Director’s News (Feb-April 2023)

Getting to Ruben Centre each morning, I find myself wondering, "What might happen today?" Seldom is there a set menu; instead, we engage and respond as things unfold.

Recently I had 'one of those days' that, on reflection, leaves me with the question, "How can this be?" At the gate, I met one of our teachers who introduced me to her mother, whom they call "Bibi," or grandmother. Granny, all of forty years of age, had come to the Ruben Health Centre maternity to see her just-born first granddaughter. I parked the car and went along with them for a viewing. I never tire of holding a new baby and marveling at the miracle of new life and, of course, stirring up the mothers. Today there were four new babies. I joined the Health Centre staff and a few 'early bird' patients for their morning prayers. The prayers carried on despite several nurses charging off to respond to an emergency. After prayers, I sat and held a mother's hand as we watched the nurses’ frantic but ultimately futile efforts to revive the small child.

Then, I sat and planned our weekly Administration meeting, and shortly after, I was joined by the Business Manager with the Human Resources Manager summing up our leadership team. A key agenda item was planning for someone to chase up the 2022 signed audit report, and then for me to sign it and forward it as soon as possible to a few donors. This audit was key to the release of much-needed funds. I detailed our team of five staffs two-day visit to a distant project in the rift valley and how I think I recruited their very impressive Head of Programs to be a Ruben Centre trustee. A key element of my time this year is to establish the organization as a viable Trust.

Then, it was a customary walk around the Centre to greet various staff in the different projects. Creating presence is one of my foundation actions. In the Vocational Training Centre, I found one of Kenya's premier hotel chains, Ashnil Luxury Camps and Hotels, has come to place another order of woven items. It's a massive order and should stoke the coffers and build up our staff. In the Beauty Therapy and Hairdressing area, I learned from a beaming instructor Nancy, the great news about how two of her previous group of graduates have secured jobs at salons in downtown Nairobi.

Continuing on finds me in the Special Needs Unit, and some of the eighty or more children are being prepared to get on the school bus and head out for a day of sports with some other Special Needs institutions in Nairobi. The excitement is tangible for those going, while others seem totally oblivious as their days and lives are fixed to a chair or lying on a mat. I greet them, and then while heading back to the office, the sadness of their lives is sort of overwhelming.

I am only in the office a few minutes when a young high school girl in full uniform bounds in. She says, "Br. Frank, remember me?" I offer a puzzled look and mutter "no", which immediately prompts her into a detailed explanation about how and why I am sponsoring her in secondary school, and today is their last day of the term. She proceeds to show me her academic report. We chat about it and her experience of this new school, and she informs me of another scholarship girl who walks through the slum at 4.00 AM as she gets to school. Knowing the danger here, I am horrified and know I must follow this up. She leaves for the social worker who coordinates these students.

Then, two more young teen girls enter. One of them is a 16-year-old mother of a two-month-old baby who dropped out of Grade 8 last year. Teachers had pleaded with me to register her this year for her examinations and find a way for her to study. The other girl, a former scholarship recipient, finished high school last year and offered to help out at the Centre while waiting for something else. I had appointed her to be the young mother's tutor, mentor, and caretaker. The young mother can bring her baby, and it can sleep while these two work on their lessons for two hours. "Just greeting," the tutor teen says, and their departure gives a man the chance to enter. He has a big story and produces papers about his two-year-old daughter needing an operation as she was born without all her private parts. "I need money today for the operation," he said.

I listened carefully, but I had a real God moment and a vague sense that I had seen this imposter before. I stood up, saying "Follow me," and proceeded to take him to a social worker. My mind was racing as I walked towards her office, and upon arrival, I looked behind me and to my relief, the man was no longer with me. A very proud of himself Frank returned to the office where my go-to welder was waiting for me, and we went off to talk about renovations needed in the Health Centre's laboratory. We are attempting an upgrade so that it can be accredited with the Ministry of Health (MOH), and then the lab results will be accepted anywhere. With this development, hopefully, patients will be referred to Ruben Health Centre, and with an increased number of people coming, there may be increased revenue. We agreed on the weekend and his payment, and I returned to the office.

On arrival, I found three senior teachers there, and they informed me about a recent Sexual Exploitation and Abuse seminar that their Grade 8 students had attended. From that day, a heap of emerging issues were presented to me, and they hoped that I had the answers. After some time, we all agreed that some follow-up activities were needed, and a two-day holiday program for staff would be a solution.

They left, and I noticed that it was well after 2:30 pm, and I wondered what had happened to the morning. I had my only scheduled meeting in a few minutes, and it was to turn up to the final cooking class for about fifteen young mothers who had presented a malnourished young child to our Maternal Child Health Clinic some months back. Part of the solution for these women and their children was attendance at a cooking class conducted by our resident caterer. These young mothers had been attending a cooking class for the past seven weeks, and today was their last lesson. Apparently, the classes were well-received, and I was assured that my funding of the cooking essentials had been a good investment with hopefully real change in the lives of the women and their little children. I watched them prepare food, and after tasting their work, I congratulated all concerned.

Back in the office, the Centre's ambulance driver reminded me that he was to take me up to ISUZU Motors to check on the progress of the Centre's double cabin. In early January, the car had been inexplicably driven without water or oil, resulting in a ceased engine. An hour was filled with going, waiting, and seeing, but there was little joy in the report. The engine was deemed scrap material. I left pondering my fast diminishing options for my journey away from traveling each day to the Centre on my bike.

Returning to my office, and soon the Business Manager was asking me if I had made any progress on getting my work visa. I had arrived into Kenya on February 1st with a ‘strictly no work permitted’ visitor’s visa only, and given days like this one, Blind Freddie could see that I wasn’t a visitor. I promised him, I would make another follow up on it tomorrow first thing.

It was time to call it a day!

By: Br. Frank O’Shea

Edits & Photos: GB