What a Day for Health!

Hundreds of Jitegemee children and parents participated in our Annual Health Days held on 17 and 18 August during the school break, and received a check-up, treatment and medication from our expert team of local healthcare practitioners, headed up by Dr. Desire Aime Nshimirimana and Mr. Bannister Kilonzo.

An exciting addition to this year’s Health Day was a presentation and discussion on sexual and reproductive health, facilitated by our team of 18 peer educators, comprised of students from our vocational, secondary and college programs. The students discussed issues related to peer pressure, sexuality, and how to prevent contraction of sexually transmitted diseases.

Program Manager, Elizabeth Nzivo, prepares some of our youngest students for their check-ups.

Mr. Kilonzo, our program doctor, checks our primary school students.

One of our primary school students shares information with one of the doctors.

Our peer educators! Sharing information about sexual and reproductive health!

Getting tested.

The doctors share information about hygiene and disease prevention.

Even our students’ teeth got checked.

Happy students at the end of a long but important day!

The doctors, and their team of 7 other health practitioners, did a full physical check-up for all 156 of our children who attended, and provided medication or treatment follow-up for common ailments, such as malaria, worms, or skin problems associated with poor hygiene. The team also provided information and training on how to prevent common diseases such as malaria, typhoid and cholera. This is very important for our students and parents, following the recent outbreak or cases of cholera in Nairobi and Machakos. 66 of our older students opted to be tested for HIV, and received counseling and their results at the end of the day.

132 Jitegemee parents arrived for our parents’ Annual Health Day, and also received check-ups and participated in info sessions on disease prevention. Our student peer educators opened the health day with a session on sexual and reproductive health, and a special discussion on family planning. The parents were also given a full check-up and advised on treatment for ailments that were identified.

The healthcare providers conducted a very informative and useful session on diabetes, and how to improve their lifestyle to improve their health. Parents were also given the opportunity to get tested for HIV, and 38 parents were tested.

Lastly, we are grateful to Jitegemee alumni, Musa Tom, for the wonderful photos and his documentation of these two Annual Health Days.