A Journey for Survival: When Access to Care Means the Difference Between Life & Death
- Sarah Rolfing
- Oct 4
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 7
Ngurumani Escarpment, Kenya —At 3am before the sun rose, a young woman began walking across the mountains with her husband. Her husband carried 65 pounds of maize, hoping to sell it for a little food to feed their five children at home. She doesn’t know what year she was born—only that she is “around 28.”
By noon, after traveling 25 miles on foot, they arrived at our clinic—she was weak, dehydrated, feverish, vomiting, and suffering from severe diarrhea. Her husband, still holding the heavy sack of maize, looked exhausted and desperate.
“She was so weak she could barely stand,” our nurse shared. “Without care, she might not have made it.”
Purity, the clinic nurse, quickly began treatment—administering IV fluids, antibiotics, and medication to bring down her fever. Her malaria test came back negative, but her condition required close monitoring. For several hours, she rested under the clinic's care while her body slowly began to recover.
When evening came, she was still too weak to travel home. One of our clinic volunteers offered her and her husband a place to stay for the night. Before they left the next day, the clinic staff purchased the maize they had carried, ensuring they had money for food when they returned home.
This couple’s story is not unique. For many families in the Magadi region, the nearest clinic is a full day’s journey away on foot. Illnesses that are easily treated elsewhere can become life-threatening simply because of the distance, terrain, and cost of travel.
We believe no one should have to risk their life for care—or for food. This is why our clinic exists: to bring hope and healing to the most remote and underserved communities in southern Kenya. “Access to healthcare here isn’t a convenience,” says our Kenyan director Andrew Mungai. “It’s survival.”
“Access to healthcare here isn’t a convenience,” says our Kenyan director Andrew Mungai. “It’s survival.”
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