Good health means a person can lead an active life and have greater opportunities to meet their potential. For this reason, health plays a large role in community development.  Currently at Dala we are focusing on breast cancer awareness and referral, malaria prevention, and HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness.

The Breast Cancer Awareness and Referral Program (BCARP)
 If Dorcas had known that breast cancer is treatable if detected early, and if she had the resources to obtain such treatment, perhaps she would have been a survivor.  In 2009, when Dorcas told us she had severe pain in her breasts and was coughing a lot, we gave her money and asked that she get treatment at a clinic.  The clinic put her on a nine-month regimen of tuberculosis treatment.  But her condition did not improve.  

When Dorcas asked us to feel the lumps with our hands, we wondered if it was breast cancer.  She was referred to the hospital but the oncologist's waiting list was two months long.  By then it was too late; Dorcas was at an advanced stage of the disease.  She died six months later.

Cancer is emerging as a leading cause of death in Kenya. Of those diagnosed, more than 50% are women with breast and cervical cancer.  According to Oxford University’s Africa-Oxford Cancer Consortium (Afrox), cancer is set to become the newest epidemic in the developing world.  What is worse, many women in rural communities lack basic information about cancer and how to detect it. Also, the majority of them do not have the money for treatment, which includes long-distance travel to one of three cancer centers in Kenya, boarding and lodging for up to 3 months while they wait to see one of the few oncologists, and the high of the treatment itself.  No wonder cancer is indeed a death sentence for many women like Dorcas!

The Breast Cancer Awareness and Referral Program (BCARP) was started with the goal of providing information about breast cancer to women in rural communities, teaching self examination methods, facilitating screenings, and assisting cancer patients in navigating hospital services and treatment processes. Currently three trained volunteers go door to door, teaching and sharing the message of hope with women in Nyakach region. They also share information in the marketplaces.  The program plans to expand its efforts to reach women and men in rural villages in Western Kenya who would most likely have no other resources for recognizing and treating the disease.

Malaria Prevention
Upper Nyakach is in a region that has an alarming number of malaria cases each year; in fact, the area leads the province in malaria-related deaths. Consequently our Malaria Prevention Program comprehensively addresses the causes and effects of malaria and applies multiple preventative measures.

Sleeping under an insecticide-treated net is an effective way to protect oneself against malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Treated nets are estimated to be twice as effective as untreated nets and as a whole decrease a persons risk by 70%. In the village, Dala provided high-quality nets to community members who were without, and all other existing nets were treated with an insecticide. In addition to the nets, mosquito breeding grounds were reduced in the immediate area. Children took an active role in removing litter and standing water from their yards, and cut down tall grass where mosquitoes like to breed.

The efforts are ongoing; every six months nets get re-treated and replaced when needed, and standing water is removed every rainy season.

HIV/AIDS management 
Cases of HIV/AIDS are high in Nyanza Province.  As a result, community members are being encouraged to take active roles in preventing the spread of the virus as well as eliminating social stigmas that degrade the situation. The HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care Programs is focused on sharing prevention messages and enabling those affected to manage the impact of HIV/AIDS on their health and their families’ well being.