CHANGES IN SENIOR STAFF!
AND A SECURITY UPDATE!
There are three changes in senior staff pending at MMH!
FIRST -
The probation period for our Chief Administrative Office, John Mati Lautani, came to a conclusion, and a decision was made not to continue him in his contract with us. His final day was Monday, February 16, 2015. Prayers are always appreciated in such times of transition.
An Acting Administrator will be named by the PB, as authorized by the hospital board, and should be in place in a week or two.
SECOND -
Dr. Inoti Murithi, our Medical Officer In Charge, has resigned, effective mid-May 2015. HOWEVER his resignation is only from the position of MOIC, and not from the hospital. He will continue on staff as our consultant in ophthalmology, and focus full time on establishing an eye institute here in Maua. It is essential that we differentiate our services from other area providers, and the institute will help do exactly that!
He is very excited about the prospects, and we are very excited about his excitement and the possibilities of the institute!
THIRD -
Sister Barbara Dickinson, a missionary nurse posted by the British Methodist Church, is retiring this fall. She has served at MMH for over 35 years, and will finish up here in May, and then itinerate for several months back in the U.K. In retirement she will share her time between the U.K. and Kenya, enjoying a shamba in Meru! It is difficult to place in words the grace and good works she has blessed Maua Methodist Hospital with over her years of service! She will be missed!
So these are the changes that are taking place in the senior staff at Maua.
I should also note that the government is hiring nurses in mass numbers, so we will see where we are in terms of nursing staff by summer. It is difficult to compete given that government salaries are significantly higher than mission hospital salaries. And yet we are so thankful for the dedicated core group of nurses that have seen MMH as a calling and have remained with us in faithful service.
SECURITY CONCERNS
Every year about this time we are asked if it is safe to come to Kenya. The question comes from team leaders, family members and folks thinking of volunteering. This year is no different than the year before - both in terms of asking and in terms of safety. Feel free to email either of us if you have specific questions or concerns that may be raised by the following. It is a serious question and deserves a serious answer.
Our greatest security concern is actually that of traffic and pedestrian safety.
Look familiar?
This is the hotel teams stay in, and there will be a good measure of familiarity this year. Most of the staff team members have grown to know and trust over the years are still very much on duty...Lina, Virginia, Mercy, Patrick, Titus, Cyprian and John, for example. They take guest security very seriously, and Patrick and Titus will walk teams to the hospital each morning for chapel.
The challenge is the traffic. The road between the Annex, where the rooms are, and the dining room is very congested and has become a major thoroughfare for motor bikes. Caution crossing the road is essential, and if you are coming on a team, keep an eye on each other.
There is a challenge as well in how to get folks to the hospital and back from the Basin Hotel safely.
When Sue and I first started coming to Maua, the streets looked something like this:
But traffic has increased dramatically in the last 10 summers, and there are more cars, buses.......
motor bikes, carts.....
people......
and cattle than ever before.
There have even been some marginal improvements to the roads in town, which mean vehicles move faster and more aggressively than ever.
Plus, some of the roads to the projects are, well, simply not all that good!
Like these two......
So our first security warning is to be sure to tell teams and those coming over to look both ways before crossing (right, then left, then right again). And to pay special attention when walking on tarmac...always single file. Vehicles here will not give way to pedestrians! So caution is the word. We personally would never cancel a trip because of traffic, but we would pay close attention to local conditions and customs.
Come to think about it, the only time I have been hit by a vehicle on a mission trip was in Amsterdam....by a bicycle, no less!
Once again this summer we will be telling teams it is OK to walk in the mornings from the hotel to the hospital, but after that initial walk all other trips back and forth will be by transport.
Maua is in a building boom, and things are simply very, very crowded!
The second security issue has to do with Al Shabaab. Kenya is still in a post-Westgate Mall mode, and issues related to personal safety are very much on everyone's mind.
We all enjoy mingling with people! Relationships make the trip rich and meaningful beyond words.
Scenes like this stay with us for years!
It certainly is why the two of us moved here almost three years ago. But there are some safety measures to be aware of even in the midst of establishing those relationships.
Every once in a while a rumor circulates that Al Shabaab is planning on activity over a wider area of Kenya.
To date, those rumors have been just rumors....and short lived ones at that. Because of the large Somali population in our area (about 15%), Meru County - the Kenyan version of a state - and Maua are keenly tuned into the local Somali leadership and population. Ironically, the local Somali population also wants to keep things calm because of the miraa (khat) trade. Somali leadership has had numerous meetings and contacts with County government. In addition, there are a large number of undercover police and military in our region, all with ears to the ground. The hospital and Methodist Church in Kenya are part of a network that shares information about security. We feel safer in Maua than in Nairobi. We do not perceive this year any different than any other year.
No place in the world can ever offer a guarantee of absolute safety. And MMH is no exception. But we can tell you that if we are advised of an active or imminent threat we will notify teams immediately. The presiding bishop takes team involvement in Kenya very seriously, and will do nothing to endanger anyone.
MEANWHILE THERE IS WORK TO BE DONE!
There are supplies to sort......
Medical Camps to conduct.....
Collapsing homes to replace.....
Children needing to be de-wormed.......
Food support ready for distribution.....
Hospitality longing to be shared......
Patients waiting to be cared for.......
Cats purring to be petted......
And amazing people to meet!
Things change at Maua Methodist Hospital....sometimes even with our staff. And, like anywhere else in the world, security can well depend upon which way you look before crossing a road.
But here you will be welcomed! Here you will find an amazing witness to God's love at work in the world! Here you will find hope!
Blessings,
Jim
Rev. Sue Owen is an Individual Volunteer through the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries. If you would like to help support her work you may do so on-line through the General Board of Global Ministries. Go to www.umcmission.org and follow the prompts for donating to Individual Volunteers, Advance Special # 982465. Be sure to designate her by name on your donation.
Jim is the C.E.O. of Maua Methodist Hospital, and you may help support his work through the same route as above…just go to Advance Special # 09613A. Again, designate him by name on your gift.
Or, if you prefer, you may donate through your local United Methodist Church.
All funds given to The United Methodist Church’s Advance Special go directly to the designated project or individual – 100%! Your support is appreciated!
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