Lisa Sorenson discusses her life as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya



Training was held in Kitui, a rural village about three hours east of Nairobi, the land of the Kamba tribe. We were each assigned a homestay family and lived on a shamba (farm). There we learned to be Kenyan, which is not an easy task. You learn to draw water from the well, cook on a jiko (tin can with coal), take a bath in a bucket, and try to accept a hole in the ground as your toilet (choo). You go through extreme culture shock, missing your family and friends, while your system is trying to adjust to strange food. You discover the clothes you packed in America aren't acceptable attire, you're being scared by safety and security lectures, and you're struggling to learn a new language.

Lisa Sorenson discusses her life as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya

Journey to Kenya

Nov 1, 2006

Healthcare Financial Management
Member Spotlight

Last month's issue of hfm featured a profile of Lisa Sorenson, a former HFMA member who recently moved to Kenya as a Peace Corps volunteer, fulfilling a lifelong dream. In part two of this profile, Sorenson shares stones about life in Kenya.

Q. What did the training involve?

A. Training was held in Kitui, a rural village about three hours east of Nairobi, the land of the Kamba tribe. We were each assigned a homestay family and lived on a shamba (farm). There we learned to be Kenyan, which is not an easy task. You learn to draw water from the well, cook on a jiko (tin can with coal), take a bath in a bucket, and try to accept a hole in the ground as your toilet (choo). You go through extreme culture shock, missing your family and friends, while your system is trying to adjust to strange food. You discover the clothes you packed in America aren't acceptable attire, you're being scared by safety and security lectures, and you're struggling to learn a new language.

There are lessons on politics, tribalism, history, and culture. The medical staff tells you about all the viruses, bacteria, bugs, and germs you'll be exposed to, while giving you yet another series of immunization shots.

Then you have to deal with the realization that you will be assigned a site-alone-someplace in the bush, and you'll need to get there by yourself with all your personal belongings. You already know that your every move is being watched. When you go into town for market day everyone is staring, laughing, and pointing and calling you a "mzungu." Saturday morning entertainment for the locals was coming to watch the mzungu do her laundry. (I'm still not sure what was so funny about the way I wash my clothes.) All of this while having nightmares from Mephaquin, the anti-malaria drugs!

Q. What do you love most about being in the Peace Corps ?

A. The orphanage is the highlight of my assignment. There are currently 40 children, and plans to house 150 in the future. All of my (and I fondly call them mine) kids are HIV-negative, but they have lost parents to AIDS. It is estimated that Kenya has 1.1 million children who are orphaned as a result of AIDS.

Q. What are your responsibilities in Kenya?

A. The community needs to find ways of producing income. I expect the next two years will be spent working with the local women's group to establish a couple of income-generating projects of bead- making and basket-weaving. The community youth group needs something to do, and the orphans need one-on-one personal attention. I'm mobilizing the youth group to create a series of educational programs to prepare them to mentor the orphans. I'm hoping to create a Big Brother and Big Sister type of program.

A newly built medical clinic needs to become accepted by the community as the center for treatment. People don't have the money to pay for treatment, but the services still have a cost associated with delivery, and I'm not sure where we are to get the funds to restock the medication if people don't pay. But how can you tell a woman with a sick baby that you won't give her the medication she needs? I guess I'm not out of the healthcare finance sector. I will also work toward bringing out a mobile clinic to see how people in the community accept the concept of knowing their HIV status.

Q. What has surprised you about the experience?

A. My own personal strength.

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Copyright Healthcare Financial Management Association Nov 2006

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Headlines: November, 2006; COS - Kenya; Training

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