Kenya: Sister Freda's Clinic Sister Freda’s Foundation (SFF)operates a hospital and clinic that provides access to community healthcare services as well as outreach clinics in local slums, refugee camps, and rural villages. Sister Freda also operates a nursing college, a nursery school/feeding program for vulnerable children, a girl’s high school, and HIV/AIDS testing and counseling. As a volunteer with both medical and non-medical experience, you will work in the hospital and clinics, the nursing college, in the girl’s school and with young children in the nursery program.

Building - Construction Children Education Medical Public Health Awareness Special Needs Women Issues

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Sister Freda’s was established in 1994 as a medical clinic to serve the local community. Before creating the clinic, Sister Freda worked in a private hospital where she witnessed countless people suffering either because they could not afford treatment or because they had no way of getting to a hospital.

In order to serve as many people as possible, she decided to open a clinic in close proximity to the slums of Kitale. While the clinic served many, there were still many people who needed to be taken to a hospital where there were more resources. She then decided to expand her clinic into a hospital.

Sister Freda’s Hospital. Open every day of the year, 24 hours a day, Sister Freda’s Hospital contains a pediatric ward, a labor ward, an operating theatre, a laboratory, a pharmacy, and general diagnosis and hospital wards. The busiest time is the rainy season, April-September, due to waterborne diseases. Only approximately 2% of Sister Freda’s patients are charged for healthcare since most experience extreme poverty.

Outreach Clinics.Sister Freda established community outreach clinics in local slums, refugee camps, and villages offering free healthcare and education to at-risk communities. There is also a VCT clinic for counseling HIV/AIDS patients.

Nursery School/Feed Program. Because of the alarming amount of malnutrition and disease Sister Freda witnessed among the children, she began offering a nursery school/feed program in 2004. The nursery school has three classrooms, and the children are separated into three groups according to ability. The children are from nearby villages and their parents are very poor with either only one parent or they are orphaned and living with relatives.

Orphanage.Sister Freda also runs a small orphanage with children who are dependent on the hospital and donations for support. With increased support, Sister Freda hopes to expand the orphanage and offer care for more children.

Nursing College.Sister Freda found that upon finishing secondary school, many girls were returning to the slums they had grown up in to start families and live the lives their education was meant to liberate them from. Sister Freda now operates a nursing college to create educational opportunities for young women to achieve success with a medical profession.

Girls High School.In 2011, Sister Freda built a girls high school and dormitory that provides a quality education for high achieving young women who would not have the opportunity to get an education due to lack of school fees.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES AT SISTER FREDA’S

Education/Children:

  • Teach English, math, science, and other subjects
  • Help care for and interact with the children at the Nursery School/Feeding Program
  • Work with young women at the high school in academics as well as decision making, communication skills, sexual health, and self esteem building.

Public Health:

  • Participate in community outreach healthcare programs
  • Teach public health awareness and empowerment to girls at the high school

Medical:

  • Doctors, nurses, medical students and other medical practitioners may take patient histories, shadow doctors, interact with patients, help diagnose, assist in the pharmacy or with lab work, or prep the operating theatre.
  • Nurses may bathe, feed, or administer medications to patients.
  • Teach at the Nursing College

Agriculture/Sustainable Farming:

  • Participate in garden and crop cultivation

Women:

  • Work with widows groups

General:

  • Clerical and administrative work at the Hospital
  • Spend time with patients

Building/Construction:

  • Participate in building and construction projects as funding allows

ACCOMMODATIONS AT SISTER FREDA’S

Housing

Volunteers are hosted on the grounds of Sister Freda’s Foundation in dormitory-style housing. There are two triple-occupancy rooms and one double-occupancy room. Volunteers are provided with warm water for bathing in the shower, and there is a flush toilet available for volunteers.

Meals

Meals are prepared for volunteers.

Drinking Water

Volunteers are provided with filtered water.

Electricity

Electricity is available, as well as a standby generator in case of outages.

Internet Access

Volunteers can access the internet in Kitale, approximately 15 minutes away.

Laundry

Laundry is done for volunteers at no charge. All volunteers are asked to launder their own undergarments.

MEET THE DIRECTOR OF SFF: SISTER FREDA

Kenya: Sister Freda Come back soon to read more about Sister Freda’s:

  • Childhood and family
  • Education
  • Inspiration
  • Obstacles
  • Hopes for the future
  • And learn how SFF benefits from having volunteers.
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