Stiv Twigg is an intern with CURE International serving in Africa. He will be posting occasionally to the CURE Blog with stories, observations and other tidbits from his travels throughout East Africa.

Stiv Twigg

Let me briefly introduce myself.  My name is Stiv Twigg.  I have taken the position of Africa Media Intern with CURE and am in the process of traveling around to the different CURE hospitals in Africa to document the work they are doing and to tell the patients’ stories.  I am originally from England and have spent various amounts of time in several different countries growing up.  It is a pleasure to be working for CURE and to meet all of these wonderful people.

I am currently in Ethiopia and recently spent a few weeks in Kenya.  I’d like to start off with some of my experiences in Kenya.

While in Kenya, I started to study some KiSwahili.  I have effectively learned the greeting, “Habari!?,” which means “Hello, how are you?”  To which one typically responds, “Muzuri” (Fine).   In a more informal context or with someone more familiar, I have heard “Sasa!” (Hey), with a hearty “Sawa,” or “Sasa” as a response.  “Pole kazi” [pronounced po-le Ga-zi] is a common phrase to say to people whom you cross during the day, which means “Well done” or “Thanks for the work,” but does not seem to be used literally all the time.  I have also picked up the highly useful phrase, “Asante sana” (Thank you very much).

Working in the CURE hospital went very well, and there were plenty of patients to keep me busy.   Many of the patients there have severe burns, amputations, spinal disorders or clubbed feet.  AIC-CURE Kenya is the best hospital for them to go to, and by the grace of GOD and the support of donors, it is also very affordable.

Nicholas and Alfred

I have had the great pleasure of meeting Nicholas and Alfred, two boys who had been helped by doctors at CURE Kenya over the past few years.  They live down the road from each other and attend the same school.  Both boys had bilateral clubbed feet and went through surgery, casting and corrective splints.

It was my pleasure to meet both of these boys and watch as they ran around, played tag, joined their friends at school and played a soccer game.  They are overjoyed at their healed legs. They and their families were delighted to share how God has touched their lives and how CURE has made a difference.

Stay posted for stories from Ethiopia.

Grace and peace.

CURE International is known for its excellent medical training programs, and nowhere was that more on display than at the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa’s (COSECSA) examinations in Rwanda a couple of weeks ago.

COSECSA is an independent body that fosters postgraduate education in surgery and provides standardized surgical training throughout the regions of East, Central and Southern Africa.

At this year’s COSECSA examinations, CURE International’s surgeons and residents made a strong showing:

Dr. Theuri

Dr. Theuri, the assistant medical director at CURE Kenya and former resident at the hospital, passed his fellowship exam and is now a COSECSA fellow. Dr. Theuri also was recognized with a regional gold medal as the outstanding fellow at the examinations.  This is the third year a CURE doctor has won a gold medal!

Dr. Banza

The following CURE residents passed their membership exams: Dr. Banza, an orthopedic surgeon being trained at CURE Malawi, and Drs. Etsub and Tilahun, residents at CURE Kenya.

And last but not least…

Dr. Mbugua, now a 4^th year CURE COSECSA resident at CURE Kenya, was awarded an outstanding student prize while Dr. Baraza, a COSECSA general surgery resident who participated in CURE Kenya’s training program, was given an outstanding member medal.

All in all, the CURE Kenya hospital took home the medals at both the member and fellowship levels as well as the course award.

We send our congratulations to all of these doctors.  We are grateful for their dedication to CURE International and for the amazing work they are doing for children with physical disabilities all over East Africa.

Good morning.

Here’s an interview with Sam Baguma. He’s our regional director of development for Africa. Sam shares some insights on his job. He also talks about the Walk of Love, an upcoming event inspired by a physically disabled boy named Michael who was treated at the CURE Kenya hospital.

Interview with Sam Baguma from CURE Video on Vimeo.

With all of the life-changing health care CURE offers its patients, one of the more little-known facts about our organization is that we feed our patients at most of our hospitals. This is often unheard of at many hospitals in the developing world. But for CURE, we consider it essential.  Many times, our patients come to our hospitals too weak for surgery. We need to feed them until they are strong enough to undergo their operation.

Currently, for our hospitals in East Africa, food is a very serious topic.  Severe drought has struck countries like Kenya and Ethiopia. Read about some of the effects:

• This is an article from the BBC about the drought in Ethiopia.

• Mission Network News recently spoke with the executive director of CURE Kenya, Jack Muthui, about the impact of Kenya’s drought on the country and hospital.

• And here’s a a fascinating photo of the drought’s effects on East Africa courtesy of NASA.

• Also, don’t forget to check out Dr. Tim Mead’s blog.  His observations on the effects of the drought in Kijabe, Kenya, are very interesting and timely.

The good news is that you can help our hospitals. Go here to find out more.

Please also pray for our hospitals in East Africa and especially for the countries of Kenya and Ethiopia as they continue to cope with the drought.