Bware is a rural community of 20,000 located in the South Nyanza Province of Kenya near the border of Tanzania. Situated four kilometers from the main Migori road, the nearest public hospital is 14 kms away in Migori.
Bware Dispensary and Maternity
BUCHWA (Bware United Health Workers Association) c. 2004
BUCHWA is a Community Based Organization. Its members are traditional birth attendants, community based distributors of family planning and community health workers. The women meet weekly to discuss health topics and are participating in income generating activities. They partner and support each other in the care of pregnant women and provide basic health education and community based distribution of family planning to the general community.
Bware School and Library Project
Bware School and Library Project provides support to the 6 primary schools in and around Bware. Workshops on adolescent reproductive health, donations of textbooks, school supplies, water harvesting tanks and desks are among the contributions that this project makes to the community.
BBEKAS
In 2009 Head teachers from the six schools organized this Cluster Group. They work with Ray of Hope to prioritize the needs of the schools. A computer learning center, water harvesting and a feeding program are their top priorities.
Impact of Bware Projects
- Economic empowerment through savings club, loans, and small business generation
- Formation of subgroups that addresses education and health topics while carrying out microfinance ventures
- Safe Motherhood is becoming a reality!!! ROH completed the Maternity Ward Construction Project in 2007. Prior to this facility, few if any mothers had skilled attendance at birth. With completion of the building the Ministry of Health assigned the first midwife to Bware and the facility has been upgraded from a dispensary to a Health Center. In 2009 we partnered with a group of US midwives to bring Home Based Life Saving Skills ( HBLSS) training to BUCHWA. The new facility and increases community awareness have made a hige difference in the lives of women in Bware. 2003- no facility births….. 20009- 146 facility births with a skilled birth attendant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Girls Empowerment Seminars- BUCHWA and ROH kicked off a new adolescent empowerment project with a 2 day seminar for girls in the community- Over 300 adolescents received information on gender issues, reproductive health and education
- School Infrasture development- Partnering with the 6 schools in Bware, ROH has facilitated the opening of a teachers computer learning center, the renovation of a school space for a library, donations of textbooks, school supplies and desks
- Improve water and sanitation through water tank projects
