Thursday:
Josh and I arrive in Nakuru, about two hours outside Nairobi, at a garbage slum. In tow, 100 HIV tests and medical supplies. The medical center: a makeshift tent with a table, on a grassy hill and the backdrop is a mountain of garbage. As soon as we get there we are overtaken by the smell, it is indescribable, mainly due to the fact I have never smelt something so wretched in my life. We are greeted by Doctor John and Pastor Anton. They tell us there is a women that needs to be tested but the she is paralyzed with arthritis and has not been able to leave her home. So, to get to the home it meant hiking up the mountain of trash. A word of advice to anyone who plans on or finds themselves hiking up a mountain of trash, the ground is not sturdy in fact, it’s quite slimy. Every step liquid would ooze out and you could feel it seeping through your shoes. It was about to rain so the air was thick and steamy. Naturally, your first instinct is to complain about the putrid smell and the trash that is everywhere. But then you look up and see children and mothers carrying babies on their back and you remember this is where people live and you are the intruder. So you bite your tongue, breath through your mouth, smile and greet everyone with a friendly “habari.”
When Josh and I arrive at the “house” it is a dark room no bigger than 12x12 with stone floors and walls. The mother is sitting on a chair, I greet her and see that due to her untreated arthritis her hands were completely bent and fingers twisted together. Her four children sat on a single mattress on the floor. There are only two other chairs where Josh and I could set-up the medical supplies.
HIV Test Procedure:
Clean the finger
Prick the finger with a needle (if testing children this would be the time to stick a Jolly Rancher in their mouth)
Extract the blood and put it on the tester
Results take about a minute
Between Josh and I, we know about 50 words in Kiswahili. Unfortunately, “Positive” and “Negative” were not in our vocabulary, so we made do with “Mzuri,” good and “Mbaya,” bad.
We begin the testing. Thanks to my mom, we had Jolly Ranchers to give to the patients to ease any anxiety. I am not saying that Jolly Ranchers will make up for having HIV but it is always nice to have a sweet. Plus, Kenyans love candy from the US.
Results: Mzuri “Negative”
Josh and I breathed a sigh of relief and started packing up. Suddenly, the Mother says “test babies, rape.” Josh and I look at each other in horror because of the four children 3 of them were under the age of 4. So we unpack.
First child age 8- Negative
Twins ages 3- Negative
Last child age 2- inconclusive, have to test again.
At this point it starts to pour rain. The last child already knows about the needle and is putting up the fight of her life. I am holding her in my lap one arm in between my legs and the other in both my hands, while singing, baby beluga. Josh gets a good sample despite her screaming and kicking (it’s still unknown if it was the test or my singing that made her upset).
Test #2 for last child- NEGATIVE!
As Josh and I make it down the trash in the pouring rain I can’t help but to feel relieved. But I it will be short lived.
Friday:
Josh and I arrive at an Internally Displaced People camp (IDP). The aftermath of the 2007 election violence had left hundreds of people homeless, the solution, set-up short term camps where people could live (rows of tents made out of tarps) that was 3 years ago. The camps have created and perpetuated an environment of intolerable living conditions. No running water, rape, assault and several other issues.
The first person to get tested is a Mentally Disabled Women, she has a beautiful smile and loves hugging, well, hugging Josh that is.
Results: Positive
I go outside the room to retrieve someone who could translate.
As the translator sits and explains HIV to the women it becomes deafening quiet and I realize tears are falling down my face. I quickly wipe them away and move on…..
The next patient is a middle age man.
I prick his finger, no blood comes out. I squeeze his hand and then finger tip barely a drop is released, not enough for a test. So I have to prick another finger and a little more comes out.
Test 1: Inconclusive
So I have to test again, I prick a third finger
Results: Positive
Josh explains the results and we find out the man is a father of 8 children.
In total out of about 30 patients two tested positive. Josh and I will be going back to the camp to continue testing and hopefully locate all the children of the man who tested positive.
When Josh and I left the camp it was pouring rain. We hailed a boda boda (motorbike) and started to make it back to town. As we were going up-hill the boda boda ran out of gas. Josh and I climbed off and looked at each and just laughed. And in the pouring rain with our bags in tow we (Josh) pushed the bike up the hill. Sometimes the negative is positive.
