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The Matangwe project â€" Waterloo _ couple‘s Ajheam to bring the est possible healthâ€" care to a remote area of Kenya is already enjoying some small successes as the clinic they helped found continues to grow. Sylvia and Stephen Scott first got the inspiration to improve the lot of the peoâ€" ple of Matangwe, Kenya in 1994 when the expatriates realized what kind of care Sylvia‘s aging parents Brigita and Charles Denge were getting in their former homeland. Suffering from various maladies, there was a lack of primary care availâ€" able to them in the village where they lived, and the nearest help was more than 100 km away. After nursing them back to health, Sylvia, who got her nursing degree in Canaâ€" da, decided to do something more permanent to improve the health of the 2,500 peoâ€" ple who lived in the area. Waterloo couple helps improve medical services in Kenyan village The Scotts came up with the idea to build a medical clinic in the village. By 1998 the land was secured through fundraising efforts in Waterloo region, and conâ€" struction of the clinic finally began. It was a slow process to build up the facility and to properly staff it, with Scott, a nursing coordinator at Grand River Hospital, doing a lot of the work in her spare time. By 2001 they were putting the finishing touchâ€" es on the Matangwe project. The biggest development in the past year has been the hiring of a doctor, to go along with nurses and a caretaking staff already employed by the clinic. "We were so lucky to get him," said Sylvia about the new physician Dr. Maurice Ope. "It‘s such a remote area and most doctors don‘t want to work in the remote areas. "There‘s no schools for their kids, no luxury items and you have to drive a long way to get your groceries. It‘s not the in thing to work in a saugowr saucont saucont sabcont sMbgonY saibcont sigowt saigont sazcony saugomt sapcorrr saucont sapcon‘t saitgont saiconY sapcont saucont smgow remote area when you can live in the city." Sylvia Scott (above centre} is pictured with one of the newest patients of the Matangwe Kenya project. Pictured right is Dr. Maurice Ope, one of the biggest hires of the project inspired by Sylvia and Stephen Scott of Waterloo. With the doctor in place, the clinic became fully operâ€" ational in November 2001, and the staff has been slowly building up trust with the locals. The staff has to fight ingrained attitudes by the local people who distrust the crumbling stateâ€"sponâ€" sored medical system, and still rely on traditional witch doctors for some cures. The clinic also had to meet Sylvia‘s high standards before she was comfortable enough to leave the dayâ€"toâ€" day operations to the staff. She spent from November 2001 to the first part of this year at the clinic herself making sure it was up to snuff. "The philosophy of care is a little different over there than it is here," said Sylvia, who still keeps in contact with the clinic by phone and eâ€"mail. "Because I‘ve had the privilege of learning about what it‘s like to get good care, I wanted to make sure that was ingrained in the people I hired â€" they had to have that quality." Sylvia spent a lot of time LIFESTYLE training and modelling what was expected of the new staff, especially the nurses who might be on their own sometimes when the doctor was away. The nurses had to become more like nurse practitioners who could handle some of the basic procedures that a doctor might do. "It was hard," Sylvia said. "But it‘s something they had to learn fast because there was no other place for these people to get treated." The clinic now has five beds and a pharmacy to make sure that the immediâ€" ate medical needs are met. A donated ambulance from the Waterloo Regional Ambulance service also allows clinic staff to transâ€" port the more critically ill to a provincial hospital were they can get the appropriate diagnostic or surgical help. 370 University Ave. E. Waterloo [ www sanctuarydayspas com In addition to earning Laser Hair Removal Now Part of Our Excellent Services (Light Sheer Diode Laser) HRONICLE | the trust of the locals, someâ€" thing that Scott said has come easier with each poasiâ€" tive outcome, the clinic has to deal with issues of fundâ€" ing. The area is economicalâ€" ly depressed and some of the people pay what they can to get the help they Scott said it‘s important to have a pharmacy as part of the operation to make sure that people follow the doctor‘s instructions. If they didn‘t have that integrated care they might not get the proper treatment because of a lack of funds. "If they can‘t afford it, they just aren‘t going to go," Sylvia said. "We come up with a plan for how they can pay their bill. "Instead of giving them half the medication because they don‘t have the money Continued on page 12 725â€"9904 Enjoy early autumn in the Schneider Haus neighâ€" bourhood Sept. 26 during the sixth program in the Backyard Tourist series. Local historian Rych Mills will share historical moments and intriguing tales about the Schneider famâ€" ily, their farm and the neighbourhood that grew up around it, as participants stroll through the area and along the Iron Horse Trail. This anecdotal perambulaâ€" tion will depart from the museum at 1:30 p.m. Come prepared for the weather. The cost to attend is $3, and preregistration is required. Call 742â€"7752 to regâ€" ister. The Joseph Schneider Haus is located at 466 Queen St. S., in Kitchener. The members of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity at Wilfrid Laurier University raised more than $1,500 last Saturday for the St. Mary‘s General Hospital Foundation during the group‘s fifth annual Running Down a Dream fundraising campaign. The Kappa Mu Chapter of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraterâ€" nity left Varsity Stadium in downtown Toronto on Sept. 19 to kick off a 150â€"km run that reached University Staâ€" dium in Waterloo Saturday morning during Homecomâ€" ing events at the Waterloo school. The goal was to raise $1,000, but more than $1,500 in pledges was collected. Since the fraternity began the Running Down a Dream fundraising campaign five years ago, it has raised more than $10,000 for the St. Mary‘s Cardiac Care Centre When fully operational, the cardiac care centre will serve the 450,000 residents in Waterloo region, proâ€" viding members of the community with cardiac catheterization, cardiac surgery, cardiac care clinics and cardiac rehabilitation. "We are absolutely thrilled to have exceeded our goal this year," said Daniel Armstrong, external president of the fraternity. "Each year we want to be able to raise more money than the last, making a bigger contribution to St. Mary‘s General Hospital Foundation. "We feel that this foundation is a very important part of this community and should be supported." GREAT MUSIC The Osteoporosis Society of Canada‘s programs and services will soon be available to residents in Waterloo region. The society, in conjunction with local health professional, is hosting an organizational meeting for area residents playing a leadership role in forming a local chapter Oct. 1 from 7â€"9 p.m. at Luther Village on the Park in Waterloo. A Waterloo region chapter of the society would beneâ€" fit the community by offering residents high quality education and support programs developed by the only national charity committed to supporting individuals and communities in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Local fraternity ‘runs down a dream‘ for charity Those interested in helping establish the local chapâ€" ter may attend the meeting or contact Donna Nicholson at 883â€"2008, ext. 5343. FAIDAY & SATUADAY 8 P.M. TO 11 P.M. Backyard Tourists series features historic stroll Osteoporosis Society to launch local chapter WATERLOO NORTH ' a a Ask for details Northfield at the Parkwa PRLC NORA ""~~ in waterioo _‘ m} r 4 -:1 746â€"1666 Oct. 5 â€" High Diving Act %o FINANCING wore waterfoomazda .com