It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves. These words were written by William Shakespeare in 1564 for his play, Julius Caesar. The validity of this statement rings as true today as it did half a millennium ago, and it seems to mirror the story of today’s #KeHealthWorker.
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Mariamu Abdalla was born and brought up in Faza, a small village in the Lamu Archipelago. Here, she attended Rasini Girls’ Primary School before proceeding to Lamu Girls’ High School. Her time at Lamu Girls’ exposed Mariamu to new challenges and possibilities. Her performance in the sciences was commendable, and she especially enjoyed and excelled in Biology. Learning about the inner workings of the human body intrigued her, and her desire to pursue a career in medicine emanated from this fascination.
After sitting her KCSE exams, Mariamu attained a B grade. While this was a good grade which could get her into any tertiary institution in the country, it was below the cut off mark to study medicine. Mariamu tucked aside her dream and instead enrolled at the University of Eldoret to study tourism management. Four years later, Mariamu completed her degree, but still lacked the drive to venture into tourism. She returned home to think about a way forward. Soon, but not to her knowledge, she would get a call that would change her life.
In 2015, a community-based organization called Safari Doctors was registered to operate in Lamu. The organization was founded by Umra Omar with the intention of providing healthcare solutions to marginalized communities living in the archipelago. Once systems were in place, the one-man organization was seeking dependable persons to join Umra. Luck was making its way to Mariamu. Through a mutual contact, Mariamu was recommended to Umra as a potential Safari Doctors employee.
Interviews done, contracts drawn and signed, Mariamu joined Safari Doctors in 2016 as a Program Assistant. SD would recruit medical volunteers and dispatch them into the local villages where they would set up temporary clinics. One of Mariamu’s first tasks was in the admin work, ensuring patient records obtained during these outreach missions were in order and filed. The first year of work was slow and SD was only able to carry out three outreach programs due to insufficient funds. The process was both frustrating and disheartening to Mariamu. Questions around the stability of her new job replayed over and again in her mind. There was some hope though. Despite the amount of work done in the first year, it was a step towards ensuring access to better healthcare for the people in Lamu. This reason was enough to motivate Mariamu to soldier on.
The essence of time was evident in the second year. By then, word had gone round about the mobile clinics and the impact of the work Umra and Mariamu were doing. Financial support began to trickle in. Breaking through this financial barrier meant more people in Lamu area could access medical assistance, and more outreach programs would take place. With more programs underway there came a need: finding someone to oversee the planning. Someone who knew the region well and was also skilled enough to organize the activities of a large group of volunteers. This was when her degree in tourism management came into play, and Mariamu moved up to become the Outreach Coordinator of Safari Doctors.
Safari Doctors’ outreach missions are now conducted on a monthly basis. Before every clinic, Mariamu organizes a medical team from those who volunteer on their website. She then orders the required medication before planning the mission’s logistics. Every outreach is capped with drug inventory and a report that captures details about the clinics conducted.
Since joining Safari Doctors, Mariamu’s knowledge about healthcare has grown immensely. The journey to her destiny was long and uncertain, but she persevered through it all. Her work has positioned her right at the heart of her community, and the gratification that this #KeHealthWorker receives surpasses her expectations every single day.