Changing Lives, One Screening at a Time: Margret Kahiu’s Journey to Better Health
Margret Kahiu, a 65-year-old resident of Kikelelwa village in Kajiado County, has faced a relentless battle for her health. In her village, there is only one dispensary to serve the entire community. Unfortunately, this dispensary lacks essential resources such as medicine, medical equipment, and enough healthcare professionals to meet the community’s needs.
Margret’s journey began when she was diagnosed with hypertension (HTN) at Loitokitok Hospital. At the time, the Kikelelwa dispensary didn’t have the necessary equipment to detect or manage her condition. With no other options, Margret had to travel over 15 kilometers, two to three times a week, to Loitokitok for medication and blood pressure tests. Her situation worsened when she was later diagnosed with arthritis and diabetes, but the dispensary still couldn’t provide the care she needed due to a lack of equipment and medicine. Painful arthritis made the long journey to Loitokitok even harder, and she often had to take a motorcycle (boda boda) just to get there.
However, hope arrived for Margret and more than 450 other community members in Kikelelwa, thanks to a partnership between Entepesi Kenya and the Ministry of Health, Loitokitok. Together, they introduced training and hypertension screening at the local dispensary.
For Margret, this initiative was a game-changer. No longer did she need to travel to Loitokitok for regular blood pressure screenings. Entepesi Kenya provided the dispensary with two blood pressure machines and organized monthly dialogues to help Margret and others manage hypertension and live healthier lives.
“I am so glad that I can now come to the dispensary to check my blood pressure and send someone to Loitokitok for my medication,” says Margret, a beneficiary of the hypertension dialogues. “I am very grateful to Entepesi Kenya for the screening machine and the training. I know Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it would mean so much if we could also get more health training like diabetes, different testing machines, and medication for different diseases here at the dispensary.”
Margret’s story is not unique. She is part of a larger group in Kajiado South Sub-County, where Entepesi Kenya has trained 908 people in hypertension management, screened 801 individuals, and referred 138 for further treatment in Kilkelewa alone. These efforts have made a significant impact, and we thank our partners for their continued support.
Entepesi Kenya (EK) is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) dedicated to improving health and education in underprivileged communities throughout Kajiado County. EK believes that everyone deserves access to quality, affordable healthcare, no matter where they live or their economic status. To date, EK has reached over 20,800 people through health education, provided medical services to more than 9,500 individuals, donated nearly 9,000 sanitary pads to adolescents and youth, conducted over 4,700 preventive screenings, and trained 197 healthcare staff.
You can also help improve healthcare access in Kajiado County. To get involved or donate to Entepesi Kenya, click here.
