I have requested money for a van for WOFAR (Women For African Refugee care) for several months to no avail. They need the van to transport chickens and chicken supplies for their large-scale broiler project that will make them not only self-sufficient, but able to give back. When they sold their first batch of 400 chickens last month, they rented a van for 5000 Ksh or roughly $39-$40 USD. Their total profit for this batch came to just over $100. So, renting the van reduced their profits by 39-40%. If they had the van, they would have only paid 500 Ksh for gas, or about $3.86. Where did they get the money to rent the van, you may ask . . . ? From me, Dr. Tara Wakefield/Acts10. Likewise, I will continue to help them until they can sustain themselves.
I/Acts10 have also been paying for patients’ transportation costs to get to the clinic. Refugees have absolutely nothing, and although the shelters the clinic benefits all lie within Ongata Rongai, asking them to just walk would have them covering up to 10 km each way. So, we pay each patient 500 Ksh ($3.86) once they have had their clinic appointment and before they leave the premises to cover their costs to get here and back. Typically, the number of patients for the day may vary from two to seven. However, in the clinic days since starting the desperately-needed trauma/PTSD support groups, this number has jumped by five to eight people. In the last two clinic days, I spent 32,279 Ksh ($147. 55) simply for patient transportation. That would come to 129,116 Ksh/month ($590.20) for only the two of three clinic days per week that have support groups. That more-than-totals the monthly rent for an entire shelter. I cannot sustain that at the current rate of donations. If we had a van, a WOFAR member could pick up and drop off patients at their respective shelters, and I would only pay for gas—possibly $5/week. WOFAR can time their chicken deliveries around clinic days easily enough as the clinic runs on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. They could do their business on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Acts10/WOFAR can get an excellent used van for 776,700 Ksh ($6000). So, you see, a van plays a critical role in maintaining the free refugee clinic.
Thank you in advance for your understanding and support!
