Lives changed as 1230 people and 8280 animals treated whilst 451 were led to Christ.
MAF Pilot Daniel Loewen-Rudgers embarked on a vital mission, flying a team of medics and vets to a remote village within Marsabit County, serving the underserved pastoralist communities.
The primary goal of this comprehensive, five-day mission was to provide holistic healthcare to both people and animals, alongside sharing the teachings of Jesus Christ with the community.
Dr Samuel Njoroge, leader of the medical camp, shared notable cases including a successful surgical procedure to alleviate a lipoma on a 68-year-old man’s upper lip. Lipoma is a lump of fatty tissue that grows just under the skin.
“It was a glorious and marvellous thing, even to the locals who had known the old man to have a huge lump on his upper lip,” he said.
Another case involved a man with a femur fracture on the neck, highlighting the challenges of the surgery he required and was recommended to a more specialised facility.
During their visit, the medical team screened, treated, and offered nutritional counselling to 1230 individuals, among them 118 pregnant women. Those that were found to be severely malnourished were linked to Kargi Health Centre for supplementation with ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) programme. The pregnant women were also given folic acid supplementation for foetal development.
A 12-year-old who was diagnosed with scalp psoriasis was treated by a clinical officer by first cleaning and dressing the wound with an antiseptic and an antibiotic and gave them pain medication.
Simultaneously, the veterinary doctors treated and vaccinated a total of 8,280 animals including cattle, goats, camels, goats, sheep, and dogs. While the medical and veterinary team offered treatment, the evangelists actively shared the gospel of Christ with over 1000 people, resulting in 451 individuals being led to Christ.
The two-hour flight with MAF from Kenya's capital to Kargi proved instrumental in saving valuable time for the team, a stark contrast to the 13 hours they would have lost on a road journey. However, upon reaching the ground, the team faced a new set of challenges. The roads were particularly treacherous, with a 2km stretch submerged in a swollen river—a consequence of the heavy rains that have ravaged northern Kenya, leaving many people homeless.
This did not kill the morale of the team, but they embraced teamwork to conquer the difficult situation to get to their base at the Christ is the Answer Ministries (CITAM) Church in Kargi.
Reflecting on the mission, Dr Samuel expressed gratitude for the ability to intervene with the support of the local health facility, bringing help, hope, and healing, and spreading the love of Christ to many.