The people living in this rural part of Kenya in the Machakos county, have to walk 16km to the nearest medical clinic. That's an awfully long way when you, or your loved one is ill. Life expectancy can be improved greatly in this area by having a local clinic that serves the community. Infant mortality can be brought down and other many causes of fatality can be tackled, such as respiratory problems, child birth and HIV/Aids.

For the clinic to be sustainable it is also key to have accommodation for nurses on site. It is too remote to have medical staff travel to and from the clinic each day. With local accommodation, trained staff can provided a consistent service and the centre can be professionally managed.

Local residents have met and discussed what they need and how they are going to make it happen. Local materials are being used and local workers are volunteering their time. A committee has been set up to ensure transparency. Having provided initial seed funding to allow this project to start, my ongoing role is to help as a fundraiser and to oversee the project is delivered.

The clinic will serve 2000 large households, expect to treat 600 people per month, with at least 100 of those being children. The projects main milestones are 1) building the staff quarters 2) the dispensary structure 3) sourcing the medicines and medical equipment 4) securing staff 5) treating patients.

I have visited the site and met with local families. They suffer greatly for lack of local medical provision. As always, it the women and children who suffer most. The sustainability model for the clinic, will put women at the heart of the solution, providing them with training and employment opportunities.

With your help, this will become a reality. I will keep you posted along the way!

Scoping meeting. Miaani, Kenya.