News Archive

Island of Hope – Rusinga Island

Looking back at journey of Dana Feminová to Kenya

Marry sounds of children and birds wake me up. I open my eyes and through the mosquito net I can see the first sun rays. The day begins and children are coming to school that is was built just next to the house for doctors at a clinic that is my home for a few days. I have breakfast with a Slovak doctor Daniela, who came here for 6 months to help the local personnel at our clinic.

Already at breakfast she is preparing some medicaments from the storeroom and is getting ready for her ambulance. From the terrace of the house we can see the first patients expecting her in the waiting room.

I am taking a bag with games, building blocks, colouring pictures and methodology manual for teachers and I am heading through our community centre to the building of our nursery school. I am walking through the school. Children in school uniforms greet me from all the classes, where they are ready for the beginning of lessons. I am meeting teacher Evans. In a hurry he reminds me the drama class has prepared a performance for this afternoon that begins already at 4 PM. I am promising to be there. When I am approaching the nursery school I can hear a lot of small children calling my name. Many of them cannot resist the joyful „mzungu, mzungu” („a white man“ in swahili), which we hear so often all over Kenya. It is a common reaction of children when they notice a pale face, unusual for them.

I am entering a large area of nursery school where 4 women teachers with a few groups of children are working, using the teaching method of Montessorri. The youngest, 3-year old children are just singing and dancing together, the next group is working at little tables, pre-school children are learning in pairs at a terrace. I am interrupting the lesson for a while and give them presents from a partner school in the Czech Republic. In a short time the children are colouring the Mole pictures and trying to match the puzzle of animals. The oldest boys together with their teacher are building the wooden blocks. The presents are very successful so I am taking my camera and video camera to capture the joyful moment, because I want to make happy even the Czech children who prepared the presents. I am leaving the children playing and I am hurrying for a meeting with a builder who has been finishing a new shelter for orphans.

Ken is expecting me, the president of our organisation in Kenya who I came with to the island from Nairobi, as well as the local coordinator of the whole community centre of “Island of Hope”, Joash. Together we had a dream about this whole project on the Rusinga Island on the Victoria Lake 9 years ago. At Joash´s during one of my first visits on Rusinga Island. We did not hope at all at that time that it would be possible to build the complex of community centre with an orphanage, nursery school, school, education centre with library and even a medical clinic in such a short time. We also did not suspected what it means to run such a centre for more than 300 poorest children and the whole local community. We did not know how many challenges we would face.

On the way to the new building of shelter we are getting clear with Ken and Joash the main issues to discuss with the builder Dan. Then we are walking through the building. Joash points out at imperfections that are necessary to remove: to finish the last paint, to repair the entrance metal door, to finish tiles in the bathroom...We agree on the date when the whole shelter will be equipped by furniture and the surroundings cleaned from the rest of building material. We are discussing the last doubts at the budget. Dan finally agrees that he will order ten more beds from the original budget. The situation is then solved. From January we can extend the capacity from the present 42 up to 80 children. Ken is announcing that the family of our “adoptive” girl Evalyn that I wanted to see is expecting us. We are leaving the centre and walk across the island.

It is one of the sad heartbreaking stories that had been a part of my life during the 10 years of “Adoption of African children – project of help for distance”. I knew Evalyn since she was 7, she was one of the first children in the programme we had begun in 2002. She was 16 and even if she still attended school, she was pregnant. This year at the beginning of August she gave a birth to a beautiful girl. Her birth was complicated, but thanks to health insurance she was immediately taken to hospital and so it went all right. After a few hours she was sent home. But she suddenly died after 3 days. A small, 3-year old girl from the neighbourhood found her on the floor with a crying baby in her hands and she took it to the neighbours.

I am in front of a poor clay house and with tears in my eyes I am hugging Evalyn´s mum, who is holding in her hand a small baby – a girl who is very lively. I am getting her immediately into my arms and we are entering the house. I am bringing at least one goon news – “the adoptive parents” who supported Evalyn have decided to support financially the upbringing of the girl so she does not have to worry about lack of money for milk. She thanks a lot and is offering us a cup of traditional “porridge” (made from millet). I am making a few pictures and saying goodbye. I have to get back to the clinic, because there is going to be a meeting with all the stuff so that after evaluation of the operation of the clinic we can modify some rules, shifts and start a mobile clinic.

The mobile clinic should ensure medical treatment to the patients in remote villages of Rusinga as well as on the close island Mufangano. It is necessary to increase symbolical registration fee for patients and think about how to keep the clinic going without preventing the poorest to use its services. We still do have money for salaries of the stuff and for medicaments thanks to the donation of Slovakaid, but this project to run the hospital finishes in a year so there is a hot issue how to arrange all services in future.

After the meeting with the personnel of the clinic I am in a hurry for the performance of the drama class at school – under a large tree in the middle of the areal all the school as well as nursery school had met. Thanks to amazing scenery it really looks like in the theatre. Our drama class celebrates huge successes – at a regional competition of all schools they took the second position. Small actors recite and play so lively that all the stage as well as audience is enjoying it. Even the workers finishing the building of orphanage stop working to watch the performance with us. I tried to capture it on the video camera but I am afraid that as most of the situations here it is not possible to capture – one must experience it. It is getting dark. Dark clouds promise heavy rain so there is no extra performance, the theatre is finishing and children are running home. I congratulate to the teacher Evans, the author of the play who is the successful leader of the club.

Evans and his young colleagues make good job at school. They try to include now methods form the seminars for teachers that we regularly arrange on Rusinga. They keep on insisting on non-violent attitude to children which is what makes them difficult with the local community. In most schools on the island it is a natural thing to use a “cane” as an educational method. There is a strong belief that without a physical punishment there is no discipline and without discipline there is nothing from the pupil.

Children are asking me if I would be with them in the hall during the evening activities before going to bed. They try to persuade me to tell them who is going to move to the new shelter. I am promising to come after dinner offering a chance to record a message for their “adoptive parents” in the Czech Republic. A few of them are applying immediately, standing up in front of the camera. I am recording a few cute messages and giving thanks and Joash is calling at me that we are leaving. I am invited to his family for dinner so I am saying goodbye to children with a promise that after dinner I would reveal to them who should move to the new building.

We are leaving by car to Joash where his two wives and about 12 children are expecting us. The youngest children in the lead with Milan are welcoming us. I am giving them presents and before dinner we are playing their favourite pairs. The meal is delicious as usual and the whole atmosphere in this large family is just awesome. But to keep the promise to the children in the orphanage I have to say goodbye. Ken drives me back to Island of Hope.

Children with the teacher Millicent are in the dinnig hall so I managed that. We are talking, I am answering thousands questions about the Czech Republic, than the children are singing and showing me homework. Finally I am revealing the new hostel would be for girls so that the boys would have the present one only for themselves. Girls are excited and cannot wait until they are moving and boys are asking when the new friends for empty space in the room were coming. With this sweet news we are saying goodnight. It is really late, our eyes are closing. I am accompanying children to their rooms and I am leaving to the house at the clinic to listen to the impression of the Doctor Daniela from the afternoon meeting with the stuff during a cup of tea.

One unforgettable day is ending slowly.

Dana Feminová
founder and chairwoman of Centre Narovinu
www.centernarovinu.org

The shortened version of the text will be printed in the next issue of Respekt.

In the last issue of bulletin 9/2012 there was an attachment focused on the project Adoption of African children. What do the children that passed the project do today? Have this project had any meaning? And how do it see the Czech adoptive parents? That is all included in the attachment...

We also include all letters of children in English and not shortened version, in the printed version of the bulletin there could be only part of them presented. 

And we also attach photos of Plívovi and Victor – from Kenya and from the visit in the Czech Republic. In the attachment there is also a few words about their common journey as a part of the project of Adoption of African children...

The whole September bulletin in Czech version can be downloaded here.

Centre Narovinu supports the candidacy of Táňa Fischerová as a public candidate to presidential elections. We realise that developing aims and positive changes in our society that we push through our citizen association are not possible without political will and total change of values and atmosphere in the society. 

Candidacy of Táňa Fischerová supported not by any financial groups, but by activity of people in all the Czech Republic and wide scale of civic iniciatives and nonprofit organisations seems to us as a very interesting hope. We are convinced that thanks to high moral credit, long-term pushed values, clear political and social suggestions as well as support of cooperation and wide civic society Táňa Fischerová would by a very good president for the term of changes which we wish for. Her long-term active support of the campaign „Czech against Poverty“  just proves that her attitudes in the area of our activity completely agree with ours. 

For the Centre Narovinu
Dana Feminová, Simona Heřtusová, Daniela Cachová, Hana Jodasová

Infocentre Zoo Jihlava

Radka Švejnohová

A serie of photographs made in cities, villages and national parks on islands Honshu and Shikoku.

Everyday of Japanese, disciplined carefree children, precisely arranged parks and gardens, walks of Maiko through picturesque streets of Kjótsko, ancient Pagoda...these are motives that want to capture the supermodern country in non-hectic and calm form.

Selling exhibition supports specific projects of Kenya.

Web: www.svejnoha.cz

You are warmly welcome to the meeting with Ben Ooko from African Kenya, who will teach you how to make a typical meal ugali and introduces to you not only the African cuisine, but also everyday life and developing projects of Centre Narovinu.

Wednesday 17.10. from 18.00
Komunitní centrum Prádelna
Holečkova 38, Praha 5 (undergound line B – Anděl)
www.veselysmichov.cz

Ben is one of the main coordinators of Adoption of African children for distance and other projects in poor areas.

Exhibition of photographs and objects form Kenya – slide show - discussion.

Admission voluntary, the profit will support the feeding programme of the project Island of Hope on Rusinga Island in Kenya. 

Tuesday 9.10. 19:30 hod. Life in poor areas in Kenya – discussion with Ben (Kulturní centrum Nová Beseda , Slavětínská 120, Praha 9 – Klánovice).

For more information see www.kcnovabeseda.cz

On Thursday 13.9 our colleague Petr Chaloupka flew to Kenya to help start the next part of the project Water for Kauti – irrigation system. 

Until now everything goes smoothly – work on the dam and water reservoir. The lengths are measured – between the damp, the main tank (above Kauti market) and the next tank (on the top of the ridge at farm King´oo). 

These places are very good, from both there will be possible to supply a large area by water and for the future hopefully enlargement will be able, too...

The irrigation system in the planned form will contain 2 tanks (50+30m3), a feeding pipe and also a line of the distribution pipe, which will be in future available for next consumers from the location. During this phase the community in Kauti will carry out a spring Yanzonga remediation , as well as it was the last year by Muthala. Everything is supposed to by finished until the end of November. We wish good luck.

At the weekend 7. – 9. September Little African conference in Zoo Jihlava was held – a meeting of travellers, photographers, zoologists and Africa lovers. Centre Narovinu took part as well so we are bringing a short summary. 

For more information and photographs see the webpages of Small African Conference.

The attachement includes a Czech text and pictures. 

In June there was one of the main coordinators in Kenya Ken Okongo in the Czech Republic and that is why all June was full of different events. There were a lot of discussions, workshops at schools, meetings with adoptive parents or public held there. 

David Švejnoha and Václav Soukup
City library IP Pavlova, Karlovy Vary

Travelling exhibition from the area of Kenyan slums, schools and orphanages. The exhibition is selling and supprts specific projects in Kenya. 

Preview 19.6. from 17.00 – life African music, jam- session, workshop – producing badges

As a part of the project „Africa by Uncommon Eyes – Through Education towards a Universal Human Nation, Ken Okongo, one of the main coordinators of Centre Narovinu in Kenya came on Sunday to the Czech Republic.

Ken was a member of the partner organisation of Centre Narovinu in 2000 in Kenya and also of the 2 main projects of Distant adoption of African children and Island of Hope on Rusinga Island.

During his month-long stay there will be held a lot of presentations, workshops at schools and meetings of wide public. You are warmly welcome.

Come and meet personally the founder of the developing projects of Centre Narovinu in Kenya, talk about present life in the poorest areas and slums and get some news about the projects of international developing cooperation.

Wednesday 13.6. 15.00 – 21.00. Focused on Africa

 15.00 - 18.00 Africa through game workshops of African issues for children and youth

17.00 – 20.00 Discussions about development  topic Distant adoption of African children and developing projects

20.00 – 21.00 MUSIC PROGRAMME

 The programme will be completed by an exhibition of photographs and African products and by showing documentaries from Kenya. For more information see the leaflet.

At schools Ken will describe the African reality to children through interactive workshops and he will present African culture, its customs, music or everyday life in this way. We are choosing two schools from his rich programme:

If you are interested, we will be glad to send you the programme for the whole Czech Republic.

Monday 11.6. ZŠ Hostýnská, Praha 10 – discussions and workshops for I. and V. classes

Tuesday 12.6. ZŠ Grafická, Praha 5 – music workshop for the first level of primary school

Centre Narovinu is a civic association founded in 1995. Currently the main activities of Centre Narovinu are projects of foreign development cooperation, global education and development of voluntary work. It is a member of Czech Forum for development cooperation (FORS), and participates in the campaign Czech against Poverty. Developing projects in African Kenya have been organised since 2000.

Development projects are directed with great emphasis on long-lasting sustainability, support of self-sufficiency, transition from passive attitude to active taking over responsibility and use of own possibilities.

The main projects of Centre Narovinu:

• Africa by uncommon eyes –programmes at schools and for public in the Czech Republic. Now it is included in the project „Through education towards a universal human nation“ that was made with financial help of European Union. The aim is to intensify the knowledge of difficult life in developing countries and developing cooperation, to increase the awareness of uestions of develpins world and strengthen support of public for the area of foreign developing cooperation.

• Adoption of African children – project of distant support

• Minishop Africa in "Fair Trade" style

• Courses „Volunteers for developing cooperation in Africa“

• Developing projects : Community centre Island of Hope on Rusinga Island / Kenya

• Developing projects: Water for Kauti / Kenya

• Partnership of Czech and Kenyan schools

Thank you for your attention to this activity and we are looking forward to meeting you. In case of any question we are here for you.

Best regards, 

for Centre Narovinu

Simona Heřtusová
simona.hertusova@adopceafrika.cz
mobil 608 301 270
www.adopceafrika.cz
Centrum Narovinu, Tyršova 1, 120 00 Praha 2

At the weekned 19. – 20.5. a meeting of coordinators of distance adoption was held, this time in Zlenice at Čerčany. There were 24 coordinators from all over the Czech Republic present. At the beginning of the meeting we had a personal reflexion of own roles in activities of the Centre Narovinu and a discussion about existence of our organisation, what we consider as positive and negative and what our visiones for future of Centre Narovinu are.

Later coordinators of projects summarised news from Island of Hope on Rusinga Island, form Water for Kauti, Africa by Uncommonn Eyes, Distance adoption of African Children etc. And together we discussed realised projects and outlooks to future. Each of coordinators could experience a piece of African workshops that we organise at schools. 

Documentary photographs from Kenya by Ester Starman
Center for children and youth -  Praha 4 - Hobby center 4, Bartákova street1200/4

Travelling exhibition is selling and supports the project in Kenya „Water for Kauti“

Community center Prádelna, Holečkova 38, Praha 5, www.veselysmichov.cz

We thank a lot for help organising a meeting with Willy, we really enjoyed our visit.

One mening we sent an sms to Mr. Ngome and just the next day he gave us a lift. He was very nice, willing and pleasant. He was also able to manage Willy to move from school home very quickly. 

We went by matatu with Mr. Ngome and then by motorcycles, we set off in the morning and after a stop in a shop and a bank we were at Willy in the afternoon. 

It was a very lovely village, a few people from the relevant organisations came to welcome us and spent some time with us at Willy´s. His mother was very happy and offered us local products. 

To imagine we include a few pictures. 

Thanks a lot and have a nice time!

Adam and Hanka

The organisation NAROVINU realizes a project of a health centre on Rusinga Island on Victoria Lake in western part of Kenya, which is in process since May 2010. During that time we treated 9 700 patients, made 5 700 laboratory examinations, vaccinated 7 000 children. 141 babies were born until today here. 

From October 2011 to September 2013 we gained a grant MZV SR – Slovakaid to run the hospital, which covers the costs for medical material, medicaments, staff of local nurses. In cooperation with College of St. Elizabeth we organise missions of our doctors. 

A part of a new project, financed by Slovakaid is also building of a new orphanage for 20 children. The building company was chosen in a process of a tender and the building will be held from May to September 2012. 

The winner of the tender is the company RADIUS AFRIKA with its centre in Nairobi. The contract was signed 4.4.2012. 

The attachement includes the subject of the contract with the building company. 

Eva Hlavatá, the coordinator of the project
kontact : +421905424914, hlavata@hosping.sk

We started the distribution on Saturday 24. of september through to Sunday 25. of september.

The experience was very touching more so when I was talking directly to the families and they dint expect that we would provide them with such amount of food.

We targeted 119 families that we have in the distance adoption and another 20 families….this we did as we expected that since we are going in the villages we were very sure that there are those old people that would come even if they are not invited and to turn a way such people would have been not very good. So we prepared some smaller parks for such cases and we gave them to 20 families. Such families we gave the following

5kg of cooking oil.
4kg of rice
24kg of maize
24kg of beans.

For the families that we targeted who are in the distance adoption we gave the following:

90 kg of Maize
90kg of Beans
20kg of Rice
10kg of cooking oil.

For many families when I was talking to them these items will last them for an average of four months. All the regions that we target are from Eastern province of Kenya (Athi River, Kauti, Makueni and Mavoloni).

Here is one direct speech that I wrote down from the guardian of 41706 and 41707.

“As you see the tears on my face today, it is one of those few days that I have happened to shade tears of joy. I leave with five orphans, two from my son and three from my daughter both of whom are dead. Out of the five orphans two are HIV positive and one is epileptic. I have struggled with all these kids and they always give me a reason to wake up very early in the morning in search for food. For the last four days the four of us have spent without food….the little I got I gave to the two who are HIV positive so that they can have energy to take Drugs. The rest of us we would do with porridge. I can’t believe that today I have this much food. More so I can’t help to imagine that these foods have been donated by friends that maybe will never meet in life. May god bless them all”

We later established that the neighbors have been helping to feed the two kids who are HIV positive.

Well the same story of families going without food for two days or doing only with one meal per day was echoed by all the families.

I have attached some group photos that we took in different place. There was also video that elias was doing and I will send the tape.

If there are still more information needed let me know.

Big hug
Ken Okongo

Hi here is a taste of how the Kauti community felt after the good help they were extended by our friends  in Czech. This was wonderful since the area has food scarcity for we rely on rain for our crops to grow, and :many children go to school and fail to concetrate with the learning due to stomach being empty and also many opted to go look for cheap jobs such as sand harvesting in order to find food to eat,so through our esteem office in Nairobi and Czech the problem was solved  and teachers are happy now for no more sleeping and absconding of school by children since they able to eat at home and at school.

On behalf of Kauti community have pleasure and happy to say thanks for this kind help at this time of draught and famine, all area community were happy and praised the support to some extend some were shading tears of joy and happiness.

Josephat King´oo

The poor and helpless people in the fight against diseases on a Lake Victoria island are not alone with their health trouble any more. Medical centre opening on Rusinga Island has been the last project of Centre Narovinu Island of Hope.

Next to the school, nursery and orphanage, there has grown a clinic, which is trying to fight off inaccessibility to health care for local people. Bad access to health care on the island is both physical (real distance of hospitals or lack of public transport) and financial (health care is mainly financed by direct payments from patients). The ill are therefore brought to hospitals by their relatives in such late phase of their disease that even the maximum possible effort can not improve their health state. Centre Narovinu clinic started to operate in the spring of 2010 only with local medical staff. Thanks to the support of Medical and Social work University of St. Alžběta in Bratislava the team could be strengthened by two doctors from North Moravia, Zuzana Fajkusova and Marie Ticha.

What made you leave peaceful environment of local hospitals and set off to cure in Africa? What had you expected from Kenya?

Marie: Even during my studies I wanted to go somewhere where a doctor is needed more than in Europe. There is a huge disproportion between the number of doctors in Africa and Europe; for example, if there were the same density of doctors in Brno as in Kenya, there would be just about 50 of them there! This lack of doctors has troublesome effects in Africa, especially in the country. An African doctor was not possible to reach in Rusinga, even for more than a thousand Euros per month. For a local doctor to work out of a town the salary offer must be around two thousand Euros per month. In Nairobi, skilled doctors can make even higher money. So why to slog up to discomfort - with a low salary?

Zuzana: In comparison with Marie, Africa was not any news to me. I had experienced a three-month stay in a hospital in Ethiopia, and I also knew that the best was to have no expectations. In Africa, things are totally different and unpredictable, therefore we wanted - after my "hungry" experience in Ethiopia - be at least sure about eating. We brought forty kilos of food to Kenya, and I have to admit we did not feel sorry at all.

Do you remember your first impressions from the community centre Island of Hope and the clinic?

Zuzana: We were pleasantly surprised by the centre. Nice buildings with a neat lawn are not common in Kenya. Our clinic is definitely the most beautiful facility on the whole island. People looked nice from the beginning, but it was very difficult, sometimes impossible, to tell them apart. They all were dark skinned, short black haired and with white teeth ... to distinguish children from the orphanage took us two long months. You have to use such identifying signs like a nice smile, dimples, style of walking, etc.

Marie: At the clinic I was very nicely surprised by the laboratory. I had expected a microscope at maximum, but the number of diagnostic facilities and other equipment, which we could use, was amazing for local conditions.

What duties at the clinic did you have apart from the roles of doctors?

Marie: For several first weeks our main tasks were to observe local staff at work, to organize work at the clinic, to order medicaments, to manage the pharmacy and to subsequently reorganize the whole operation of the clinic. To initiate cooperation with local health facilities and governmental institutions, in the way to enable access to medicaments and health materials distributed for free by Kenyan government, was crucial. Primarily, this concerned antimalarics of the first choice (Coartem), special formulas for malnourished children, testing sets for HIV, etc. Despite initial bureaucratic obstacles we managed to ensure continuous supplying of our clinic by these medicaments. However, it mainly concerns future cooperation. For the time being, necessary material is paid through donations of development support SlovakAid, the same as salaries of local staff. Towards the future, the plan for the clinic is not to be dependant on financial support from Europe, which is why it is very necessary to form maximal cooperation with local offices, and to educate skilful local staff.

Zuzana: Our common work day started at about 8 a.m. Ideally, a receptionist had already started to register coming patients. Registration hours officially finished by 3 p.m., but it took a lot of work to explain patients, that it was more advantageous to visit the clinic in the morning. We lost about three months due to a communication mistake, because we found out that a day in Kenya starts at 6 a.m., which is the 0 hour. When we emphasised to patients to come at 8 o'clock, they actually understood at 2 p.m... and finally they came at 4 p.m. Daily, we treated about 30 patients. Their number depended mainly on weather - it is very difficult to reach the clinic in the rain. In a nice weather, which was usual, working hours used to prolong up to late afternoon. In the evening and at night our work shifted with local staff consisting of one clinical officer (sort of a more educated European nurse) and from one to two nurses. Similarly, we shifted also our weekend duties, so that somebody was permanently at disposal.

Did you ever have to improvise while treating your patients due to lack of medical supplies or unknowingness of local disease?

Zuzana: While treating patients we had to improvise almost always. Especially bandage which is used in our country is very expensive and not available in Africa at all. We had a lot of syringes, needles, infusion sets and protective gloves; however, their quality was incomparable with the ones used in Europe. There were enough medicaments there, and we practically had all we needed. The situation concerning medicaments is rather opposite in Kenya. In a shop you can buy any medicament without a prescription, and use it as you wish. It may result firstly in damaging a patient (pregnant woman, not suitable dosing, late coming to the doctors), and secondly, conditions for loosing sensitivity of microbes towards given medicaments are build.

Marie: Furthermore, sometimes you are wrongly advised while buying medicaments in a pharmacy, which can lead to troublesome consequences for the ill person. Neither us were all-powerful. The clinic operated only as ambulance at the beginning, and we were the first contact doctors. Usually, people suffered from headache, fever, diarrhoea, or something... mostly, it was because of malaria, typhus, amoeba ... sometimes stories of our patients were more interesting: "I have felt pain in right hypochondrium for fifteen years ...", "I have been coughing for five years..". And then, God knows. These extraordinary cases luckily appeared in the first wave of new coming patients. Then they ceased.

Doctors in Europe complain that people are not afraid of getting infected by HIV any more. For many Europeans, this has been a refrain. Is it similar on Rusinga Island?

Zuzana: Several years ago, AIDS was still a big taboo. It was considered shameful to go for testing, to admit positivity. Even now, locals approach AIDS somehow inconsistently. On one hand this theme seems to appear on daily basis. Everywhere, you can see billboards with condom advertisement, and there are many places to have a free check-up. However, their capacity is far from being fully used by public. Why? Many still do not admit that AIDS issue could concern them personally. On the other hand we have seen many cases of young people, actually children, who got infected through sexual contact. The number of newly infected people is still growing. To start with education about AIDS is definitely important already at primary school children, including lower classes. When kids reach eleven, prevention may come too late. Personally, I consider lectures and discussions at schools the most effective. Only through this way a new generation can be educated, who will approach the issue of AIDS actively and responsibly. For reducing AIDS spread it is also essential to search for newly infected cases and give them throughout treatment. We organized so called "HIV camp", where medical staff tested children and parents in the school complex. Several positive children were detected, who might have now higher chances to spend their childhood as children.

Marie: It is really very hard to fight against AIDS in a place, where men offer paid sex to class-five girls, and where girls get married and become mothers in the age of thirteen, without even trying to finish their primary education. Furthermore, sex functions as a means of payment in local fishermen's community. However, we cannot stop fighting, because the chance to change all this is still here.

Are there any kinds of specific diseases in Rusinga? It is no secret that Victoria Lake water is permanently contaminated.

Zuzana: On the island of Rusinga and in the whole Nyanza province there is the greatest occurrence of HIV in the whole Kenya; according to WHO, it reaches up to 24%, which means that almost every fourth person is infected. Concerning other diseases, Lake Victoria coast is characterized by year-long occurrence of malaria, which belongs to the most frequent reasons of death in Kenya. Quite frequent, but mostly not recognized, are infections by schistosomani - parasites living in the lake. Rate of infection is high, but imperfect diagnostics does not enable to identify all cases and treat them. Also occurrence of tuberculosis is high on the island, especially in combination with AIDS. The same as in the whole Kenya, intestinal diseases caused by amoebas and other parasites are frequent on the island.

Marie: Fortunately, local people, for whom the lake is the only source of water, have learnt to use water purifying tablets or boiled water. Even here, enlightenment has worked and the situation is improving.

What is the main difference between understanding health care at ours and in Kenya? What in this context seems the facility of Island of Hope like?

Zuzana: The biggest difference between the Czechs and Kenyans might be the view on health-care as a whole, and its role in the society. In Kenya, quite commercial view on people's health is common: you have money = you have the right to be treated = you have the right to live and vice versa. Finally we found common way concerning even registration fee at the clinic. A socially favourable system was introduced, when patients pay a certain sum while coming to the clinic (equal to about 30 - 40 Czech Crowns) and they are given the highest care and treatment. Because of the fact that in Kenya public insurance is unaffordable for majority of people, patients in state facilities always pay for any treatment, giving medicament, health material and medicine one by one, which may result in a very high sum after a few days of hospitalisation. Because patients do not know in advance how much the treatment will finally cost and if they can afford it, they often decide not to go to hospital at all.

Marie: Operation of this centre is based on cooperation - the Whites - the Blacks. All what has been built came up from Africans. They know best what they lack and need. Europeans only helped them to fulfil their dream. I can see the main difference in our trying to implement "European" factors here. Children learn to be punctual at school, to take responsibility for themselves, their lives, they learn to decide in the right way, to cook, to tidy up. They learn to succeed in the real life. In the health centre the following principle is valid: Help people without regarding whether they have money for it or not.

MUDr. Marie Ticha: Was born in Opava in 1983. She studied Faculty of Medicine of the Palacky University in Olomouc. Currently she has worked at the department of hematooncology in Brno for three years.

MUDr. Zuzana Fajkusova: Was born in Krnov in 1985. She studied Faculty of Medicine of the Palacky University in Olomouc. Currently she works as a doctor at the department of infectious diseases in Silesian hospital in Opava.

Let us warmly invite you for a „Small African Conference“, which takes place on Friday, September 9th and Saturday, Sept. 10th in Jihlava ZOO and Na Kopečku Theatre.

Lecture meeting of travellers, photographs, zoologists and Africa lovers will be joined by interesting accompanying program in the form of amusing African workshops for the small and the big. You can look forward to African masks painting, drumming or African style dressing. Additional information can be found in the invitation.

Best regards and wishes of pleasant „Indian summer“

Centre Narovinu

Rachel Okoko, one of our Kenyan colleagues, will soon visit Czech and Slovak Republic within the project „Africa through uncommon eyes“, whose main sense is not only to inform children and the young about situation of children in Africa, but also prevention of racism and xenophobia in our society.

For a long time Rachel has dedicated her time to work with children from the poorest social class, and works as one of coordinators of the Distant adoption project.

Within this occasion many lectures, presentations and workshops will take place at Czech and Slovak schools, and also several meetings for wider public, which we would like to invite you for:

May, 31, 2011, Brno: Karibuni Kenya – meeting not only for adoptive parents
(www.adopceafrika.cz, www.klubcestovatelu.cz)
June, 2, 2011, Prague: Karibuni Kenya – meeting not only for adoptive parents
(www.adopceafrika.cz)
June, 12, 2011, Ostrava: Football for development
(www.adopceafrika.cz, www.fotbalprorozvoj.org)
- detailed information can be found in enclosed invitation, or on given web-pages
Next meeting will take place in Slovakia – more detailed information will be published soon on our web www.adopceafrika.cz

Slovakia
June, 10 – 6:30 p.m. – meeting with adoptive parents connected with Rusinga Island project presentation, meeting room Ford, Centre Zlaté piesky, na Tuhovskej 9, Bratislava.
www.ford.sk/page.php?url_id=593

12th fair of non-profit organizations NGO Market 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011, 10a.m. – 7p.m.

Let us invite you for an event organized by the foundation Forum 2000, where you will be able to closely learn work of nearly 150 non-profit organizations. The main topic of this year‘s fair is volunteerism. We will introduce variable range of opportunities to visitors of how they can help and become volunteers. Accompanying activities will be newly extended through creative workshops, fair-trade stalls, exotic dishes tasting and stage culture program. Rich program of lectures and workshops is an essential part of the forum.

Vaclav Havel has taken over the patronage over the fair and the singer Tonya Graves and actor Boris Hybner have become its patrons. Entrance to the fair and all accompanying events is for free.

We look forward to you

NGO Market
12th fair of non-profit organizations NGO Market 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011, 10a.m. – 7p.m.

National technical library, Technická 6, Prague 6 (metro station Dejvická)
www.ngomarket.cz

We will build a true library in a Kenyan slum tooth and nail! Performing the group Echt! Zuby nehty (Tooth and nail), support group Sleva (Discount)