Photo Credit: The Premise Studio at Garden Spot Village
“Serving at the CURE Hospital in Kijabe, Kenya, was one of the most awesome experiences of my life. It was life-changing. I learned so much from the Kenyan people.They fully live as a community. They don’t think about the sacrifice, they just do what needs to be done,” says Janie Martin, clinical care coordinator at Garden Spot Village.
Janie participated in the Travel with Purpose Trip to Kenya in September 2018. One of the many ways she served that week was by folding hospital pajamas in the laundry. As she worked, she noticed that the pajamas were very worn.
“I had a dream to replace the pajamas,”Janie says. “I planned to buy the fabric and sew them myself. When I mentioned it in passing to Denise,she suggested I involve the Vision &Design Team.”
After her initial conversation with Denise Hoak, director of personal care services, Janie inspired the Mountain View Vision & Design Team as well as other staff and independent living residents to start sewing. Their goal? Ninety-six sets of pajamas.
The Vision & Design Team donated funds to purchase the fabric. The ladies shopped fabric sales, looking for bold, green prints to complement CURE’s logo. Production quickly got underway as they hosted a kickoff sewing day in late January, cutting out patterns and sewing the fabric into brightly colored pajamas. They met regularly after that to work together, and sewing machines were available in Mountain View for anyone who wanted to stop in and work at their leisure.
“Everybody caught the vision. It’s been such a blessing,” Janie says.
Anne Mulwa, nursing director at CURE Kenya, was grateful when she learned that new pajamas were on the way. “We are thrilled to know that someone is thinking about us and our patients,” she says.
Learn more about CURE International: cure.org/kenya
