Week in Mombasa

Hello! Following my last post, I am due to update you all on my time spent in Mombasa!

I traveled to Mombasa with a fellow volunteer to spend a week on the coast engaging with and participating in the projects UCESCO manages there. My week was spent beach cleaning, visiting a local clinic, and visiting a local school that UCESCO has partnered with. It was interesting to see how the healthcare priorities and needs vary from those in Nairobi. For example, the clinic in Mombasa hosts a robust contraceptive campaign and regularly administers most types of medical contraceptive, from the pill to the implant to the IUD. While family planning care is offered in the clinic I work at in Nairobi, seeking that type of care is not nearly as normalized and there is not access to every form of contraceptive like in Mombasa. I also noted how the common infectious diseases of each area were different. In Nairobi, the clinic mostly handles bacterial and viral respiratory, gastrointestinal, and urinary tract infections. In Mombasa, on the other hand, the clinic frequently sees cases of malaria, yellow fever, and other mosquito-borne infections, treats a wider variety of STI’s, and is an established tuberculosis treatment center. The differences among these common infections can be attributed to a variety of factors, from varied access to clean food and water to the climate.

The week was full of ups and downs but, overall, I enjoyed my time in Mombasa. I am grateful to have gotten the opportunity see more of the country and experience a very different culture and lifestyle from what I have become accustomed to in Nairobi. Mombasa is so different from Nairobi. Where Nairobi is a lush, green city built in a forest, Mombasa is a sunny city of islands with palm trees lining every street. Where Nairobi is fast-paced, Mombasa is laid-back.

My use of free time was also very different from being in Nairobi. Most afternoons and evenings in Mombasa were spent on the beach. While there, I got to see most of the public beaches and they were all so beautiful but all so different. Shelly Beach – where we went on the days we participated in beach cleaning – has a sprawling beach and you can walk kilometers in shallow water before reaching the end of the sand bar. Nyali and Mombasa Beach, on the other hand, are both short beaches with deep water.

On the Saturday that I was there, UCESCO hosted a community outreach beach cleaning event similar to the tree planting event I spoke about in an earlier update. Despite pouring rain, it was a great event centered around making a tangible impact on the environment with other environmentally-focused NGOs, companies, and individuals.

Since returning to Nairobi, I have gotten back into my routine at KAC Clinic. My workweek was spent much like weeks past, assisting in the clinic during the day and spending time with other UCESCO volunteers in the evenings.