Leonida Rabach Alaka (age: 79)

Leonida spent her life working and raising children, and then raising her children’s children. Three years ago, she was a recipient of a Wazee program microloan to help her expand her floor mat making business. It helped. Through her hard work making and selling woven mats, she provided for herself and her 7 grandchildren.

In Spring 2016, a stomach ailment forced her to slow down. Needing to see a doctor, but with little money for the visit fees, Wazee provided a healthcare voucher. The clinic visit showed she needed further tests– available at low cost to Kenyans enrolled in the national healthcare system. Sadly, Leonida was not enrolled and treatment would not come soon enough. On April 25th, Wazee Foundation staff met with Leonida, bedridden in her Kibera home. They held hands. They told stories. They remembered better days and prayed for each other. On their way out, Leonida told one of the volunteers, “I was waiting for them to come so they could tell our story.”

The next day, Tuesday April 26th 2016, Leonida Rabach Alaka died… but her story does not end there.

Healthcare is available to the elderly in Kenya. A registration process and small monthly fee (about $5 a month) enrolls an elderly citizen into the national healthcare fund, enabling them to get the care they desperately need and the dignity they deserve.

Wazee Foundation’s Healthcare Voucher Program brings healthcare within reach of the Wazee. Every $60 brings an entire year of care to an elderly citizen of Kibera, and with every clinic visit, every test, with every vaccine and every prescription filled, we know Leonida is smiling.

Hannah Wanja Kariuki (age 83)

For the last 5 years, Hannah has suffered from dizziness. Two years ago, a doctor recommended a brain scan yet she has not been able to get the services without raising the necessary cost of the scans, which would cost hundreds of US dollars. Yet were she enrolled in the national healthcare fund, the scans would be covered. Sadly, Hannah has to face the harsh realities of poverty, choosing between her own health and the daily needs of her three grandchildren in her care. She cannot imagine what it would be like to get the care she needs.

Wazee Foundation’s Health Voucher program provides the funds needed to enroll Wazee like Hannah into the national healthcare fund. A simple $60 voucher can make healthcare possible for Hannah. Imagine that.

Stanley Ndei Kagume (age 72)

Stanley is a proud man, self-sufficient and able to “fend for himself” — until in March when a reckless motorbike hit him as he was walking, badly injuring his leg. We met Stanley a month after the injury. The only care he could receive was from a local group called “the brothers” who cared for Stanley but could only bandage the injury.

Stanley needs proper wound treatment and a prescription anti-biotic to help heal the still open wound. This proud man cannot earn a living right now because he cannot afford the cost of a proper clinic visit or basic medication, services available to him if he were enrolled in the national healthcare fund.

Enrollment in the fund is more than just access to medical care, it is assurance and confidence. It’s knowing that when illness or injury occurs (and it will) one’s fate is not sealed. There is hope. There is care. A year healthcare voucher costs so little yet gives so much. All Stanley wants is to heal so he can once again “fend for himself.” We can help so many Stanleys.

Hope… for as little as $60 a year. That’s pretty good ROI.