Abha Light newsletter 2007

[Didi Ananda Rucira]

Read this newsletters with photos at www.abhalight.org
News Letter December 2007

Greetings Friends of Abha Light,

Abha Light is now 10 years old serving the community of Kenya and 7 years since we registered. 2007 saw a lot of growth for our work.

Hey Everybody! We got a car!
Thanks to volunteer Orla Broderick of Ireland and friends of Cork, Ireland, we now have a mini-minivan, a Suzuki Omni (yr 2000). It hasn't stopped running since we got it and has helped ALF in expanding our work as we can now move out to the villages with more ease. I don't know how we managed without it! Thanks Orla!

Abha Light College of Natural Medicine
As you know, the College has for the last 2 years added Herbal Training under the direction of Dr. James K. Wanjeru. Our first herbalists will graduate early next year.
Triza Njoki, nutritionist, has also joined our team as a consultant to our projects and training.Shem Ochieng continues as our Health Sciences instructor. Calvin Otwari teaches homeopathy.

Continuing Professional Education
Volunteers continue to have a big impact on our development and growth. Over the last year or so we've had a number of naturopaths, acupuncturists, herbalists, kinesiologists visiting our projects. Our practitioners have expanded their skills and many of our clinics are now offering more services.

Eric Plantenburg, CEO of Freedom Personal Development gave our students and practitioners a workshop in Life Skills and Management

The Toru Health Centres in Manyanga and Kambi Mawe
Steve Smith continues to inspire us in expanding the Toru Clinics with more mobiles. Patient response stays strong at these two successful clinics. And now that the practitioners are learning acupuncture and other practices, the clinics have become more popular.

The Kariobangi Clinic, under the management of Rachel Mutinda, has expanded services beyond Homeopathy to include Naturopathy, Nutrition, and in 2008, we will provide free psychological services provided by the psych students of USIU (US Int'l Uni, Nairobi). The Kariobangi clinic is also our main teaching clinic where ALF students can do their internships. On the side of HIV support, Rachel has been holding weekly sessions with our PLHAs support group.

Acupuncture Training for Practitioners
In December, in partnership with the Pan African Acupuncture Project, 17 ALF practitioners got a chance to expand their skills into Acupuncture. They learned, after the model of the old barefoot doctor programmes in China, a few basic techniques and protocols in acupuncture, cupping, moxa and guasha.

Training will continue throughout 2008 before the get a certificate as Acupuncture technicians at the end of the course

Mobile Clinics in Nyanza Province
ALF sees about 250 HIV+ patients at Kendu Bay on Lake Victoria and in Kisumu as a funded charity project. Since most are already on allopathic ART treatment, we see them for the side-effects of those drugs plus any other illnesses they are suffering.

We also provide them with items from the Great Health, Naturally! protocol- our "famous hot sauce medicine" (pilipili dawa), bowel cleansing psyllium husks, selenium rich brazil nuts, and liver cleansing Lemon-olive-oil Drink. The results have been so remarkable, we've been able to interest a major research organization to help us in collecting definitive data on the results.

MORCAO is our partner NGO in the area who mobilizes the patients through their own network. They have also commissioned us to provide them with our Malaria Prevention protocol of homeopathic remedies. They have distributed 1000 doses. We are also tracking about 30 clients for research purposes. Abha Light is looking for partners to assist us in getting definitive malaria research (double-blind or otherwise). So if you are interested in this important research, please, please contact Didi.

New Mobiles & Clinics
After our successful mobilization at Mombasa, we'll see a clinic opening there in early 2008, managed by Amina and Munga. Munga is already doing a lot of mobiles in the area. So volunteers! bring your swimsuits next year!!!

Cathy Dodd, a Naturopath and Kenyan resident, has been working hard with ALF at the Kariobangi clinic this year, and now she will open a Naturopathic clinic at the Main Mosque in Kibera slum, Nairobi. The clinic will open in January
Unfortunately, we had to close the Juja Road Clinic in Nairobi. However Charity is continuing with mobile clinics in Muranga and Githurai villages. Mary Muinamu who graduated in 2007, is assisting her. Zach, Phylis, Pauline, Micheal, all recent graduates, are doing various mobile clinics in their respective villages.

Didi Ananda Ruchira continues to teach homeopathy and conduct public seminars, including radio talkshows in Homeopathy, HIV nutrition and self-help through Great Health, Naturally!

Other news:
Julius & Dorcas from Kambi-Mawe clinic have a new homeopath in their family. His name is Victor and he's about 5 months old.

Thanks to all our volunteers and donors of 2007

You can always help
Abha Light Foundation always looks forward to your support now and throughout the year. We remain true to fulfilling our goals of affordable and accessible health care for the people of Africa.
In the USA donations are tax deductible though our partner organization AMURT.
Contact us if you wish to donate.

From all the ALF practitioners, staff and students: Have a Happy and Blessed 2008 New Year.
Yours truly,
Didi Ananda Ruchira Jaddu Rawi
Director Programmes Director
visit: www.abhalight.org
tel: +254 20 445-0181 / cells: +254 733-895466 / +254 723-869133
skype: anandarucira
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[Tanya Marquette]

congratulations on your successess. your work
sounds wonderful. and considering the recent
discussions on research, your efforts with malaria
sound right on target with what the homeopathic
needs more of.
have a wonderful solstice season.
tanya