Point Loma is our alma mater. All five of us on the Executive Team graduated in 2007, and three of us graduated from the PLNU School of Nursing. This connection to PLNU has led to an amazing partnership with the nursing school. They have been visiting Akatsi and working with RHC and the Kekeli women for the past 3 years. It’s been a privilege to be a part of this collaboration and we’re proud to continue to foster this relationship as it has had significant benefits for all involved.
The nursing students are exposed to working in rural communities in the developing world, and they are given the opportunity to create an education plan and implement a teaching program during their three weeks in Akatsi. The Kekeli women, in turn, receive additional education and are able to show the students their own teaching styles in their villages. Those Kekeli women that are interested, invite the students to visit them, and the students are able to observe a group education session in their communities. The whole 3 weeks allows each of the groups, nursing students and Kekeli women, to grow in confidence and learn invaluable lessons and teaching skills from each other.
Here’s a piece PLNU nursing student, Abby Herder, wrote about her experience during a teaching day with the Kekeli women.
“‘Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies, Healthy Nation’. This is the Kekeli motto. Walking a day in the shoes of the Kekeli women, my heart hung heavy in my chest, and emotion flowed through my veins. From the moment the women began to flood in, I was in awe at how eager they were to perform. Each woman was tested on the use of a blood pressure cuff and patient communication skills. The results were astonishing; each woman exceeded our expectations. It was after working with just two women that my heart felt like it may implode in my chest. The knowledge coming out of their mouths, although blocked to me by language barrier, was not only hopeful but accurate. Each Kekeli woman showed individuality and willingness to improve, and their opportunity would soon present itself.
The afternoon consisted of teaching from the Point Loma Nazarene University students, and then questions and reflection from the Kekeli women. General topics such as diabetes, strokes/TIAs and heart attacks were taught by the students, and our words were met with intense stares from the Kekeli women. For a moment, the silence of both students and women was filled with a rambling translator, and then the intense stares melted away into understanding eyes. As the women continued to ask and answer questions my heart filled with gratitude. I saw women who had, prior to this program, been looked down on, and now were sought out for the information they knew. I saw empowered women who desired knowledge and to better their people.
To conclude our day I was able to hear personal stories from a small group of women about what being a Kekeli woman had become to them. Answers ranged from newfound recognition, saving lives, higher social status, and heightened personal worth. From this time, and these stories, I learned that the partnership between Point Loma Nazarene University and the Rural Health Collaborative was not only successful, but hopeful. Hopeful that a group of local women could lead a movement towards creating healthy moms, healthy babies, and a healthy nation.”
We’re so grateful for the Kekeli women and nursing students alike. We are always so amazed by the generosity the Kekeli women show by opening their communities and homes to the students. We are also proud of these young students that are willing to go into the unknown and be a part of a health education program in a rural community in Western Africa.
