Health

November 16, 2021

WeCare-Team Goes to Kenya 2021^Featured

Visit of current projects in Kenya

After two years we were able to return to Kenya in October 2021 to visit our ongoing projects.
As the Swiss direct flight is not available yet, we flew via Frankfort to Nairobi. After a quiet night at the airport hotel we, which is my dear friend Marcia and I, were picked up by Agnes Gitonga and her brother James.

Rehoboth Learning Center for Kings & Queens at Noonkopir

We went directly to the local mall in Kitengela to buy basics for the students of the Rehoboth Centre and the Mpirrishi Primary school. On our shopping list there were apples, cookies, hulo hoop, skipping ropes, sugar, salt, cooking oil, sanitary pads, and soap.
Then we went straight to the Rehoboth Learning Centre for Kings & Queens in Noonkopir, one of the slums of Kitengela. This is a private school but contrary to as is the case in Europe, Kenyan private schools are meant for the poorest kids whose parents cannot afford to send them to a public school. There we received a warm welcome with a variety of performances by all grades.

The Rehoboth Learning Centre is a particularly good example of how effective outside help can be. The “teachers’ room» features a board with a set of rules and regulations which are internalized by the students. Teachers refrain from beating the students which is still very widespread and common in these schools.

The school for currently 160 students has extremely limited space and resources available but boasts an overall positive and amical atmosphere. As the Kenyan government has changed its curriculum in the meantime, we have donated once again schoolbooks for the school.

Mpirrishi Primary School

On the next morning we left Kitengela to visit Mpirrishi Primary School in Oltepesi. The “mere” 104 km required a travelling time of three hours as in particular the last 30 km do not necessarily qualify to our definition of a road and at some point, we even asked ourselves whether we would manage to arrive there at all. And it was not even rainy season! The only means of transport available for people in this area is a so called Picky Picky Boy, a motorbike taxi, which could take them to the next dispensary. The price for a round trip is about 12.000 KES (about 120$). To put this price into perspective: a cook at the school earns around 60 $ a month.
What this really means in an emergency we should learn later in the day.
Agnes and her daughter Karen have been to Mpirrishi a couple of times before our visit to fight against the illegal but still practiced female genital mutilation (FGM). Their work was only possible thanks to the support and openness of the local principal, Manuel. The aim of our visit was to get an idea of the parents’ attitude towards this delicate topic and to meet the girls who had undergone FGM at the end of 2020 and who we are supporting. Little did we know as we witnessed an incredible performance. In front of the parents, the village elders, the teachers and the students, this group of girls prepared for their performance. One of the girls started to put on a pair of plastic gloves which took my breath away. I moved closer and started filming and yes: These incredibly brave girls performed the act which had traumatized them only a couple of months ago, their mutilation. This is one of the most intense experiences I have lived, ever, and not just I, but Marcia, Agnes, and her daughter as well. We all had tears in our eyes.

We had planned a private meeting with those girls following the end of the “official” part of our visit. On the way there, Agnes pointed out the “circumciser», an elder woman who makes her living buy performing FGM. Even this woman was obviously touched by the girls’ performance, and she promised to put down her razor. To make her promise become true, we will have to provide her with another source of income.
Suddenly, an excited Marcia pointed out a little girl who had hurt her wrist about two weeks ago whilst playing. The girl’s arm was tightly bandaged with a cloth and her hand was extremely swollen. After a lengthy discussion with the mother, we managed to convince her to take off the bandage and to accept our offer to have her taken to the next dispensary with our driver. This was the moment I realized how far reaching the consequences of FGM really are: It is the reason for illiteracy. If the little girl had not been taken to the dispensary, she would have likely lost her hand which, consequently, would have been interpreted as her being possessed by evil spirits.

On the way to our meeting with the girls, we bumped into two 23years old women, each of them mother of four children, whom Agnes had identified as potential FGM victims. Spontaneously, we invited them to our meeting.
The message of the girls was unanimous: Had they known what happened to them they would have never agreed, and they were all willing to do anything in their power to save their sisters and other girls and young women from this horrible procedure. Some of the girls are extremely traumatized and could not even talk about what had happened to them.

The two potential victims were listening carefully and incredulously. When asked about their motif to undergo FGM they both answered that they wanted to be “real” women. They were put under pressure by the husband and mother-in-law as well as by the midwife, who very often happens to be the circumciser, who threatened not to help her with future births. They did not show any comprehension for us reasoning that by bearing four children they already had proven their “being a real woman.” We do hope that these two young women will not succumb to the pressure of people around them.
We left Mpirrishi with mixed feelings. The positive attitude of the teachers and the village chairmen make us hope that this community will refrain from FGM in the future. But this will be an exceptionally long and winding road as there is a total lack of local infrastructure.

After four hours’ drive it was already night when we arrived back in Kitengela.

Nasaru Masai Girls Learning Center

Next on our list was the visit of our project “Nasaru Learning Centre for Masai Girls” in Iloshon for the next day. Before Kitengela, we made another visit to the Kitengela Mall where we shopped – once again – for basics such as soap, detergent, sugar, salt, oil, sanitary pads, and toilet paper. As we planned to spend the night there, we also bought mattresses, which were safely stored on the roof of the car. Packed to capacity we started our way to Iloshon and noticed that the quality of the dust road – at least to Kudu Hills Project – hat improved significantly – or was it our lowered expectations?

Anyhow, shortly before arrival at destination our car broke down and we were lucky enough that the head teacher Paul and Geoffrey, the constructor who is building the fence around Nasaru, came to our rescue.

Paul, the headteacher and Paul, the builder
(whose name actually is not Paul)

Unfortunately, the ongoing drought has taken its toll and many parents cannot or do not want to pay for the boarding of their girls. The price for cattle has dropped and the parents are lacking money for food and water. This was also one of the reasons why we had asked Geoffrey, who as constructor gets to different villages, already one year ago to identify twenty-five girls who are even worse off than others, to be sponsored by WeCare to board and thus to finish their education. We have discussed the reason for the parents’ reluctance with all people involved, the teachers, the cook, the matron, and the watchman. The fee structure has been named as the main reason and we discussed this with the head teacher. Eventually, we reached a compromise to lower the fee for the parents. We also pointed out that it is also the teachers’ responsibility to promote the boarding among the parents and thus convincing them about the importance of school education.
Finally, we had some time with the girls, and we checked the presence of all the girls supported by us. Except for one sick student, all the students were present.
We were surprised to discover that – except for few students – most of the girls did not know their birthday or at least their birth year. The following rope skipping competition was an enjoyable break for all.

After having had a meeting with the personal in our “bedroom” far beyond 10:00 pm, we were incredibly surprised and above all tired when were awoken at 04:30 am as the girls got up with a lot of noise.
The following day we toured all grades and distributed pencils, pens, and exercise books to all 450 students.

Unfortunately, our too short stay has ended and it would have been nice to have more time to spend with the girls and to interact with them directly. Agnes had only identified potential victims of FGM as «designated girls” have filed down lower incisors.
On our way back we made a little detour and Agnes pointed out a piece of land which she had rented thanks to WeCare-Association’s last year’s feeding program and which now provides the students of the Rehoboth Learning Centre with vegetables.

A small water reservoir next to tthe field

The bottom line of our visit to Kenya: Corona has worsened the situation for the poorest people and there is so much to do. So, let us do this: We are looking for godparents for our girls to make sure that these girls will be able to finish school and will be offered the opportunity for further education beyond primary school. As godfather/godmother of a girl, you will have the chance to establish a relationship with the girl and to follow up on her development. There will be progress reports three times a year, a Christmas letter written by the girl, the annual activity report of WeCare-Association as well as a small gift handmade with love in our workshop in Cambodia. More information will follow soon on our website: www.wecare-association.ch as well as on social media Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/wecareassociation/) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/WeCareAssociation).
We are grateful for very tiring and intensive day which touched and motivated us. We have met wonderful people who deserve a better future. “Education is life.” Only now do I understand the real meaning of this catch phrase.

Thank you very much in advance for your support under: https://en.wecare-association.ch/become-active/ .

Africa Health Kenya

May 31, 2018

Female Genital Mutilation from a gynecologist’s perspective

As gynecologist with own office I am regularly if not very often confronted with this practice. Due to immigration from countries practicing FGM we see this phenomenon increasingly also in European countries.
It is important to be sensitized to this topic and to know more about it to treat affected women adequately and to prevent further damage caused by lack of experience, repudiation and judgment of FGM.

Here is some important background information:

FGM (or female circumcision as described by some authors) comprises the partial or total removal or other injury to the external female genitalia executed for cultural or other, non-medical purposes.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that worldwide at least 200 million women are affected by FGM. The annual number of new cases amounts to two million – most of them being infants, toddlers and young girls.

History

Even though often religious motifs are used to justify the practice, no religion explicitly demands FGM. The practice is older than Christianity and Islam. In the areas concerned Muslims, Catholics, Protestants, animists and atheists practice FGM.

Social and cultural reasons do have an important imfluence :

Tradition, rite of passage
Purity requirements
Aesthetic reasons
Preservation of virginity
Assure fidelity in married women
Increase in fertility
Group membership

These are just a few examples, the list could be extended indefinitely.

Geography

FGM is practiced predominantly in 28 African countries south of the Sahara and more rarely in some Asian regions. Egypt is the only north-African country where the practice is used.

Types of FGM

There are four types of FGM

Type 1 Sunna circumcision – removal of prepuce and partial or total removal of the clitoris.
Type 2 Removal of the clitoris plus part or all of the labia minora.
Type 3 Infibulation – removal of part or all of the labia minora, with the labia majora sewn together, covering the uretha and vagina and leaving a small hole for urine and menstrual fluid. The scar has to be opened for sexual intercourse and birth which provokes additional pain. This is the worst type of FGM.
Type 4 All other procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes including pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterization.

The majority of all (80%) comprise types 1 and 2. Infibulation represents 15% of all cases.

Procedure of FGM

Generally the procedures are performed by traditional circumcisers. In most cases the intervention takes place without anaesthesia and non-sterile devices. Devices include knives, scissors, razors, glass and scalpels.
In 70% of the cases FMG is undertaken during childhood. In some regions it is done shortly after birth, in others prior to a wedding or during puberty .

Consequences of FGM

FGM harms women’s physical and emotional health dramatically. Immediately after the FGM the complications can be hemorrhages, inflammations, tetanus, bladder paralysis or septicemia, which frequently are fatal. The use of non-steril devices can also provoke an infection with the HIV virus.

In the long term victims often complain of pain while urinating or during period. Infections of the bladder and incontinence may occur as well as pain during sexual intercourse and infertility.

Interestingly, affected women very often do not realize that these complications are consequences of the FGM. Usually the FGM is an event far in the past and they share these problems with most of the women around them («The typical life of a woman»).

Women concerned who live in the West very often are struggling more with the psychological problems and FGM can provoke severe psychological trauma. Very often it is perceived as a breach of confidentiality of their parents and grandparents. Anxiety, depression, couple problems or psychosis may be the results.

Legal situation

FGM is considered an aggravated assault which represents a punishable act in Switzerland . This applies also when the procedure is executed according to the patient’s desire.

Finally, I would like to emphasize the necessity to also take into account the legal, cultural and ethical problems as well as the medical ones when dealing with women affected by FGM. When confronted with the consequences of a tradition which most of us condemn vehemently, we may show reactions that are humiliating the women even more. Consequently, the topic has to be addressed with the utmost sensibility – even though it has to be addressed – because we have to protect their daughters from having to go through the same ordeal.

Dr. med. Elisabeth Lebeda
FMH Gynäkologie und Geburtshilfe
Dorfstrasse 5
8700 Küsnacht

Africa Empowerment Farm in Africa Food Health Microcredit

March 18, 2018

Facts and Figures about Eggs

Since August 2017 the Masai Farm in Olpirikata, Kenia is up and running and already after five months it has turned autonomous and the ten men working on the farm can be paid with proceeds of the milk sale.
Chicken are also raised on the farm and this connects to one of our future projects, which we will present soon. On the occasion of the upcoming easter celebrations, we have collected a couple of facts about eggs.
Happy reading!

How many eggs does a chicken lay ?

A hen lays approximately up to 280 eggs a year. The amount may vary due to the breed and age of a chicken as well as their feed and environment. They do not lay eggs during the molting season which is when they shed their old old feathers and grow new feathers.

What determines the color of egg shells?

The color of a hen’s egg shells is determined genetically and is not influenced by the feathers or the feed – actually it is determined by their ears. Or more precisely , the color of a hen’s egg shells is determined by the color of the patches where their earlobe would be. Hens with white patches lay white eggs and hens with red patches produce brown eggs. Moreover, there are some breeds known for blue or green eggs. These breeds also have red patches.

Source: Gmoose1, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6010309

How does the color get into the egg shell?

The different colors of egg shells come from the storage of color pigments in the egg shell which is made of calcium carbonate, a crystal white in color. Consequently, white eggs do not have any pigment in their shell.1) The blue-green color of eggs shells, named oocyan, is considered to consist, in part, of the bile pigment biliverdin. 2)
The color of the eggs is established in the egg gland of the hen where color pigments produced priorily as a side product of blood and bile (where they are stored) are being brought to the calcium shell. If all color pigments come together the color of the egg shell will be brown. If a hen lacks the gene for color production her eggs will be white.
The color of an egg shell, however, does not influence the taste or the nutritional value of an egg. Feeding, environment and genetics are responsable for these characteristics.

Why is the egg not round?

A raw egg is not as fragile as it appears. Even though the egg shell measures only 0.4 mm in thickness, it is almost impossible to break an egg kept upright between the fingers of a hand and even when it is lying flat it is almost impossible to break it with the fingers. The explanation for this resistence can be found in its curved shape, which evenly distributes the pressure applied on one spot over the curve. And of course, the egg has to resist the weight of the hatching hen.
The stability of the curved form also applies to a spherical form. The reason why nature opted for a different packing design is the different rolling pattern once an egg falls out of nest – a spherical shaped egg would roll away much easier than a normal shaped egg. 3) This can be tried out easily: Put a ball and an egg on a table and push them. The ball will roll much longer and maybe even fall off the table whereas the egg will make a curve and roll in a much more irregular way.

What is the nutritional value of an egg?

Eggs are among the most precious animal foods. The biological valence of eggs is higher than that of fish, meat and milk. The egg protein helps the human body to develop important proteins for different body functions and furthermore provides energy and is essential for the composition of muscles.
The yolk is rich in vitamins (A, D, K, B12), protein, calcium, iron as well as fat and cholesterol. The yolk represents on average 42% of an egg’s weight.
An egg white is made mainly of a protein called albumen, and also contains niacin (vitamin B3), riboflavin (vitamin B2), chlorine, magnesium, potassium, sodium and sulfur, according to the Iowa Egg Council, an industry group. The white contains about 58 percent of an egg’s protein.
The so called chalazae are two spiral bands of tissue that suspend the yolk in the center of white and thus prevent the yolk’s attaching to the shell. Fresh eggs show a higher viscosity of the egg white compared to older eggs. The egg white represents on average 58% of the weight of an egg. 5)

The Egg Anatomy of the University of Kentucky Source: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/09/hatch-along-with-chicken-chick-part-3/egg-anatomy-from-univ-of-kentucky/

How long do eggs last?

Fresh eggs have a minimum shelf life of 28 days after laying. But even after the expiry date they sometimes stay fresh past that date and they do not have to be tossed yet. Old eggs should be heated to at least 70 degrees centigrade to make them safe for consumption.

How to test the freshness of eggs:

The water and bowl test
Place the eggs in a bowl of water. If the egg lays on its side at the bottom, it is still quite fresh. If the egg stands upright on the bottom, it is still fine to eat, but should be eaten very soon, or hard-boiled. If the egg floats to the top, it is past its prime, and not good for eating.

The cracked egg and plate test
The yolk of a fresh egg will have a round and compact appearance and it will sit positioned quite high up in the middle of the egg. The white that surrounds it will be thick and stay close to the yolk. A cloudy coloring to the egg white is a sign of extra freshness, as this « cloudiness » is in fact carbon dioxide, which is present when the egg is laid. Over time, the egg white will become more transparent, as the carbon dioxide dissipates. A less fresh egg will contain a flatter yolk that may break easily and a thinner white that spreads quite far over the plate.

The sound test
Gently shake the egg from side to side. If you cannot hear any sound whatsoever, the egg is perfectly fine to eat and there is nothing wrong with it.

How to store eggs?

Fresh eggs do not have to be stored in the fridge – unless the eggs have been bought stored in the fridge at the supermarket. Consequently, the cold chain should not be broken and the eggs should be stored in the fridge as cold eggs do cope very badly with a change in temperature. An increase in temperature provokes the water condensation on the shell which will damage the cuticle. Thus, germs may get into the inside of the egg. Storing the eggs in the fridge protects the vitamins in the egg from light and oxygen.
So whether or not your store the eggs in the fridge depends on how they were when you bought them but it is very important to protect them from light exposure – in or out of the fridge. Also do they have to be stored with their rounder side up, as storing them upside down would cause the air space to move and cracking the shell membrane which would increase the possibility of bacteria entering.

Why can you store eggs outside the fridge ?

The shell is equipped with approximately 10.000 pores providing the calcium crystals of the shell with a grid like structure which function as a respirational system. The shell is covered with a thin strata, the so called cuticle, that prevents germs from accessing the inside of the egg. Water destroys this natural protection sheet of the egg. Therefore: never wash an egg before storage. 4)

Tips and tricks for handling eggs

Store them best in a carton, protected from light and oxygen.
Never expose fresh eggs to the sun.
Extreme changes in temperature negatively impact the natural protection of the egg, deteriorates the quality and accelerates the aging process of an egg.
You can use eggs after their shelf line date provided that they do not smell badly. At that age though it is safer to not eat them heated at least to 70 degrees centigrade either in a cake or boiled or hard boiled.
Cooking them at a temperature above 90 degrees centigrade can provoke a chemical reaction between the iron of the yolk and the sulfur of the egg white which may lead to the creation of a green ring around the yolk. Putting the egg into cold water after cooking may prevent this.
Eggs are best to eat from day four after laying as it still has to fully develop after being laid.
Always store eggs with the rounder side up to prevent the movement of the air space within the egg. 6)
Never wash eggs before storing them – washing destroys their natural protective layer.
Do not store eggs close to smelly food.
Hard boiled eggs from somewhat older eggs can be peeled easier as the older egg has already changed its acidity due to loss of carbon dioxide through the shell. 7)
Do not chill hard boiled eggs after cooking as this reduces their expiry date. Hard boiled eggs can be stored four weeks and in the fridge up to six weeks.
Remnants of yolk and egg white can be frozen or kept in a small glass. Add some sunflower oil or cold water to prevent it from drying out and put it into the fridge.
Egg shells can be used as fertilizer or be composted.

Sources

http://www.wirkochen.at/lexikon/Der-Unterschied-zwischen-braunen-und-weissen-Eiern/240782411
Wikipedia : https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/oocyan
http://www.daserste.de/information/wissen-kultur/w-wie-wissen/sendung/2010/die-perfekte-form-ei-100.html
https://www.focus.de/gesundheit/praxistipps/eier-richtig-lagern-darauf-kommt-es-an_id_6931486.html.
https://www.lebensmittellexikon.de/e0000520.php
www.eier.de
Zitiert nach Thomas Vilgis, Forscher am Max-Planck-Institut für Polymerforschung in Mainz und Experte unter anderem für die Physik von Nahrungsmitteln im Artikel «Warum sich manches Ei schwer pellen lässt» vom 08.04.2012

Health

September 12, 2017

International Kissing Day

Today is International Kissing Day. Officially, this commemorative day was introduced in 1990 – but the fact is, people have been kissing long before. Wikipedia lists 10 different types of kisses and one is to kiss approx. 100,000 times during the course of one’s life.

Why?

Scientists have not conclusively explained how human kissing originated, but they have come up with a few theories, ranging from feeding rites to sniffing out a quality mate. A big question is whether kissing is learned or instinctual. Mothers for instance, may have chewed food and passed it from their mouths into those of their toothless infants. Even after babies cut their teeth, mothers would continue to press their lips against their toddlers’ cheeks to comfort them.

Health benefits of kissing

Kissing has been shown to boost your immune system and reduce allergic responses in people with skin or nasal allergies. Even so, it might also reduce blood pressure, relieve headache pain, increase feelings of well-being and self-esteem, and strengthen your relationship. People who kissed more often reported significant decreases in their levels of stress and greater relationship satisfaction.

Kissing could be quite a recent invention

According to a new study of kissing preferences, which looked at 164 cultures from around the world, only 46% of cultures kiss in the romantic sense. Previous estimates had put the figure at 90%. The new study excluded parents kissing their children, and focused on romantic lip-on-lip action between couples. Many hunter-gatherer groups showed no evidence of kissing or desire to so. If modern hunter-gatherer groups do not practice romantic kissing, it is possible that our ancestors did not do so either.
The results of this study suggest that romantic kissing is not universal – even though people in the Western world are prone to believe that. It appears that this kind of social behaviour is more likely in socially more complex societies. Scientists also believe that kissing has become more widespread with increased oral hygiene.

Other countries, other kisses

Considered a private activity, kissing in public is not welcome in most Asian countries like India and China. In China, a kiss automatically leads to sex and thus Chinese may only kiss once they are engaged. Kissing in public is not accepted in Cambodia either.
Public kissing between men and women is prohibited in Egypt, Qatar, Indonesia, Thailand and in Dubai. At the University of Zimbabwe, students can be expelled for public displays of affection.
Some US states have unique kissing customs. For instance, kissing one’s wife on a Sunday is considered illegal in Hartford, Connecticut. For a man with a moustache to « habitually kiss human beings » is considered illegal in Indiana. In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, it is a crime to kiss a stranger.

Called the «Eskimo kiss», people in the Arctic region show affection by pressing their nose against the nose, cheek or forehead of the other person. This tradition is also widely practised in Mongolia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Polynesian Islands, and the Maori tribe of New Zealand.

Even in Europe, kissing is not allowed everywhere. In France for instance, you must not kiss on railroad crossings – for the safety of everybody. In 2009, couples werebanned from kissing at Warrington Bank Quay Station because it holds up commuters.

Kissing world records

• The longest time to kiss in a car is 76 hours and was achieved by Ernesta Hernandez Ambrosio and Jesus Juarez Vite (both Mexico) at La Feria de San Francisco in Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico from 10 – 14 October 2013.
• On 12-14 February 2013, a Thai couple, husband and wife team Ekkachai and Laksana Tiranarat, locked lips and began their quest to break the longest kiss record. After 58 hours and 35 minutes and 58 seconds, they claimed a new record for the longest kiss.
• The longest underwater kiss in apnea lasted 3 min 24 sec 34 frames and was achieved by Michele Fucarino and Elisa Lazzarini (both Italian) on the set of Lo Show dei Record in Rome, Italy, on 18 March 2010.
• The most peope kissing simultaneously is 39,879 in a kissing event organized by Gobierno del Distrito Federal, at the Zocalo, in Mexico DF, Mexico on 14 February 2009. At the moment of the last call for the record, there were 40,225 people at the square. The final figure is odd because kisses between more than 2 people were allowed.
All these kissing bans and strange kissing activities do not bother our furry friends and so they just smooch away….

All these kissing bans and strange kissing activities do not bother our furry friends and so they just smooch away….

Africa Children Health

May 10, 2016

Kenya: Children’s Vaccinations

We have offered Dr. Angela a bonus to speed up the vaccination of children, which had already been financed. Deadlines are end of April, end of May and end of June – hopefully this will work! We will keep you posted…..

Dr. Angela - zuständige Ärztin beim Masai Mama Africa Center in Olpirikata

Go, go…Dr. Angela

WeCare-Team Goes to Kenya 2021^Featured

Visit of current projects in Kenya

Rehoboth Learning Center for Kings & Queens at Noonkopir

Mpirrishi Primary School

Nasaru Masai Girls Learning Center