October 2025
Sister Angela from Kenya visits Westport
Sister Angela from Kenya visits Westport
Classic Title
Sr Angela (right) with Carol, the Aror Health Centre Administrator
Chairman Michael O'Donnell chats to Sr. Angela
Our meeting with Sister Angela
On Sunday 26 October the Westport Aror (Kenya) Partnership Group in Westport, Co Mayo was delighted to welcome a return visit to Westport of Sister (Sr) Angela Lyappa from the order of Medical Missionaries of Mary. Sr Angela, who is based in Nairobi in Kenya, has first-hand experience of visiting the two areas in Kenya which are supported by funds from the Partnership. These are Aror which is a rural community in the north west of Kenya and Mukuru in inner-city Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. Sr Angela had been attending a congregational meeting of her order in Drogheda but was able to arrange a brief visit to Westport before her return to Kenya.
The meeting was well attended by members of the Partnership and included the parish Administrator, Fr John Kenny. The group was able to hear a first-hand account from Sr Angela about her recent visits to Aror and to Mukuru. She described the problems that these communities continue to face and explained how the funds supplied by the Partnership were being used.
My Story
The exciting news that Sr Angela brought with her is that the solar panels
paid for by the Westport/Aror Partnership have now been installed!
It is hoped that they will make a huge financial contribution to reducing the running costs of the health centre for many years and ensure that they have a reliable source of electricity.
Our solar panels project in Aror
The solar panels have arrived in Aror!
Installation of the solar panels on the roof of the Aror Health Centre in progress
Peace and security
Here they come!
Thankfully peace has been restored to the Kerio Valley which has led to more rural people attending the Health Centre and using its services.
Sr Angela also advised that relations with the local parish continued to be excellent.
Members expressed the view that it was important for the success of the Partnership to be able to build and sustain good relationships with Bishop Dominic Kimengich (Eldoret Diocese) and with Sr Margaret who is the Diocesan Co-ordinator. They were strongly of the view that this was best achieved by personal visits and contacts.
Unfortunately, members had not had the opportunity to visit Kenya since 2016.
However, the improved security situation may make it possible for members of the Partnership to arrange a visit to Aror in the coming months.
This will give members the opportunity to see for themselves how the funds provided have been deployed, the progress that has been made and to understand better what the priorities are for future projects.
It is also hoped that this will also provide an opportunity to meet the Bishop and his Diocesan team and to develop a close and
productive relationship.
Aror priorities
Through Sr Angela the Aror Health Centre expressed its gratitude for the funding it has received for many years from the Partnership.
During a question and answer session, Sr Angela confirmed that future priorities for the development of the Health Centre were in providing a paediatric ward, to facilitate the segregation of children and adults at the Centre, thus eliminating the risk of cross-infection, and in securing a major upgrade to the Centre’s laboratory facility.
Our work in Mukuru
Sr Angela also reported on Mukuru which is a very poor inner-city area in Nairobi that is also supported by the Westport Group and under the management of the Medical Missionaries of Mary.
A new road has been driven through this inner-city area causing the demolition of parts of the clinic and resulting in much disruption to an area already badly affected by overcrowding and deplorable living conditions.
The Partnership continues to help Mukuru by supporting the local clinical team which runs several health programmes and provides a
number of outreach schemes for the local community.
The meeting concluded with the group expressing its thanks to Sr Angela for making the side trip to personally visit members of the Partnership and for re-assuring us that all the funds provided by the people of Mayo were being deployed effectively and were making a real difference to the lives of many local people in Aror and in Mukuru.
Another angle!
May 2025
Raising money for Aror in Westport...
Presentation of a cheque for €1,607 by the girls from the Sacred Heart School, Westport to the Westport Aror (Kenya) Partnership
L > R: Kevin Malone (Principal), Abbey Sheridan, Margaret Joyce, Gertie Foley, Leah Conroy, Keira Keogh TD, Fr Britus
May 2025
Sister Angela visits Westport
July 2024
On Monday 22 July 2024 the Westport Aror Partnership Group at St. Mary’s Westport in Co. Mayo was delighted to welcome Sister (Sr.) Angela Lyappa from the order of Medical Missionaries of Mary. Sr. Angela, who is based in Nairobi in Kenya, had been visiting the order’s convent in Drogheda but fortunately was able to travel across Ireland to meet our Group personally.
This visit by Sr. Angela gave the Westport Group a wonderful opportunity to hear at first hand a report on her recent visit to Aror in north-west Kenya and to understand how the funds provided by the Group were being used.
Aror
In Aror Sr. Angela met with Carol, the administrator of the Aror Health Centre which is support by the Group. There are 16 staff who are very hard-working and the facility is well maintained. Bishop Dominic Kimengich of Eldoret has been working hard to reduce tension and friction between local tribes. He has held several meetings with the local tribes to try and reduce tribal violence and to re-establish peace in the Aror area. This initiative has been very successful and Sr. Angela was able to report that the security situation is much improved.
Sr. Angela was also able to provide the Westport Group with a very detailed report on the activities at the Health Centre in the first half of 2024:
· Under 5s attendance 647
· Over 5s attendance 2,554
· Malaria cases 671
· Typhoid cases 267
· Maternity 86
· Antenatal 332
· Laboratory Tests 2,600
Clearly the workload is high, especially on admissions. The most serious disease is malaria which affects all age groups including children and babies. Maternity care is very good with mothers coming in for their check-ups, examinations and antenatal care.
The Centre is very grateful for the financial support they have received in the past from the Westport Group. During a discussion with Group members about future plans, the priorities for the future development of the Health Centre were identified:
· A paediatric ward to facilitate the segregation of children and adults which would offer some protection to children from malaria cross-infection
· A major upgrade to the Centre’s laboratory facility
· The installation of solar panels to reduce electricity costs
One of the challenges faced by the Aror Health Centre is that payments by the Kenyan government for private patients are often much delayed. Due to the delay in these compensatory payments, the Westport Group funding has frequently had to be used as a temporary measure, which can often leave the Centre struggling financially.
During a Question and Answer session, Sr. Angela advised that relations with the local parish were excellent and that there were plans for the convent buildings in Aror to be adapted for use as overnight accommodation for distance patients.
It was also reported that the borehole which was built with funds donated by the Westport Group continues to provide a regular and sufficient supply of water both for the Health Centre and for the local community.
Mukuru
Sr. Angela also reported on the community work in Mukuru which is a very poor inner city in Nairobi also supported by the Westport Group.
Everyone working in the Mukuru team was extremely grateful for the financial support that the Westport Group has provided to their health clinic. The Mukuru team is planning to use recent funding to hold a free medical camp for those living in the township. The township is expanding rapidly because it is a cheap place to live and now has over 700,000 residents.
However, there is abject poverty, overcrowding and deplorable living conditions.
The Mukuru clinical team runs various health programmes for the local community and provides several outreach schemes. In recent days however, it has become a very unsafe area with the horrific discovery of several mutilated female bodies nearby. In addition, attempts by the Government to impose increased taxes on basic foodstuffs has led to widespread and persistent protest, rioting and shootings.
A recent report by Misean Cara has praised the services delivered by the clinic in Mukuru. As well as outreach programmes, these services include primary health care, a pharmacy and a supporting laboratory facility. These services and facilities continue to be provided and maintained by the Medical Missionaries of Mary despite severe financial pressures. It was also reported that the state has now begun work on the proposed new road which will cut through the Mukuru site and which had necessitated a demolition of some of the clinic’s main buildings.
This meeting concluded with the Group expressing its thanks to Sr. Angela for her excellent and highly informative Report. Those present greatly welcomed the opportunity to learn directly about the challenges of life in Aror and Mukuru and about how funding provided by the Westport Group was being used so effectively to make a practical difference to the lives of so many in Aror and Mukuru.