The Kenyan Vision 2030 and implementation of its new constitution 2010, have energized its professionals abroad to contribute and give back to their beloved country in various ways. To achieve the goals of Vision 2030, all Kenyan economic sectors driving the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) need to perform to their full capacity by firing from all their cylinders. This will lead to maximum economic growth, modernization, and improvement of its citizens quality of life. This requires a deliberate and urgent action plan towards improving and modernizing its healthcare systems. In fact, for country to deliver on goals of Vision 2030 Master Plan, it is imperative that the current healthcare systems be redesigned and configured to meet communities’ needs. Key to this effort is the participation of Kenyan professionals in diaspora; who most often find themselves meeting huge medical bills incurred by their aging and ailing parents as well as close relatives. Consequently, there is a need to develop healthcare programs and curricula that are community based and emphasize disease prevention model rather than treatment control. This approach demands educating, training, and retraining both healthcare providers and communities on modern methods and skills of fighting and controlling diseases that impact negatively the public health and communities state of health.
Responding to this need, a group of Kenyan diaspora professionals living in United States (USA) came together, founded, and registered a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization entity referred as Innovative, Technologies, Advancement, and Research Campus (ITARC). ITARC’s vision and goals is to empower communities through training and providing skills in health care services and management. The founders’ vision is to strengthen Healthcare Systems through capacity building and creation of effective health delivery forums to both communities in Kenya and other regions of Africa. Our long-term goals are to create community-based health care programs through training schedules, exposure and empowering healthcare providers, professionals, and public health officers. We believe this will result to a quality and affordable healthcare systems and programs that are relevant to communities and are effective in prevention of diseases. ITARC intends to teach communities how to address their own social and health care needs as means of ensuring clean and safe environment that is conducive to better economic returns and poverty eradication. We look forward to collaboration with people, communities, and organizations sharing our vision and goals in provision of modern healthcare services and mobilization of resources towards this effort. ITARC plans to partner with other like-minded international organizations to provide resources and ideas that empower communities for development. We will also engage with government healthcare policy makers at both national and county levels establishing policies that are critical for excellent healthcare to all citizens regardless of their social stratification, gender, and nationality.
To this end, ITARC is planning a medical and educational mission to Kenya next month (September 8th – 21st, 2017) which will cover Machakos, Nakuru, Loitoktok, Ruiru and Murang’a localities. During this mission, we intend to educate communities on various aspects of healthcare planning, such as disease screening protocols like breast cancer, prostate cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and sugar level monitoring. Other health services like free mosquito nets (for prevention of malaria), eye examination, glaucoma screening, dental hygiene/care, and HIV screening will be provided if resources are available. Itarc is also going to donate books to schools in underprivileged areas. To facilitate for this mission, ITARC is organizing a fundraising dinner in Baltimore, Maryland on Saturday, August 19, 2017 and they are inviting all people (Kenyan and Non-Kenyan) of good-will to contribute towards this noble mission.
For more information call 443-844-6001 or contact Dr. Kangethe, em*********@it******.org. Similarly, one can make donation online at www.itarcinc.org/Give_ITARC.html or
www.gofundme.com/Kenya-Medical-Mission-2017.
Buying Dinner tickets online links https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kenya-medical-mission-fundraising-dinner-gala-hosted-by-itarc-inc-dr-nelly-kangethe-tickets-36709808024
