#CleanHandsSaveLives

Sometimes it’s the simple fixes – like washing your hands – that help keep you and your neighbors healthy. This is true in the United States, and it is just as true in Kibera. As CFK Community Health Project Officer, Yunus Mohammed, explains, “Our own hands are another leading disease transmitter. When they’re not kept clean, they can turn into dangerous weapons against our own lives, especially the lives of our young ones.”

This message resonated with Ben and Amir, 2 of our 2016 summer volunteers. Ben and Amir are both medical students at the University of Leeds in the UK. Their main goal during their 8 weeks in Kibera was to volunteer at the Tabitha Medical Clinic and Lishe Bora Mtaani Nutrition Center, while also studying causes and solutions to chronic diarrheal disease in young children.

As a result, they became fascinated with our community health initiative. Run in partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities, the project provides hand-washing stations in Kiberan homes and education about the importance of sanitation and hygiene. Ben and Amir came up with a wild idea: to carry a tap to the top of Mount Kenya, Kenya’s tallest peak! Since a typical hand-washing station is comprised of a tap or faucet and a “jerry” can, they nicknamed the tap, “Tom,” in honor of the popular cartoon. Watch a video chronicling their trip below:

Once their plan was set, they reached out to friends, family members, and strangers to raise money for more hand-washing stations in Kibera. At the end of their campaign, they raised thousands of dollars to sponsor their climb, which will provide hand-washing resources for hundreds of Kiberans. Thank you, Ben and Amir, for going (literally) above and beyond in the name of health for Kiberans!