery. Each region was distinct-- from Nairobi to Mombasa to the Rift Valley, each area had something different offer.... read more
June 26th 2008
We met some of the cutest kids in Kenya. They were absolutely fascinated by our strange appearance and were not afraid to express their curiosity. Quite often upon seeing us, they would run up to us, wave, and call out a chorus of "How are you?". Many would also throw in a high-five, or two or three or four.... read more
June 17th 2008
Thought I'd start out by posting some interesting signs we came across in Kenya...... read more
June 17th 2008
So we're back in Canada now. It was inconvenient for me to use the internet during the last week or so in Kenya, and when we arrived back in Nairobi the internet wasn't working, so I was unable to update you all about the last leg of our trip. However, now that I'm back I will proceed to upload some pictures and tell the stories behind them. I think the photos will tell a better story than simply words in paragraphs. I hope you'll enjoy viewing them as much as I've enjoyed photographing them.... read more
June 2nd 2008
There's nothing quite like open sky at night, there really isn't. Living in the city. it's easy to dismiss the night sky, but here in the villages the sky is carpeted by stars. We've spent many an evening just standing and looking up in wonder. An average of 30 patients come by the clinics each day. We've learned to take a very fast case and how to focus on what's important, but sometimes I wish there was more time to really look more deeply into a patient's situation. For example, I've seen a couple of patients with very obvious tumours and a possible child abuse case, but there simply isn't time to delve more into mental/emotional aspects of their lives. I have seen homeopathy and acupuncture work very quickly and effectively with acute cases, but I ... read more
May 26th 2008
Since I last updated, our group met up with our supervisor Ameet in Nairobi, where he took us for drinks and a night of dancing. The next day we split up into two groups: Sherri-Anne, Jiselle, and Lydia went with Ameet to Kibwezi to work at Toru 1, and Jayani and I were dropped off in Wote to work at Toru 2 under the care of Mzito and Julius, two of the homeopaths who work there. The villages are much safer than Nairobi and I must say that I really enjoyed my time at Wote. The two groups have just switched towns and I am now at Kibwezi. I love the fact that livestock are allowed to roam free. I love that walking back from the clinic today I was treated to the sight of huge, ... read more
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