CONGRATULATIONS TO EAST AFRICAN AMBULANCE PROJECT WHO HAVE NOW PURCHASED AN AMBULANCE FOR KENYA 

phcworld.org and other health care providers from the Sunshine Coast, Canada, helped to raise over $2000 for East Africa Ambulance Project (EAAP) to raise funds to purchase and support the operation of a 4×4 ambulance in rural Western Kenya. East Africa Ambulance Project was founded in 2009 by Michael Carr, a NJ Emergency Medical Technician and is a registered 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization.

The Ambulance Project

 The project will focus on the Chesongoch Health Dispensary in the Kerio Valley of Kenya. This dispensary is run by the Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing. The objective of the Ambulance Project is to create a situation in rural Africa where, in the event of a critical emergency, the people will be given a fighting chance with the benefit of modern emergency procedures. In order to achieve this, East Africa Ambulance Project has two goals:

1)      To purchase an ambulance for the Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing in Kenya.

EAAP aims to purchase and deliver a specially made customized ambulance built onto a Toyota chassis. A Toyota representative has provided specifications and preliminary price quotes for customized Toyota Land Cruiser ambulances with freight service to East Africa, which will cost $53,000 US.

2)      Training emergency medical staff at the ambulance location in Chesongoch.

The second part of the Ambulance Project involves training emergency medical staff. This would require the equivalent of a First Responder course similar to what firefighters and police officers in the United States receive. For interested staff, training modeled on an Emergency Medical Technician course would be offered. The skills associated with each type of training are outlined below:

First Responder Skills

• Oxygen Therapy
• Childbirth
• Triage and Multiple Trauma
• Airway Management
• Moving Patients
• Transportation of Patients

Emergency Medical Technician Skills

• Basic First Responder Skills
• CPR
• Defibrillation
• Mechanical Ventilation
• Splinting
• Suctioning

Background to the Project

In 1973, two Sisters from Peramiho, Tanzania, were sent to the Kerio Valley temporarily in response to the request from the Missionary Benedictine monks of Peramiho who had opened a new foundation there in 1972. Today, the Sisters of Tutzing have built a thriving community centered on their health dispensary, which services a patient population of nearly ten thousand people. Nearly all of the Sisters in residence are trained nurses and provide round the clock patient care. The surrounding countryside is made up of ethnic Marakwet and Pokot peoples, who after many years of civil war, have reconciled. The Chesongoch Health Dispensary played an integral role during the ethnic strife. It was neutral ground. The Sisters did not discriminate their care and today, the countryside is peaceful. Chesongoch Dispensary has grown into a thriving center of medical care in an extremely remote region of western Kenya. The Sisters have a qualified and capable staff. They have the entire infrastructure in place to care for the upkeep of the vehicle. All they need is the vehicle.

If you are interested in helping with this project please e-mail:

Mike Carr President of East African Ambulance Project – eastafricaambulance@gmail.com