By Natalie Walters
There’s something amazing about watching people who society assumes should be enemies work together as friends and allies instead.
Here in Kibera, often said to be the largest slum in Africa, the unlikely friends are the Christians that run the mission clinic Chemi Chemi ya Uzima and the Muslims who make up the elder council that runs the neighborhood.
“The Muslims accept us and are willing to help whenever we call on them,” said Mellen, who came to Chemi Chemi after attending Nairobi Baptist Church, which runs the clinic.
The most obvious example of this growing relationship between the two groups came after a contentious national election in 2017. With this part of Kibera being majority Muslim, Chemi Chemi workers feared for their safety and closed for a week. But at the time, a group of Muslims came by to offer a few words.
“You’re ok,” they told the Chemi Chemi group. “You are our own. Nothing will happen to you. We will protect you.”
At one point during the election upheaval, Mellen remembers being personally protected when she was in trouble.
“Oh we know her, and she’s our doctor,” they said when another group was suspicious of her.
Mellen believes the clinic’s strong reputation and credibility are why they’ve been accepted in Kibera. She says the employees at Chemi Chemi have a heart to serve and have never mistreated a patient.
As an outreach clinic, Chemi Chemi can’t offer competitive salaries so its employees are there because they want to help the population of Kibera. In fact, right now they sell drugs at cost, so they don’t make money off of them. And like many other clinics we’ve introduced you to, many of their patients can’t pay.
Chemi Chemi is one of the incredible clinic teams that Banda Health gets to work with, clinics serving some very-low-income communities across Kenya. Banda uses IT solutions to help them maximize the limited resources they have so that they can focus on what they’re good at, reaching out to and caring for patients.
Unlikely friends. An unlikely place to want to work as a nurse. Does access to healthcare for the poor in places like Kibera sound unlikely? Sure. At Banda Health, we see better than most just how unlikely our dream might be. But we also we also see firsthand the power of designing big ideas one step at a time, tailoring solutions precisely to problems piece by piece. We’ve already seen Banda save these clinics time and money, and we’re working hard to do more for them and to expand to new clinics.
Unlikely things happen every single day. Are you with us?
A journalist from New York, Natalie is helping write stories about the clinics using Banda Go.
Amy is a strategist in the life sciences industry. She currently works for the Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany as the Head of Segments Excellence. She previously held positions as the Head of the CEO office and Associate Director of Global Strategy. Amy also worked for McKinsey & Company and Booz & Company as a management consultant and had served a wide range of clients in the biopharmaceutical industry.
Michael works closely with Jeremy, helping clinics get started with Banda Go. He joined Banda Health after gaining initial work experience in IT support and data management. He graduated from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology with a bachelors in mathematics and computer science.
Michael’s personal healthcare hero is Dominic Ngalo, a data analyst at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi.
Nelly is our “concepts expert.” She ensures that all the necessary terms for our clinical modules are mapped and submitted to CIEL (concept dictionary). She’s a clinical epidemiologist with a master’s degree in epidemiology and disease control.
Nelly’s personal healthcare hero is Dr. Steve Letchford at Kijabe Hospital.
Bruce provides Banda Health with much-needed support as a clinical consultant based in Kabarak, Kenya, where he heads the Department of Family Medicine and Community Care. He’s also the director of the Digital African Health Library project and development director for Institute of Family Medicine in Nairobi.
Bruce’s personal healthcare hero is Dr. Peter Okaalet, the spiritual coordinator at Kabarak University in Kenya.
Kevin is undoubtedly our most outgoing developer! Before joining Banda Health, he spent 5 years in software consulting, working as a developer and manager at Pariveda Solutions. He completed his bachelor’s in aerospace enginnering at the University of Texas.
Kevin’s personal healthcare hero is Kate B., a physical therapist at Evangel VVF Center in Jos, Nigeria.
Jessica keeps the team organized. Whether it’s filing tax forms or preparing board reports, she makes sure it gets done on time! Before joining Banda Health, Jessica used her organization skills at a soccer start-up in Germany. She graduated from Yale University with a bachelor’s in Ethics, Politics and Economics and completed her master’s in International Relations at the Free University of Berlin.
Jessica’s personal healthcare hero is Jairos Fumpa, a cataract surgeon at Mukinge Mission Hospital in Zambia.
Thomas spends most of his time thinking about money – specifically, how he can get more of it to fund the work at Banda Health. He loves discussing big ideas, especially when they relate to good, affordable healthcare for everyone. In addition to fundraising, he helps push the envelope of BH strategy. Thomas received his bachelor’s in Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University.
Thomas’ personal healthcare hero is James Wanjiru, a nurse at Kijabe Hospital in central Kenya.
Kelly brings 6 years of experience as a system administrator managing server infrastructures and PC operations across multiple platforms (Unix, Linux, Windows). He has a bachelor’s degree in IT from KCA University and a diploma degree in IT from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
Kelly’s personal healthcare hero is Lydia Madaga, a former community health worker at PSI-Kenya.
Jeremy is our on-the-ground man, making sure the pilot sites have what they need to use our software. He previously worked as a systems analyst and team lead after getting his bachelor’s degree in computer science at Africa Nazarene University.
Jeremy’s personal healthcare hero is Isabella Muturi, a nurse at AIC Marira Clinic in Kenya.
Andrew makes sure the Nairobi team stays on track. He may seem quiet, but don’t underestimate his passion and expertise when it comes to health technology. He’s worked with leading businesses both in Kenya and internationally.
Andrew’s personal healthcare hero is Benedetta, a cashier at AIC Marira Clinic in Kenya.
Steve is the visionary behind Banda Health. After two decades working as a doctor and hospital administrator in Africa, he has stories that will convince even the biggest skeptic of the impact that IT can have on African healthcare.
Steve’s personal healthcare hero is Irene Mundia, a licensed practical nurse at Mushima Rural Health Centre in Zambia.
Wes oversees all things technical. If you want a sneak peek at the roadmap, he’s your man! With 15 years of programming experience in the US private sector plus 5 years of technical consulting and team leadership, he definitely knows what he’s doing.
Wes’ personal healthcare heroes are the Christian medical missionaries working around the world.