Lulu Ndapatani – Following your Heart’s Calling

In her final year of high school at Bura Girls’ High School, Lulu Ndapatani knew that she wanted to study nursing. This choice wasn’t taken too lightly by her father who hoped Lulu would follow his lead into engineering or her mother’s in education. If she wasn’t going to be an engineer or a teacher, she had to study something of a higher ranking. Anything really, but nursing.
However, even at this young age, Lulu was a go-getter, determined to pursue what she wanted. She was also aware that she needed a mentor to reassure her. When her father maintained his decision, she turned to her mother. It was a long process, the back and forth, but she was fortunate in that she had time before her KCSE results were released.

The thing about persistence is that most times you eventually get what you were aiming for. Lulu was admitted to St. Clare’s Kaplong School of Nursing in Bomet in 1997 to study for a Diploma in Nursing. Of note was that she was the first student from the coastal region to attend this school. What she enjoyed most about St. Clare’s wasn’t the distance from her parents’ home in Mombasa, but the strict Catholic environment that she needed to focus on her training. In 2001, she left St. Clare’s a registered nurse, ready to begin working. She went back home to Mombasa and joined Jocham Hospital where she worked in the labour ward for one year. Once her contract was up, she moved to Mombasa Hospital’s labour wards for another year.

In 2003, she was among several health workers visiting Afya House to find out about their postings. She was posted at Kilifi County Referral Hospital where she worked as a Nursing Officer III. Her work here still involved working within the labour ward but she would also learn about HIV prevention from mother to child; a training that would usher her into her field of focus. Two years after she began her work in Kilifi, Lulu got pregnant. She evaluated the situation: her journey into motherhood and her finances. While she enjoyed her work at the public health facility, the income wouldn’t be enough to raise a child on her own. For this reason, she applied for a PMTCT Field Officer position at the Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB).

This was unlike bedside nursing, but her training had equipped her for the role. She was still the persistent girl from her high school days, and she joined CMMB ready to learn, take on and overcome challenges, and ultimately, put in all her effort. Through this, she was able to support the implementation of PMTCT services in faith-based health facilities as well as train health care workers in PMTCT. Almost three years later, her role evolved. She became the Program Manager for Healthier Lives Worldwide, a program under CMMB, where her expertise was further nurtured.

By 2010, Lulu had climbed the pedestal and was a figure of authority in the work she did. Eager to climb the ladder in her career, she sought a similar position in another institution. Her resume and references in check, she was good to apply for a PMTCT Advisor job at Centre for Health Solutions Kenya. Her leadership role continued here, and despite the growth, Lulu still wanted to further her studies.

Vision in mind, she worked towards her goal. In 2011, she joined Kenya Methodist University (KeMU) for a BSc in Nursing. It was a difficult transition at first, being a full-time employee and mother, but she sacrificed her weekends for school. It wasn’t an easy four years but she had come so far that looking back wasn’t an option. It took longer than she anticipated, but finally, in 2015, Lulu was one of the graduates at the KeMU graduation proudly wearing her graduation suit holding back tears. Two years later, she was back at KeMu to begin her Master’s in Public Health.

Amidst the school hours and heavy-duty at work, Lulu’s son was also a KCSE candidate who needed his mother’s support as he prepared for his first national exam. Up until then, her job involved a lot of travel around the country. It was time to find a position more home-centered. She was once again drafting an application letter to another health organization. She was employed as the eMTCT (Elimination of Mother to Child Transmission) Advisor for IMA World Health’s Afya Jijini Project, a position she still holds to date.

Lulu Ndapatani’s dedication to the prevention of HIV transmission from mothers to their children shows that she envisions a time when there will be few cases of children born with HIV. In January she was nominated by her fellow employees for the 2020 Corus International (the umbrella company that IMA World Health falls under) Presidential Award for her exemplary work in PMTCT.

Because of her journey, she is further encouraged to motivate other working mothers who aspire to go back to school as she continues to work as an agent of HIV prevention in children. Hongera Lulu for your work as an advocate for health in Kenya.