Kenya: Re-union in June 2010!

In June this year the Kenyan cohort members will be re-uniting for the first time since graduation. It will be an exciting moment to catch up and to get feedback on the research progress. Specific dates and venues will be communicated to all participants soon.

In February this year, during interviews, members left encouraging messages for friends and colleagues. This is what some of the cohort members had to say:

I want to encourage research members to continue supporting the study. Joaninah Miriti

Hi to all cohort colleagues and hope I will see you soon, I wish you all the best in life. Joyce Nyiro

I want to tell all colleagues to stay hopeful, there are many opportunities open for them as nurses. Elizabeth Kasila

I love you all and pray for you to succeed in life. Robert K. Matuku

I wish all colleagues well as they look for jobs. Catherine Mwaniki

Hello! class of 2005 Nairobi MTC. Rose Muriuki

Hi all colleagues. Guyo Shukri

Work hard and know that every day is a fresh chance to do something much better. Keep the nursing fire of providing better health care for all burning. Christine Njuguna

Nursing is hard work but it is also a passion. Mercy Njoki Karanja

I wish all colleagues and classmate well in life. Life outside is tough but we will make it. Ann Mutana

To all fellow nurses work hard and remember to apply for better jobs. Simon Masombo

I wish all colleagues God’s blessing and successful 2010. Christine Aritho

Don’t fear the hardship areas; it is not bad as you think. I will welcome you in Garissa anytime. Lucy Kamina

Wish all colleagues a happy new year and to thank God for seeing them through their studies till they graduated. Continue trusting in God. Anne King'ori

Wish all colleagues well in all their life endeavors. Luke Mathai

I encourage you nurses to continue strengthening the nursing field. Gaudencia Onyango

Hello to all colleagues who took part in the research and I encourage the research coordinators not to give up for something positive will come out of all whole exercise. Mildah Kiriinyah

Congratulation colleagues for your participation in the research and hope at the end of it all it will be beneficial to all. Cecilia Kagunyi

Keep up the nursing spirit. Symon Khaleha Shitemi

Hi to all colleagues. Juster Kathambi Murangiri

Colleagues, go back to school and upgrade yourselves. Racheal Gakii Ananga

I wish all colleagues all the best in whatever they are doing. Gladys Murianki

I encourage you my friends to work hard in life. Maurine Wairimu Kuria

I encourage all my colleagues to work hard and to work for the benefit of the patient because they are advocates of the patients. Moses Wekesa

Work hard in whatever you are doing. Mary Kagendo Mwirichia

Hi colleagues. Eva Nyaga

Hi colleagues. Magdaline Muli

Do not to stop reading because things are changing. Faith Wairimu Kamau

Continue working hard in the nursing profession to boost the health standards. Rose Waithira Mburu

I encourage my colleagues to continue with proper nursing care. Mohamed Waiyaki

I encourage them to work hard in their career and that gratification comes when least expected. Nicholson Kithuka

I wishes colleagues all the best in their workplaces. Abel Arumba

Do not to mind the hardships in your areas of work. Maxwell Wakarindi

Work hard and give quality care to the patients. Rebecca Mbogori

Nothing is done in vain and that all nurses should work for the patient wholly and God will bless them. Rose Wang'ang'a

I encourage colleagues to visit the cohort website frequently and learn new things to stay in touch. Holdia Kariuki

I encourage colleagues to keep connected and updated through the cohort website. James Kamau

Keep communicating and keep in touch. Ibrahim Ngari

I encourage colleagues to log in the cohort website and get updated. Peter K. Muiruri

People should work with all their heart because the profession is quiet tricky. Nancy Muskoyo

I wish my colleagues good health and success in everything and tell them to always pray to God for he is the provider of everything. Anne Angimah

Work hard to achieve whatever you aspire to achieve. Do not limit yourself. Emily Ayanga

Hope for the best in everything you do. Emanuel Ng'etich

Continue visiting the cohort website and contributing to the research program. Kipkoech Rutto Edwin

Work hard and love the nursing profession. Emmanuel Sigei

Working with the community especially in rural areas is the best because you get to deal with the people’s problems and advice them and get to know what issues directly affect their health. Jacinta Karimi



On behalf of the Kenya research team, we thank you all for your cooperation in this study. If you have specific questions for the research team, you can send an email to: cohortstudy@nairobi.kemri-wellcome.org

SA cohort to meet again

Dear South African cohort members,

We would like to invite all of you to attend the CREHS Cohort meetings that will be taking place during the 1st and 3rd weeks of March 2010.

This will be the first time since the creation of the cohort in 2008 that all of us will be meeting again face-to-face. It is a great opportunity to reconnect with old friends and fellow students from college/university and to get some feedback on the state of the CREHS Cohort research project.

The meetings have three objectives:

• To briefly collect more information from cohort members about their work experiences and career choices;


• To give the cohort members feedback about the progress of the project and the results of the research; and


• To provide an opportunity for members of the cohort to connect with old friends and fellow students and to meet new members of the cohort.

The meetings will be as follows:

Pretoria (venue to be confirmed closer to the time), 1 March, 10 AM-12:30 PM

Joburg (venue to be confirmed closer to the time), 2 March, 10 AM- 12:30 PM

Benoni (venue to be confirmed closer to the time), 3 March, 10 AM- 12:30 PM

Krugersdorp (venue to be confirmed closer to the time), 4 March, 10 AM- 12:30 PM

Vryburg (venue to be confirmed closer to the time), 15 March, 10 AM- 12:30 PM

Mafikeng (venue to be confirmed closer to the time), 16 March, 10 AM- 12:30 PM

Klerksdorp (venue to be confirmed closer to the time), 17 March, 10 AM- 12:30 PM

Rustenburg (venue to be confirmed closer to the time), 18 March, 10 AM- 12:30 PM

Potchefstroom (venue to be confirmed closer to the time), 19 March 10 AM-12:30 PM

We look forward to seeing you there and hope that all of you will be able to make it!!

Where are Kenyan cohort members working?

Hi I hope you have been well. It has been three months since our first follow up and most of you have settled in your new places of work. During our second calls, we were curious to know where people preferred to work; take a look at our results to find out where most of your classmates are working, you get to see who has the taller bar, or the bigger piece of the pie!
1. Most of the participants interviewed were working in towns; with the numbers slightly different among the pre-service and distance learners, as shown below:

a) For the pre-service participants, distribution among the MTCs was as follows:



b) For the distance learners, distribution among the MTCs was as follows:




2. The pie chart below is a representation of the distribution of all the working nurses




Close to quarter of Kenyan cohort members have visited the blog and most were eager to leave messages.
During the second round of calls, most of the participants wished their counterparts all the best in life, as they reach out to achieve their dreams. They encouraged former classmates to continue working hard in the nursing profession; to keep participating in the research and to keep in touch.

Those who were already working gave a challenge to those looking for jobs to explore all opportunities available to registered nurses; those with the opportunity to further their studies were encouraged to specialize and gain more exposure and experience. Participants encouraged former classmates to let each other know of any job opportunities

Some of the unique comments included:
• Keep working for excellence, give quality care to your patients and bring out innovative ways of improving the nursing profession, James-Nairobi.
• When we were in school, we had varied opinions about working outside Nairobi but I have come to realize that outside Nairobi, you get more exposure and are able to practice and gain more experience, than in Nairobi where you are all crowded and ignored, Margaret-Kirinyaga.
• Working as a nurse in the rural area is quite interesting and challenging, as opposed to working in a hospital, where you are only giving the medication that the doctor has prescribed; in the field we get to interact with the patients in their daily environment, Jacinta-Kakamega.

Keep checking this website for more updates, and the upcoming re-union plans. You do not want to miss out!

Habari from kenya

Hi, subsequent to the recruitment of cohort members last year, 244 members have done and passed their Nursing Council Examinations and are registered nurses. Congratulations! 203(81%) are currently working as nurses while 41 are looking for employment. These are some of the comments they expressed:

Greetings from Kenya:

Hi to all of you- Rose Muriuki, Nairobi.

Hi, continue working hard- Evelyn Mathenge, Muranga.

Hi, work hard- Purity Muthoni, Muranga.

Hope you are continuing well, keep in touch- Milcah Mbaluka, Nairobi.

How are you all doing and keep in touch, remember the purpose of the research we were doing- Dorcas Maiyo, Nairobi.

I miss them all- Elizabeth Wanjiru, Kakamega.

I wish them all the best in life and encourage them to work hard- Gloria Zalo, Muranga.

I wish them all the best in life and to get good jobs- Catherine Mwaniki, Nairobi.

I wish them all the best in their job search- Huka Wako, Meru.
I wish you the best in life- Gladys Kimondo, Nairobi.

Greetings all, I wish you the best in your job search- Grace Musenya, Nairobi.
Expectations for the future:

A lot of things have changed since we left school; the expectations that I had have been lowered, I never thought I would find myself working in a rural health centre, but I am here, doing my best- Margaret Kimathi, Nairobi.

Aim higher to further your studies- Catherine Galgitele, Meru.

Be innovative in your profession it is one of the ways to succeed- James Kibugi, Kakamega.

Be strong, even when times are hard- Dorcas Wanyonyi, Muranga.
Encouraging thoughts:

Congratulations on passing the examinations and keep working hard- Hebert Ochieng’ Kakamega.

Congratulations to those who have jobs, and don’t give up- Meridah Mwania, Muranga.

Continue working hard- Judy Gisemba, Muranga.

Continue doing the best that we can as nurses and our labor will be rewarded- Emmanuel Ng’etich, Kakamega.

Continue doing the good things you do- Joachim Mutunga, Nairobi.

Continue to work hard and go back to further your studies- Rachel Gakii, Meru.

Continue to work hard even when circumstances are difficult- Lucy Kamina, Nairobi.

Continue with the nursing practice but for those who are young, go outside the country to see what happening there- Gaudencia Onyango, Nairobi.

Continue working hard- Edwin Rutto, Kakamega.

Continue working hard and keep in touch- Dennis Ndeile, Meru.

Don’t give up, apply for all jobs and keep working hard- Comfort Maina, Nairobi.

Encourage them to continue participating- Duba Guyo, Nairobi.

Encourage them to continue working hard- Henry Muriithi, Nairobi.

Encourage them to work hard to achieve their very best- Lillian Kaphidher, Kakamega.

Encourage them to work hard, and inform them that I have not been employed yet so if they hear of any vacancies to inform me- Catherine Naliaka, Nairobi. Keep on trying and make the best of your opportunities- Elijah Oduor, Kakamega.

Keep working within the nursing career because that is what we applied for- Abel Arumba, Muranga.

Let’s gear towards the goal of serving our patients to the best of our ability- Symon Shitemi, Nairobi.

Have a positive attitude towards work and struggle for patient satisfaction- Belliah Atemba, Kakamega.

Have an open mind and strive to get further than we are at the moment as nurses- Elisabeth Opee, Nairobi.

If they have a job they should continue attending to patients’ well- Magdalene Muli, Muranga.

Enthusiasm for the Cohort study:

Encourage them to participate positively and tell of their situations because you never know what can happen- Roselyne Asiko, Kakamega.

It is good to be in a group like this one where we explore issues and encourage one another- Nicholas Ng’etich.

Keep checking the website to see what is going on- Peter Muiruri, Muranga.

Keep helping our patients and keep in touch- Mildred Juma, Kakamega.

Keep in touch- Cynthia Ndumbu, Nairobi.

Keep in touch and keep working in the nursing profession- Ann Warui, Muranga.

Keep in touch I would like to know the challenges you are facing at your work place- Maxwell Wakarindi, Muranga.

Keep in touch- Mary Mueni, Muranga.

Meet all of you at the October meeting- John Nyabera, Kakamega.

Nothing is impossible if you work hard, it is good to participate in programs such as this- Emmanuel Sigei, Kakamega.

Words of wisdom:

Nursing is the best profession ever- Nancy Muskoyo, Kakamega.

To achieve your dreams you have to work hard; we should also remember that we did nursing and it is our calling to alleviate human suffering- Emily Ayanga, Kakamega.

We have not yet reached the top; this is just a stepping stone to put more effort and get degrees- Elisabeth Kibaara, Muranga.

Birthday celebrations for SA Cohort!

You filled in the questionnaires and took part in the focus group discussions.
You have updated your contact details and answered questions about your job.
Now is the time to find out what it all means!

In June/July 2009, the CREHS Cohort in South Africa will be 1 year old. To celebrate, we are inviting all cohort members to come and listen to the presentation of the first research findings and enjoy some snacks and drinks with us and your fellow cohort members.

This will be a great opportunity to see what has become of all the information you provided and to reconnect with fellow cohort members. Please share this information with as many cohort members as possible, especially those who don’t have internet access. It would be great to see as many of you as possible!

Each feedback session will include:
** Presentation and discussion of the research findings;
** Completing a very short questionnaire and quick verification of contact details;
** Snacks and drinks to celebrate the fact that we have come this far.

The feedback sessions will be as follows:

Mmabatho/Mafikeng
Session 1: Friday, 5 June (14:00-16:00)
Session 2: Saturday, 6 June (10:00-12:00)
RSVP by 27 May
Venue to be confirmed to those who RSVP, but will be easily accessible in town

Klerksdorp
Session 1: Friday, 12 June (14:00-16:00)
Session 2: Saturday, 13 June (10:00-12:00)
RSVP by 3 June
Venue to be confirmed to those who RSVP, but will be easily accessible in town

Potchefstroom
Session 1: Friday, 19 June (14:00-16:00)
Session 2: Saturday, 20 June (10:00-12:00)
RSVP by 10 June
Venue to be confirmed to those who RSVP, but will be easily accessible in town

Pretoria
Session 1: Friday, 17 July (14:00-16:00)
Session 2: Saturday, 18 July (10:00-12:00)
RSVP by 8 July
Venue to be confirmed to those who RSVP, but will be easily accessible in town

Johannesburg
Session 1: Friday, 24 July (14:00-16:00)
Session 2: Saturday, 25 July (10:00-12:00)
RSVP by 15 July
Venue to be confirmed to those who RSVP, but will be easily accessible in town

It is essential that you let us know in advance if you want to attend one of the sessions. To RSVP, simply SMS the name of the city/town and your session number to 072 124 0519. E.g. "Mmabatho Session1" or "Pretoria Session 2".

PLEASE NOTE:
1. Each cohort member who attends will receive a small transport allowance of R30 to help cover transport costs to the functions.
2. You are welcome to come to any of the sessions, regardless of where you studied or where you are working. Simply choose a session that it convenient for you.

A look at the Kenyan cohort

The Kenyan cohort is now complete with a total of 345 nursing students recruited to the cohort study.We are proud to present a snapshot of our group!

Majority of Kenyan cohort members are female (75%) with male participants making up 25% of the group, compared to South Africa where 84% of their cohort members are female and 14% are male.The oldest cohort member in Kenya is 52 years old, the Thai cohort reported their oldest member to be 25 years old while the oldest member in South Africa is 56 years old. The average age of the Kenyan cohort is 31 years similar to South Africa.

Kenyan cohort members described their hometowns to be: very rural 148 (43%), relatively rural 21 (6%), town 112 (33%) and city 63 (18%), The number of those born in rural areas is close to that of South Africa where just below 50% of cohort members were born in rural areas, but different from the Thai cohort where majority (83%) were born in rural areas.

A large proportion of the Kenyan cohort comes from Eastern province (30%), followed by Central province (23%), Western province (17%), the others are distributed in Rift valley province, Nyanza province, Nairobi province and Coast province which contributes (3%).

While none of the Thai cohort members had started their own families at the time of data collection, 42% of the Kenyan cohort members indicated they were married. Of 190 Kenyan members with children, close to 60% have one to two children.

Verification of contact details was successfully done, most members had maintained their contact details from data collection to the time when verification was done. Cohort members are expected to sit Nursing council examinations later on this month, we wish all the students success in their exams!

We shall keep sharing exciting news to keep all the cohort study members from Kenya, South Africa and Thailand posted!

Snapshot of SA Cohort

Who are the South African cohort members? Where do they come from? How do they feel about nursing issues?

All the questionnaires completed by the members of the South African cohort have been captured, so we are now able to present a brief snapshot of this group.This can be compared with the information on the Thai cohort, which was recently published on this blog.

Of the 377 South African cohort members, 323 (86%) are women and 54 (14%) men. The mean age of the South African cohort is 31 years. This is much higher than Thailand, where the average age of the cohort members is only about 22 years. In Thailand the oldest cohort member is 25 years of age. Here in South Africa, our oldest cohort member is 56 years old and 266 (71%) cohort members are over 25 years.

An overwhelming majority of the South African cohort members were born in three provinces: Gauteng (40%), North West (34%) and Limpopo (9.5%). The map below shows all the provinces of South Africa and the percentage of the cohort born in each of the provinces.

The cohort members described their places of birth as follows: towns (37%), relatively rural areas (36%), cities (15%) and very rural areas (11%).

Just over 110 South African cohort members indicated that they were married or in relationships with long-term partners. 120 said they had 1 child, 74 reported having 2 children and a further 26 indicated they had 3 children. Again, this is very different from Thailand where none of the cohort members had started their own families at the time of data collection.

This is all the information we have for now. Over the next few months the data will be analysed in great detail, after which more information will be made available.

On that note, we wish you a great festive season and a happy 2009! We will hopefully be in touch with all of you early in the new year.