Preparing to take my 18 year old daughter on a humantiarian expedtion to Kenya
As I prepare for my next humanitarian expedition to Kenya, this time with my 18 year old daughter, I am taking a moment to think about how it might feel seeing it all through her eyes for the very first time.
My mind goes back to the days I spent with the Pokot tribe and my diary entry for that time…
“A travelling day and a chance to reflect. I’m struggling to find the words to tell you about the last 3 days working in Pokot. The page too small and the emotions too big.
While I work I’m focused, determined and mostly manage to suppress my feelings. But now I have time to process, digest and feel.
It has been a harrowing, exhilarating and thought provoking 3 days. A complete rollercoaster of emotions; from sharing success, jokes and laughter, to sharing failures, anger and sadness with both the team and our patients.
We have treated over 1000 women and children suffering with the disastrous effects of poor sanitation and hygiene, no education, malnutrition, no contraception, no water and a 99% FGM (female genital mutilation) rate.
The women and adolescent girls’ trauma is written on their hardened, knowing faces, and their shock we can hear with our listening hands.
The girl in the picture is 9. She has a red bead in her ear which signifies she has recently been cut and is soon to be married. She is just 9.
You can then understand when a young woman, pregnant with her 6th child tells me she’d rather be a man.
We are all smiling as we hear the sound of her unborn baby’s heartbeat resonate around the camp, but there is no joy in her face. It is blank.
So where do we start? What can we do?
How can we help these people in such desperate need, in a field clinic in the middle of the bush? I ask myself many times. What can I possibly do?”
As I prepare my daughter, I try to answer my own question.
Our very first touch is one that shows respect, kindness and compassion. Our underlying principle is that the body has its own medicine chest. It knows what it needs and is always striving towards health.
We show a person they are worthy and respected simply by touching them with a compassionate hand, we stimulate their innate ability to heal, we treat the structure of the body to improve its function, and we educate with practical advice.
With the incredible team of doctors, midwives, nurses and Osteopaths, together we can make a huge difference.
As I embark on my tenth mission, I am asking for you to consider supporting my work once again. Most importantly we need to travel there and raise £1000 to help cover our flights, accommodation and internal travel.
With your help, so far I have treated over 16,000 women and children, handed out 500kg of donations, and educated families on vital topics from tooth-brushing, hygiene, and nutrition to contraception, childbirth and FGM!
The charity I work for provides free healthcare, education, food and clothing for impoverished women and children. www.divinityfoundation.com
It is tough and often heart-breaking work, but through the charity's amazing work we have managed to educate the cutters about the dangers of their work, provide a rescue home for girls at risk, provide alternative rites of passage and empower the tribal chiefs to make changes in their community.
The girls are now thriving in the rescue home. Having been rescued from the brink of FGM, many of them already forced into relationships where they suffered rape and abuse, they have shown extraordinary bravery and resilience by turning their lives around. The centre gives the girls vocational skills to enable them to become independent young women one day. The charity gives them skills for life!
I am so very grateful for your support. Your donations are completely traceable, you can see and hear about the amazing results we have been achieving and know your gifts go straight into the hands of the children!
Please visit my Just Giving page to donate: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/emmaandjemimainkenya
Thank you so very much
Emma Wightman
www.the-sop.com