Karura Medical Clinic

Once a year in July, my church here in Kenya hosts a free medical clinic for folks who live in the surrounding slums. This year I got to serve on the organizing committee, so some of my days post-Europe have been spent in meetings, in prayer, packaging donated medications, and running around doing whatever needs to be done. It's a good use for my seasonal unemployment.

The clinic works like this: we use our contacts to get medical professionals to volunteer for the day- doctors, nurses, medical students, pharmacists. We politely harangue businesses to donate money to buy medications and other supplies. (Boy, I've learned a lot about Kenyan persuasion tactics on this committee...) A local public elementary school lets us use their grounds in exchange for improvements we make each year- recently we hung doors on the classrooms and got electricity installed. We provide transportation for patients to and from the school, and the congregation of Karura Community Chapel provides the hundreds of non-medical volunteers needed to make this event run smoothly.

Why hundreds of volunteers, you ask? Well, we treat a lot of people. Two-thousand-one-hundred-eleven this year, to be exact. Think about that! Over two thousand people came through this little elementary school in a day, talking with nurses, doctors, getting teeth extracted, being evaluated for further care (like cataract surgery or venereal disease followup), and receiving free medication prescribed by the doctors.

The inside of the pharmacy, where most of my preparation work was focused
The outside of the pharmacy, where my friend Scott is helping someone find their way

The line for the pharmacy- believe me, this is a LOT more organized than last year.

The day is overwhelming. Appropriately so, I think. It's intense to see the great need of thousands of people in one place. On the other hand, it's beautiful to witness willing and thoughtful service on the part of this church. Because of my development work training, I have issues with the once-a-year blitz. Is this one day more about feeling like we've done something? Are there more lasting methods? On the other hand, we can get these doctors to volunteer for a day, and there are good things that happen in that day. Christ's love is shown tangibly, and there are some great stories to be told. But we had to turn away at least 30 children who wanted to come in without adults; we won't give them medicine without adult supervision. It's an appropriate decision, but it's heartbreaking to tell these children no. It might not be their fault they don't have a grownup with them. This year we did make arrangements to have a local nurse receive the medication for some of the unaccompanied children, but she could only do it for the ones she knows. Always, the scope is limited. We have a social justice pastor on staff, and the church runs a variety of programs all year long. But are we doing what we're called to? Is it effective?

I could go on and on with the pros and cons, the list of things that are clearly good and the issues I question and am challenged by. Both this year and last year, I've been exhausted afterwards and not quite sure how to process this experience. I don't know if that's what you want from your missionaries- it would be simpler to say, "It was good! Medical Clinic! Go team!" And there's an aspect where that's true: I'm blessed to go to a church that runs this event as a way to reach out to the poor in our area. I know that's important; I know that pleases God.

Maybe my heart just breaks alongside His at the suffering that still remains.