Planning an African safari is not an easy thing (at least not for me) and so, one might find themselves between a rock and a hard place especially if it involves two or more countries. For instance, let’s say you want to do a safari that involves visiting destinations that are located in two different countries say Kenya and Tanzania-am using these two countries as an example since they are the ones I have managed to tour in a single safari. Well, why not look for safari tours that visit both Kenya and Tanzania? This way, you will be able to kill many birds with a single stone! Plus, you are sure to find not only an ideal safari, but also that which will not exert too much weight on your wallet.

There are so many things one can enjoy while exploring Kenya and Tanzania. Usually, rather in my case, the safari departed Nairobi and the first stop was at the Masai Mara National reserve, commonly known to the locals as “The Mara”. In all honesty, I was amazed by this particular place-never knew it was such an intriguing place to be at. Just a sneak peek, Masai Mara is a large game reserve in South-Western Kenya which is marked by circles of trees, cloud shadows, savannas and scrubs. Here is where you will get a chance to witness the annual migration of wildebeest, zebra and Thomson’s gazelle which normally takes place between the months of July and October. I put it to you that this particular place is worth visiting, so why not mark it in your calendar and give it a try!

The next destination after Masai Mara was Lake Nakuru National Park then Amboseli National Park and finally Tanzania. The places I would recommend you visit in Tanzania are: Lake Manyara National Park, Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro crater which is full of wildlife. Did I mention that I had a bird’s eye-view of Mount Kilimanjaro’s snowy peaks? Oh yes I did, and it was spectacular! Guess if am to visit Tanzania again, then Mount Kilimanjaro would be my first destination.

Finally, we all need travel covers…just to be on the safe side while doing our travels. Flying Doctors Society of Africa provides you with this. Please click here to see the various membership packages.

Before I made a trip to Burundi, I had this notion that it was not the best country to visit and so there’s no way anyone would have it on their radar screen…this was fueled by an article about Burundi I happened upon while surfing the internet. How wrong I was! On the contrary, this country has some amazing and wonderful things/places to do/visit – things that would tickle anyone’s fancy. Clearly, I had been living under a rock not to know about this bit. Actually I learned a lesson here; that we should not be fast to judge anything or anyone especially just because we heard or read something controversial about them.

In the past few years, Burundi has come out as a major tourist destination which is why you should consider visiting the country some day if not soon. I even have information that will give you some relief…Burundi being part of East Africa, you can acquire travel insurance cover from the Flying Doctors Society of Africa which caters for the health of individuals doing their travels within East Africa. For more information on the different packages, please click here

There are quite a number of places to visit in Burundi that would make your visit much more fun ranging from historic meeting place of Stanley and Livingstone, National Museum of Bujumbura, Kibira National Park and Craftwares Village at Giheta – at least these are some of the places I thought I would recommend to anyone if asked to. However, what I fell in love with the most is the Giheta’s Craftwares village. It’s here that I realized I had a thing for art, too bad I had to learn this after my teen years and only after visiting Burundi. But then again I have no regrets! They say, better late than never. At Craftwares you will gain new insights…you will gain knowledge regarding ivory, leather, wood carving, ceramics, sculptures and what I love the most which is paintings. For a moment, I felt like an artist even though am not really one.

National Museum and the craft-wares village in Burundi

Next time you want to go on holiday, consider visiting Burundi hence experience the good things it has to offer you!

Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

There are a number of things one can do while doing their travels in Africa, ranging from backpacking, culinary tours, going on safari, lazing on the beach, mountain climbing, just to mention a few. You can never miss something interesting to engage in, something that would make your stay much more fun and enjoyable.

If mountain climbing tickles your fancy, then visiting Mt. Kilimanjaro is something you should consider factoring into your radar screen. Mt. Kilimanjaro which is in Tanzania, is the highest mountain in Africa at 5,895 metres above sea level. It’s made up of three distinct volcanic cones namely Mawenzi, Shira and Kibo. However, before one can climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, it’s advisable to undertake apt research and also ensure that you are well equipped and physically capable as well-maybe it’s at this point you should start thinking of a travel insurance for your travels… Anyway, other mountains that offer adventurous climbing opportunities are Mt. Kenya, Mt. Elgon and Mt. Longonot all of which are found in Kenya.

Another very interesting thing you should have in your diary is going on a safari. Safari is a Swahili word meaning “to journey”. Many are times we tend to work ourselves to an early grave, without rest! Am sure whoever coined the phrase “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”, had a very good reason for this. Everyone needs a break from their normal and busy schedule, otherwise you might just have a full fledged melt down. Put your work and life stresses on the back burner for a bit and just have fun. And, there’s no better way of doing this other than going on a wildlife safari. Some of the very intriguing things you may happen upon are the “Big Five”, the great annual migration of wildebeest etc. Which makes me wonder, does one really need travel insurance for their travels?

Yes! We all do need a travel cover as you never know what might happen to you while you are on transit. The Flying Doctors Society of Africa provides travel cover for everyone living and/or traveling within East Africa. Membership to the Flying Doctors Society is open to all, and there are four membership packages one can choose from. To learn more about the different packages, visit our member section

I joined AMREF as the Outreach Manager for the Programme in November 2003. During my tenure, I have overseen the expansion of outreach in terms of number of hospitals and number of patients benefiting. Due to funding from FDSA, outreach has tripled in their projects (FDSA used to give 4 M in funding every year, and now they give about 14 M per year). We were only visiting a total of 35 hospitals in Kenya and Tanzania, but currently we go to over 150 hospitals in 8 countries. Outreach has grown from USD 700,000 in 2003 to USD 4M currently.

What are the key milestones for the Outreach Programme?

Expansion of outreach meant more funding and this was made possible after FDSA tripled their funding and our budget as well. VVF development centres were set up (e.g. in Kenyatta National Hospital) for reconstructive surgery, and Dr. Khisa (who is in charge of VVF) was hired and in turn trained a lot of doctors. About 5 hospitals used to be visited in Muhimbili (Tanzania) and now we visit 15 hospitals. From 2007, 1,000 patients get treated as compared to 200 and 300 from previous years. Not only do we repair a huge number of recently acquired Fistuli, but also Fistuli from decades ago.

What is the current VVF prevalence?  Give statistics.

An obstetric Fistula is the most devastating of all pregnancy related injuries and affects more than 100,000 African women each year. It is estimated that there are over 5,000 VVF cases reported in East Africa each year. This condition mostly affects poor women and girls who cannot afford skilled supervised health facility delivery. Over 90% of the cases are caused by difficult and prolonged obstructed labour. At Kenyatta National Hospital alone, 400 cases are reported each year.

What more do you feel can be done?

I feel that we need to prioritize disability repair and rehabilitation in both women and children. Because of distance, especially in reaching those who have no access to proper healthcare, we have to fly to reach our patients and that is very expensive as our programmes mainly depend on donors and well wishers. In addition, the population in Kenya has multiplied and exceeds economic growth. Demand for healthcare is therefore much higher.  If the government was to pay for health insurance (about Kshs. 2,000 per family), then majority would have access to clinics.

If given the ability, what would you change?

If given the capacity, I would invest in more reproductive health programmes which in turn would help reduce Fistula. These programmes include training (Midwives), Family Plannning and Ante-natal services, among others.

Which programmes or areas of intervention would you introduce if given the resources?

As mentioned earlier, there is a need to prioritize more on disability repair and rehabilitation in women and children. These areas include injuries, congenital malformations, burns, Cleft lip, Fistula and maternal child health.

What is your vision for the VVF programme?

Unfortunately, VVF is there to stay in Africa. Because of poor healthcare, many women are delivering at home. Fistula repair will continue to contribute to better quality of life and empowerment for the disadvantaged women of Kenya and Africa. There is a need to not only sustain the Fistula programme, but to also expand it. Currently, we are being invited to go to Mogadishu, Somali land, South Sudan, among other countries. The number of repairs awaiting reconstruction in Mogadishu alone is thousands, while there is no money (1 repair costs USD 300). Fistula repair is women’s empowerment-the, most important empowerment opportunity to offer women.

VVF FACTS

Vesico-Vaginal Fistula is an abnormal connection between the urinary bladder and the vagina, the result being constant leakage of urine. Recto-Vagina Fistula is an abnormal communication between the rectum and the vagina, the result being leakage of stool. These patients smell of urine or stool all the time. An obstetric Fistula is the most devastating of all pregnancy related injuries and affects more than 100,000 African women each year. It is estimated that there are over 5,000 VVF cases reported in East Africa each year. This condition mostly affects poor women and girls who cannot afford skilled supervised health facility delivery. Over 90% of the cases are caused by difficult and prolonged obstructed labour. Their pain is constant, and their shame makes them outcasts in the society. Most of the time, the child they struggled so hard to deliver will be still born.

At Kenyatta National Hospital alone, 400 cases are reported each year, with AMREF being the only organization which is currently involved in the surgical treatment of VVF patients in East Africa (since 1992) through their Outreach Programme. FDSA has been funding the Fistula repair activities-an initiative that restores the dignity of the affected women and improving their lives.

To learn more about the outreach programme click here

Turiani is a small town in the south of Tanzania. The difficult logistics in getting there compelled us to travel by plane. When we arrived there, it was nothing close to a vacation destination. The residents were living in abject poverty! They were eagerly waiting for us to arrive and we got somewhat of a small welcome ceremony.

It wasn’t long before we were settled in and he attended to patients with a disarming panache and vitality which was highly encouraging. The male patients walked into the clinic one after the other; the reason behind their agony concealed in baggy pants and ‘shukas’. It did not take long before the room was overwhelmed with a pungent smell of urine once the patient removed the shuka.

The turn-out was however shockingly low as many could not afford the procedures. Urology related procedures across East Africa is priced at about KShs 100,000 and thanks to FDSA members continued support and belief in our endeavor, we were able to subsidize these costs to TShs 20,000 (about $15).

While this monumental decrease in price is commendable, the cost was still above the financial capability of the locals. This is why financial support for this programme, provided by FDSA is vital. 12 procedures were successfully performed in the five days we were in Turiani. Our time at Turiani was limited and needless to say there are countless other places that our Outreach is targeting to deliver this much needed healthcare service to those who have otherwise no access to it.

CORRECTIVE PROCEDURES

HERNIOTOMY

Herniotomy is a surgery that is done as a result of no communication between the abdomen and the scrotum. The procedure includes separation of the intertwined pathways of the abdomen and scrotum. The procedure takes 45 minutes.

 TURP

This is a procedure done to widen the urine pathway. The urethra constricts due to an enlarging prostate leaving a small path which results in painful passing of urine. The procedure involves shaving off of the prostate to create room for urine to pass. The shavings are then stored into a prostatic tin and a biopsy is done to determine whether the growth is malignant. After the procedure, a catheter is inserted into the urethra to assist the patient with passing urine. The urine is collected in a urine bag that the user straps on his leg.

The patient will have the catheter for at least 24 hours and by the third day they will urinate normally. Pain may be experienced when urinating the first times as the urethra is still in the healing process but this procedure is most recommendation due to the fast healing process.