10 results for author: Paula Vogler

AMS building new Women’s Health Center

Since opening full time in 2008, the Africa Mission Services (AMS) women’s clinic has seen exponential growth in the numbers of women coming for care. Maternity alone saw 341 babies delivered in the first six months of 2021. That growth is one of the reasons a groundbreaking for a new Women’s Health Center will take place in January 2022. In the first six months of 2021, 341 babies were delivered at the current AMS Health Clinic The desire for comprehensive women’s health care, and not just maternity care, is another reason. The new health center will will provide cancer screenings, HIV care, sexually transmitted disease care, family ...

Covid-19 leaves social impact with pregnancies

As the Covid-19 pandemic began to ease around the world, schools in Kenya and the Masaai Mara area began reopening in January. That’s when teachers and administrators started to notice something. Some of the girls in the primary and secondary schools were missing while circumstances had changed for others that had returned to school. The pandemic will leave many lasting effects, one of them being many of these girls will soon be mothers. Pregnancy in these young girls ages 14-16 means some have not returned to school and others will leave during the school year. Pandemic pregnancy for school girls will leave a lasting impact on society as ...

Mosquito nets improve life for patients and staff

While Kenya is slowly emerging from the yearlong coronavirus pandemic, another plague has hit the AMS clinic-mosquitos. They have always been buzzing around the area but excessive amounts of rain over the past two years has increased the mosquito population exponentially. Open windows at the clinic and maternity ward mean anything can get inside including clouds of mosquitos. Wooden shutters that do not totally close or allow airflow are not practical in the heat. Staff were doing their best while taking care of patients and new mothers as swarms of the insects pestered them. Swarms of mosquitos cover clinic walls With the increase in ...

Over $10,000 in donations helps clinic purchase much needed supplies

Blankets, IV fluids, and a vital signs monitor on a trolley. People around the world expect these basics during a visit to a hospital. That's not always the case at the AMS clinic where sometimes, employees have to improvise or just do without when treating patients. Thanks to the generosity of donors, that has changed. AMS supporters gave over $10,000 toward a clinic fundraiser in December which means much needed supplies are now available. The clinic is stocked for the near future with what it needs to provide critical care to its patients. Expensive items like an oxygen concentrator and microscope as well as gauze, gloves, and trashcans ...

Clinic Gets New Roof

Since 2007 when the AMS clinic was first built, it has been making a difference for those in the area seeking medical attention. Earning a well deserved reputation for caring staff and innovative work, the clinic continues to gain the trust of the people it helps. As the clinic became an integral part of the community, so did the maternity ward. Clinic staff set a record in October, assisting 60 women in giving birth. A new roof getting installed on the AMS clinic. Bats choose clinic for home However, people weren't the only ones visiting the clinic. So were bats. Lots of bats. The old clinic roof was the perfect spot for them to live. ...

Volunteer gets OB experience and more

On a visit to the AMS clinic, one could find expectant mothers learning about when to bring their baby to the doctor. Other times women might be learning about immunizations and diseases. Still other women could be giving birth. A bustling hub of activity day and night, there is always something to do and something to be learned at the clinic. At any given time, doctors, nurses, midwives and volunteers are there to help the local women and children.  In just the first week of October 2020 alone, clinic staff assisted 19 mothers in delivering babies.  Being in a rural setting in Kenya, one might think everything would run very differen...

Students enjoy new experiences thanks to volunteers

At the Oloosinon Primary School, over 700 children in grades K-8 come from far and wide to attend school. Some travel over 2 hours each way, each day, just for the chance to learn. Large classes are normal at the school like these 55 students in grade 2. Some classrooms are filled with 60, 80 or 100 children. Students study math, science and even English like other students around the world. However, some of the other subjects like music and art, and even some of the fun recess games we are familiar with, are missing from the school day for them. Sticks for counting and an English lesson sheet are some of the tools to help children learn ...

Construction teams work on second girls high school dormitory

For many Maasai, school ends for girls when they reach 7th or 8th grade. If a family has the money, a high school far away could be an option. Most, though, face a future that includes marriage at a young age and starting a family. The opening of Kensington Hall Oloosinon Girls Secondary School in January 2018 changed that. The first group of 48 girls were excited to continue their studies as they planned to become lawyers, doctors, engineers and more. Some of the first Form 1 girls to attend the high school. One problem was where the girls were going to sleep. Traveling back and forth to home was not an option because they came from ...

Donated ultrasound unit saving lives

When a team from Adventist Health volunteered with AMS three years ago, they wondered what more they could do to help. They decided an ultrasound machine was something the clinic could use. The machine arrived in October 2019 and has been put to use ever since. Staff can now confirm and date a pregnancy, check for problems and confirm if a mom is carrying twins or triplets. Naomi, a nursing student, giving an ultrasound to a patient Mothers have started coming to the clinic specifically for an ultrasound, sometimes at the recommendation of another clinic that suspects a problem. While some mothers may arrive concerned about their ...

Dental clinic volunteers bring smiles to Maasai people

Dental clinic volunteers bring smiles to Maasai people Posted on June 29, 2020 by africamissionservices What if you couldn’t simply call a dentist to make an appointment when you had a tooth ache?  For many in the Maasai Mara area, that is a normal part of life but thanks to some folks that visited on an AMS mission trip in February 2020, Maasai adults and children got some of the care they needed. Dr. Mark Turner, a dentist for 36 years, has gone on many mission trips and recently returned to Kenya right before the Covid-19 pandemic really took hold across the world.  While the Totsy Boyko Memorial Maasai Dental Clinic has ...