Regina's gift to her community
When Regina retired after decades working as a nurse, she could have taken a well-earned rest. But Regina had other ideas and she's now an inspiring Community Health Worker with charity CHASE Africa.
People look to Regina for all kinds of healthcare advice and she hopes to improve life for people in her community in Kenya, especially women.
“As a Community Health Worker, I connect people in my community with health facilities that are too far for them to travel to. I educate them about accessing free sexual and reproductive health services.
"I encourage women in our communities to join table banking (a local scheme for women to save money) and learn about entrepreneurship skills so they can generate some income. I also encourage them to plant trees and learn climate-smart agriculture, to help build resilience to climate change.”
Regina helps in the maternity ward at the local hospital, and grows crops including potatoes, cabbage, fruit, kale and spinach. She also farms pigs and opened a pig butchery with her husband in her village.
“Apart from being a Community Health Worker, I also love farming. I grow crops and rear pigs. I like helping the needy in the community and occasionally I donate foodstuff to them. Farming also provides income for my family and offers us a balanced diet.”
Regina is the key to people learning about their sexual and reproductive rights
“Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) is very important to me. Over the 20 years that I worked as a nurse aide, I saw a number of young women and girls go through so many challenges because they didn't have the right information about their sexual and reproductive health options. The cost of obtaining the services was also too high for girls and young women living below the poverty line.”
Regina takes any opportunity she can to speak to people about healthcare and SRHR.
“I talk to women in their farms, at the river banks, in hotels and shops nearby," says Regina. "I partner with other Health Workers to reach out to men, women and young people in places where they like to hang out, places like kinyozis (barbers), pool joints, video joints, churches and river banks. This has helped me to reach many women from different walks of life."
Looking to the future
“My life has changed so much because people in my village have embraced what I am doing. This has motivated me to continue with this important work.
"Without Community Health Workers, I think it would really be tough for girls and young women.
"Cases of teen pregnancy would increase, water and sanitation in the households would be worse, there would be high cases of waterborne diseases, high rates of HIV infections, and the spread of infectious diseases would also be high, especially the COVID 19 virus."
CHASE Africa
CHASE Africa supports local partner organisations in Kenya and Uganda. They all work in collaboration with the local Ministry of Health facilities, officials and clinicians.
The aim is to bring vital healthcare, including family planning and environmental projects to remote, rural areas in Eastern Africa. All our partner organisations provide training, support and monthly stipends to Community Health Workers, like Regina, so they can carry out their vital role.
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Leaving a gift in your Will to CHASE Africa
Imagine how hard life would be if you could not access the health services you needed for yourself or your family.
Imagine how much better your quality of life would be if you could choose to have the size of family you could afford to support.
Imagine if the choices we take for granted were available to all.
Leaving a gift in your Will to CHASE Africa will empower women to make informed choices, support better health for rural communities and protect incredibly important natural resources.
By making a pledge to CHASE Africa, you will leave a lasting legacy, helping the charity to continue serving women and communities in remote and marginalised areas of East Africa for generations to come.
For more information, please visit: www.chaseafrica.org.uk/donate/wills-legacies/
