News Archives - Page 4 of 7 - Friends of Tenwek

FOT Funds TCHD’s COVID-19 Response Program for Church Leaders

Jonathan Bii is the Program Director for Tenwek’s Community Health & Development program (TCHD); its mission is “to serve Christ by facilitating change through Primary Health Care and appropriate development within needy communities.”

With the onset quarantine restrictions – which include a national curfew and church, school, and business closures – Mr. Bii has noted a rise “a lot of fears, anxiety, hopelessness and worries among the population.” As other institutions are overwhelmed by the crisis, Mr. Bii says, “The church has been seen by all as the only hope provider. The church knows who to run to – God.”

In the last three months, with support from Friends of Tenwek, TCHD has helped 189 church leaders from 147 congregations in Bomet, Kericho, and Narok counties to build knowledge and capacity to lead their communities’ response to COVID-19. The special training covered trauma debriefing; prevention of COVID-19 in the family and community; care of church members during the pandemic; mobilizing church members to demonstrate love and care for their neighbors; and mobilizing church members for consistent prayer during this crisis.

The leaders were commissioned to be facilitators in their communities, leading by example to model safe social distancing, facemask wearing, and regular hand washing. Each participant also received COVID 19 literature to distribute to their churches. As a result of the training, pastors have actively engaged with their communities through home visits, helped their congregations observe health protocols when they meet in home churches, and conducted soap-making workshops

Mr. Bii is grateful for the generous FOT donor support that made this creative and timely “integrated ministry outreach” possible, noting it is yet another example of how TCHD continues to pursue its mission by equipping the Church to be a source of hope to the people of the Greater Bomet region.

New Staff Coats Promote Pride, Professionalism, Team Spirit

Tenwek recently distributed new white staff coats – provided by FOT – to Tenwek’s physicians, medical officers, and clinical officers. Each person received two coats that are embroidered with the individual’s name and department. The Tenwek Hospital logo appears above the breast pocket and the FOT logo appears on the left shoulder.

“I want to say a huge ‘thank you’ to FOT for providing funds for the beautiful branded white coats. I know they will enhance our team spirit and patient/family recognition of Tenwek Hospital care providers,” noted Dr. Steve Burgert, Tenwek’s Medical Superintendent.

Festus Korir, Tenwek’s Human Resource Director, noted that the staff are “looking sharp” in the new coats. “This will go a long way in promoting our brand policy and at the same time a sense of accountability in our work.”

Hospital CEO Shem Tangus agreed. “I join my colleagues to express our deepest gratitude for this support. Our staff are really grateful that FOT agreed to give support towards these white coats.”

FOT Board Welcomes New Member

Each year, the FOT Board is pleased to welcome a full-time missionary doctor from Tenwek to serve on its Board of Directors during the time that individual is on leave in the United States. The person filling this seat annually brings important perspective, insight, and experience to Board deliberations.

This year, the Board has been pleased to welcome Dino Crognale, M.D. to this position. Dino’s specialty is Family Medicine and he serves in multiple roles at Tenwek. He is the chair of medical education and leads Tenwek’s Family Medicine Residency Program. He is also the director of Emergency Medicine (Casualty) at Tenwek and heads the Cardiac Ultrasound unit.

Dino’s wife, Janice, is also a Family Medicine physician and works part-time at Tenwek. They have three children, ages 8, 12, and 18. The family answered the call to full-time mission work at Tenwek 12 years ago.

Thoughtful Collaboration Helps Tenwek’s Special Needs Children

Penny Hage and Solomon Rop, founder of Tenwek’s Special Needs Clinic, on a home visit to a SNC patient.

Occupational Therapist Penny Hage, MS, OTR/L, was instrumental in establishing FOT’s Faith Fund, which supports the operations of Tenwek’s Special Needs Clinic (SNC). As the FOT Champion for the SNC, Penny and her husband, orthopedic surgeon Bill Hage, M.D., have raised critical funds that pay for general therapy assessment and treatment, developmental devices, wheelchairs, braces, prosthesis, crutches, and special seating for Tenwek patients with special needs.

During her last trip to Tenwek, Penny visited Heshima Children’s Center in Nairobi, a model facility that offers compassionate therapy, education, and care for children with disabilities and their families. Heshima means “dignity” in Swahili and, like Penny, the staff there believe “that Jesus Christ has a special purpose filled with dignity for children with special needs in Kenya.”

Heshima’s Dignity Designs store sells a variety of products hand-made by the mothers of the children they serve. This provides the women with the dignity of work with a monthly income and assistance with health care. Penny has purchased multiple shipments of colorful beaded bracelets – as favors for her birthday fundraising party and to re-sell – with all proceeds going to the Faith Fund. To date, Penny has raised nearly $8,000 of support for the SNC through this thoughtful collaboration.

“The sweet thing about this partnership is that it not only supports SNC but it also supports the moms of Heshima and Dignity Designs,” explains Penny.

Your gift will make a life-changing difference for special needs children at Tenwek. Use the secure online form HERE.

New Digital Radiology System Advances Patient Care at Tenwek

Patient care at Tenwek took another giant leap forward with the advent of a new Digital Radiology System. FOT donors provided $170,000 for the innovative technology that provides X-rays with better image quality, requires less radiation, and reduces processing time from three minutes to six seconds.
This results in shorter waiting times for patients and increased efficiency that will triple the capacity of existing machines. A sincere Thank You to everyone who contributed to the ART Fund (Advancing Radiology at Tenwek) to make this technology possible!

Janie Leland Named FOT Associate Director of Development

Janie Leland, FOT’s current Ambassador, has been named Associate Director of Development. This role is responsible for coordinating FOT’s fundraising, marketing and communication activities. Janie returned to the U.S. earlier this year due to the global pandemic and has been working closely with Don Hoover, Director of Development. As the FOT Ambassador, Janie lived in Kenya for almost a year and made essential connections with U.S. physicians, welcoming visitors into the FOT family. While at Tenwek, she hosted visiting staff and families at the guesthouse and provided information and insights about ministry opportunities within the Tenwek community.

In her new role, Janie will continue to advance the mission of FOT through building donor relationships, managing strategic communications and coordinating fundraising efforts. She will also support the work of FOT Champions and be responsible for gift processing and database management.

Originally from Tarboro, North Carolina, Janie graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2018. She is not new to the Tenwek community; in 1990, Janie’s parents lived and worked at Tenwek Hospital as newlyweds, then returned with their children in 2002 for a short-term trip.

“In all my contacts with supporters of Tenwek, one thing I always find to be true – each person loves Tenwek Hospital and is thrilled to support its ministries,” Janie notes. “Thank you for your generous hearts and eagerness to connect to the work of the hospital and the Tenwek community. I couldn’t be more grateful to be part of this team and part of FOT’s important mission.”

Asante sana! Thank You from FOT and Tenwek Hospital!

Dear Friend of Tenwek,

This message comes with our heartfelt thanks to YOU – our faithful and generous supporter! In response to our recent message about how Tenwek Hospital is preparing to treat COVID-19 patients, we received $105,000 in gifts from 91 donors! This is an exceptional testimony to your sacrificial generosity in a time of great personal and worldwide need.

We have wired $150,000 to Tenwek to purchase and install a large Oxygen Generator – the only one currently available in Kenya. The unit has been acquired and delivered to Tenwek in time to meet a critical need for expanded oxygen services related to COVID-19, which, as you know, can have a significant and adverse impact on a patient’s lungs and breathing capacity.

The new unit nearly doubles current oxygen capacity at Tenwek – ensuring oxygen will be available at the 80 beds that are being reserved for COVID-19 patients at the hospital.

Please know how much your generosity has blessed the staff and patients at Tenwek Hospital – both now and for many years to come!

With gratitude on behalf of the FOT Board of Directors,

J. David Hoover, M.D.
President, Friends of Tenwek

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God every time I remember you.
Philippians 1:2-3

Asante sana!
Thank you very much!

A Special Message About COVID-19 from FOT President David Hoover, M.D.

Dear Friend of Tenwek,
In the midst of the COVID-19 global pandemic, we are experiencing a Kairos moment – a singular and opportune time to decide and act in ways that fulfill the purposes of God. Surrounded by a heartbreaking loss of human life and economic turbulence worldwide, God’s people choose to declare, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

In that spirit, FOT’s Board of Directors – most of whom are front-line physicians – has decided to act without delay to provide Tenwek Hospital with the critical resources it needs to be a beacon of hope and healing for the over one million people living in the greater South Rift region.

As of this writing, while more than 50 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Kenya, none have been diagnosed in Tenwek Hospital’s Bomet County. However, given the pace at which the virus is spreading worldwide, some epidemiology models have estimated that Bomet County eventually could see over 300 COVID-19 new admissions per day, with about 85 of those patients needing ICU resources each day.

In recent weeks, Tenwek has moved swiftly to prepare for this new potential challenge. (You can read more about their actions here.) The costs to prepare the dedicated COVID-19 holding and care units and secure the needed Personal Protective Equipment far exceed the hospital’s budget resources. The most significant expense is related to acquiring and installing a new Oxygen Generator that will double the existing capacity of oxygen supply.

FOT has committed to raise $250,000 USD to support Tenwek’s COVID-19 response. In faith, we are advancing $110,000 in funds for the immediate purchase of the one large Oxygen Generator still currently available in Kenya.

This will urgently assist in COVID-19 patient care and it will remain as a needed provision for Tenwek’s service for years to come. In this Kairos moment, please consider a gift that will bless, encourage, and equip the Tenwek Hospital community as they face an unprecedented challenge.

Over the years, we have watched with awe and gratitude as faithful Friends of Tenwek generously support the urgent needs at Tenwek Hospital. At a time when so many are in need worldwide, we deeply appreciate your prayers and any gift you are able to make.

With gratitude,
J. David Hoover, M.D.
President, Friends of Tenwek

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Tenwek Prepares for COVID-19

Tenwek CARES. We are not Scared. We are Prepared.

That’s the message Tenwek Hospital is proclaiming to its community – within the hospital and beyond. In consultation with Bomet County health officials, Tenwek Hospital leaders:

Constructed a dedicated, 6-bed isolation unit in an existing building (former Mortuary Chapel)
Are developing a 22-bed holding and care area adjacent to the hospital’s main entrance (former Maternal Child Health)
Mandated health screening for all persons entering the hospital
Conducted specialized training for staff
Are seeking additional Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including gowns, masks, gloves, and goggles; medications; hand sanitizers; and cleaning supplies
Suspended all on-site classes at the College of Health Sciences and the School of Chaplaincy and launched some online medical and spiritual education and worship opportunities
Cancelled all elective surgeries (with 46% of patients still presenting with emergency needs)
Are holding soap-making workshops for local residents, providing materials and training (through the Tenwek Community Health & Development hygiene and sanitation program)
Plan to use 1,000 cloth face masks produced by students in the Threads of Hope program (a vocational sewing program for marginalized women) to be worn over surgical masks in an attempt to prolong the use of scarce surgical masks
Have Tenwek Hospital’s own Tailoring Department sewing PPE surgical gowns with hoods

In addition, medical mission visits to Tenwek have been suspended and the missionary doctors and staff at Tenwek are working without the outside professional assistance they rely on for coverage and education.

How You Can Help

Pray for the health and strength of Tenwek’s staff as they continue to deliver life-saving care to their patients.
Pray for Tenwek’s leaders to continue to plan and act with great faith, wisdom, and compassion.
Pray for the nursing students and chaplaincy students who have been sent home – that they will continue to learn and serve during the hiatus.
Pray for the health and salvation of Tenwek patients and their families.
Make a gift to help Tenwek acquire and install an Oxygen Generator, develop two isolation wards, and purchase PPEs, cleaning supplies, and other equipment.