I saved the life of a school boy

Ann Awino is quite a calm and collected 30 year old woman. She is married with three boys, the eldest in class seven and youngest in kindergarten. Her husband is an army officer with the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF). She is quite an enterprising woman. She tells me that she sells fabrics, bags and shoes which she buys from Uganda once a month. She also does commercial agriculture where she leases farms in Ahero and cultivates rice plantations. Her children are the most important in her life; she yearns for a better education and opportunities to ensure a brighter future for her children. Her biggest dream is to have a good social security at old age, to be able to take good care of herself and ensure she doesn’t slip into destitution when she get old.
Her decision to be a Community Health Volunteer (CHV) was influenced by her childhood desire to be a nurse, even though she dint realize her dream being a CHV still give her the chance to care for sick people and to advise her community on healthy living to prevent diseases. After volunteering in her community for two years she formally joined CHV service in 2010, when she was endorsed and selected at a Chiefs Baraza. She does her household visits on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Her Major challenge that some pregnant mothers demoralize her, because even after following them up and advising them on skilled deliveries they sneak and go to deliver at home with the help of Traditional Birth Attendants. Having no remuneration for work is the greatest hardship she has to contend with in her line of duty, but she has no regrets being a CHV, because it has enabled her to help many people and many people in her community trust her and seek medical advice from her even concerning their confidential health issues.

She recalls an incident in August 2014 when she was able to save the life of a school boy, named Roy about 9 years old who had skipped school that day complaining of fever and muscle aches. She received a call from the parents and when she got there, the situation had gotten worse the boy was now vomiting and was so tired due to dehydration. She carried the boy on her Bike4Care bicycle to Holo Dispensary where he was diagnosed with Malaria and put on medication. The parents of the boy were so happy with her kind gesture and encouraged her to continue helping members of her community. They were particularly happy that her Bike4Care bicycle was enabling her to be more effective I her work.