I wanted to share this with you after Carolyn sent it, in a final response to the disappointing news that our project to send medical equipment to Kenya had failed. Speaking at the independent TEDxMileHigh, Obura Tongoi, a young Kenyan US Air Force Academy grad and Co Founder of Africa Redefined, advises us to .. “let blatant audacity be our hallmark – let us dream beyond our capacity to imagine – let us set unobtainable goals and hold ourselves up to unattainable standards – let us commit to an impossible task – and then – lets go out and FAIL until we lose the fear of failure – lets be naive – after all we’re still too young to realise that certain things are impossible – so lets do them anyway“…

The medical project started over 3 years ago when the Motorsport Medical Services on the Isle of Man donated 11 boxes of TT Marshalling medical sundries to the ArrowWeb Hospital in Kayole, Kenya. I then met the wonderful Mary Wright who went on to become a Trustee for AVIF after I lost my Mother in 2009. Mary, albeit retired, was helping Aid 2 Hospitals Worldwide with their northern warehouse …. and the project was born. 2 years later we were still battling, with British High Commission assistance, to gain a Tax Exemption Certificate (TEC). This was critical to protect us from the long corrupt arm of the Kenyan Revenue Authority (customs) when the container of hospital equipment would eventually land in Mombasa. The inability to obtain this document shows the true problems of bureaucracy that exist everywhere. Unfortunately the project has now completely failed, due to a commitment of funds being withdrawn at the last minute, due to various factors but mainly a fear to try. Which leads me back to Obura Tongoi‘s talk.

I want to assure all donors; Eleanor, Cathy, everyone who contributed at the fundraising event, that AVIF will put these funds into the hospital some way. Please feel free to contact me on email if you have any worries about your donation, but I want to thank EVERYONE who has given time and effort in this attempt to make a difference. Carolyn, especially, should be proud for at least trying!

Bramuel and the hospital staff have to put up with far worse disappointment than this, regularly, though it will be a major blow to them.
BUT – we will continue to work together to find solutions.
Hakuna matata x
P.S. Many thanks to David, Reid, James et al at Kickstart Kids International for time and effort and amazing write-ups with ArrowWeb “one might be forgiven for believing that one is standing in a private hospital such is the resolve of the dedicated staff who might elect to work anywhere but Kayole but choose to stay.” Reid’s blog on the Medical Camp is here; “anything you can do is worth doing. Even if you believe this to be minimal you will find that it can make huge changes in people lives and also indirectly the lives of others.”.

 

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