Its such a pleasure, especially in this arctic weather, to work online.
No commute – no cost – flexible timescales – but mainly because I work with so many fabulous people.
Carolyn Adams is one of them.
Yesterday morning Carolyn was on the phone to the British High Commission, diplomatically screaming at Nairobi’s bureaucracy, namely the Attorney General’s department. I’d like to mention that the department were especially helpful and hopefully they will be pushing forward the progress on shipping a half container-load of Ksh7 million’s worth of tax-exempt donated, recycled NHS medical and surgical equipment to Mombasa. From there it will be trucked to the ArrowWeb Community Hospital that has so far (since 2005) offered free and subsidised health services to over 50,000 slum residents around Kayole-Soweto, Nairobi and hopes to continue offering more, improved services for many years to come.
The Director of UK Trade and Investment for East Africa networked us with other officials who are now helping to draw up the Holy Grail of shipping; the tax-exemption certificate that means KRA can’t get their hands on any of this equipment ! I love how KRA’s website is currently listing a statement about them taking “great exception to continued unjustified slander aimed at tarnishing its name and that of its employees by some individuals and a section of the media” LOL Truth hurts.
MOU’s – Ministry of Medical Services – Attorney Generals …. as Carolyn puts it its the “king asked the queen and the queen asked the dairymaid could we have some butter for the royal slice of bread….” However, I strongly believe media and the increasing reach of social networks and internet media are slowly but surely cutting through bureaucratic red tape and revealing the inefficiencies and corruption underneath.
We’ll get there in the end.
Hakuna matata!
Bramuel, one of the founders of the hospital, is currently showing a few friends around Nairobi and the hospital. Claudius is touring East Africa and wanted to get involved in the project while James is in the country to oversee his own orphanage set up a few years ago. Kickstart Kids International was founded and run by young Australians, helping kids from advantaged countries to help “kickstart” the lives of kids who effectively have nothing. James, a medical student with Zoe, one of our 2007 volunteers and an active member of AVIF, want to get involved with a project medically and ArrowWeb are the perfect choice.
I know there’ll be a big difference made by the partnership!
And it all happened here, over the internet, with a foot of snow outside!