September 7, 2021 • 9 mins
Today's entry is Dr. Jemimah Kariuki and her tireless work to improve mothers and children.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hey, this Sanny and Samantha and don't welcome to stuff
I've never told to your production of I Heart Radio. Okay, Annie,
So I do want to ask you before we start
our Women Around the World. Would you consider yourself a
(00:26):
fixer or a problem solver? Yes? Uh, caveat to that.
I will also say that I sometimes describe myself as
someone who creates more problems by trying to solve problems. Um,
I'm very, very very eager to solve problems and I
(00:46):
hate seeing people struggling are in pain. And because of that,
like sometimes I think when people tell me something, all
they really want is to be heard. But what I
hear is I have to fix this for you. And
sometimes that's not the case, like it's I just need
to tell you this thing, And it's hard for me
(01:09):
because I'm like my mind is racing trying to think
of how can I help this person, How can I
fix this? Do I know anything? That being said, I
am someone who aggressively tackles issues if I am tasked
with it. I'm not tasked with it, perhaps not right,
(01:31):
but I will try to. I like marking things off
my list, as you know. I like being someone who
can just be like, Okay, I've figured this out. We
don't have to worry about it anymore. I don't have
to worry about it anymore, how about you. Yeah, So
it's according to the role. Like if someone else is
taking up that role, then I won't worry about it.
(01:52):
But if there's something that needs to be done, it's
not going to be done or it's not being done,
then I will handle it. And I'm absolutely that same way.
And like project bigger projects, and I'm like, Okay, you
got this, you got this, And if someone doesn't take
charge to get it organized, I'll do it the same
way with like if I have something like my phone
or something that I have around, I will try to
see if I can fix it first. Like that is
(02:14):
my mentality if we're having issues. So one of the
things in my old job was trying to have innovative
ideas to get to solve big impact issue. So let's
say we had a really huge problem with families being
able to transport kids to therapy. So one of the
things that I had to do was look around to
see what we could do as in home therapy, how
(02:36):
we can provide funding, what routes we can do in
order to get all that, like that was something that
was a part of my job. So for me those
level of problems, yes, at the same time, like when
it comes to like friendship stuff typically like if someone
is going through issues, I will be there to listen.
But I also have that problem solver thing as well
with being a social worker and be like, let me
(02:58):
tell you what this might which is not always welcome
and rightfully so. But when it came to the community stuff,
I tried as best as I could and trying to
get some effective things. And honestly, the reason I wanted
to bring this up and we're gonna talk a little
bit more is because this has kind of been a
theme for our specific Women around the World edition today.
(03:21):
And the woman we're talking about who is a doctor
out of Kenya who not only makes an amazing amount
of impact and healthcare in her community, but the overall
health and lives of mothers and expect that mothers around
her community also, and who we are speaking about specifically
is Dr Jemima Karaoke, And yeah, she has a really
(03:42):
fascinating story. Yes, and the reason we are talking about
problem solvers is because Dr Karayuki, her overall determination as
a healer and as a woman in the community has
helps solve so many issues for women that could be
detrimental on so many levels. Dr Karayuki is a doctor
of Gynecology and Obstetrics at the Kenyatta National Hospital at
the University of Nairobi, and she specializes in preventative medicine,
(04:04):
but focuses on the issues dealing with maternal and child
health right and not only that. After the post elected
violence in two thousand seven in Kenya where over a
thousand people were killed and over five hundred thousand people
were displaced after this controversial presidential election, Dr Karaoke started
the Peace Club and then also started the Public Health Club,
(04:24):
which among other things, helps run a cervical cancer prevention
drive and she has so many things within that clinic
to try to bring awareness to this type of cancer.
But she has also continued her work in creating solutions
to problems that continue to endanger the women of our community,
especially as the pandemic has affected the country. After reading
(04:46):
an article about a woman who died because she was
not able to get care due to the COVID nineteen
restrictions and curfew, that's when Dr Karaoke decided that something
needed to happen and she needed to fix the situation,
and it didn't take long for her to start the
Wheels of Life program, which provides free ambulance services for
mothers in labor after dark. After seeing incidents like the
(05:08):
woman who died after not being able to go out
after curfew and if a man beaten to death by
police for violating curfew if you're trying to drive a
woman in labor to the hospital, she pushed to find
a safe way for women to get the care they
need to safely give birth right and a service includes
a call center that offers services ranging from being able
(05:28):
to talk with doctors to talk about the pregnancy, or
a free ambulance service to take them to a clinic
because that's not available. Ambulances are not available for many
of those who I need and within the first year
they have received over a hundred thousand calls seeking help
and guidance while they were pregnant. And of course this
has brought much recognition for her hard work and advocacy,
(05:50):
including being named BBCs on Women in twenty twenty and
just recently given the twenty one Global Health award for
her contribution to advance in global health. She stated in
receiving her award, I am excited beyond imagination as I
never dreamt or saw anything like this coming, an acknowledgment
of something humble that I started only a year ago
(06:10):
out of the frustrations that I felt for the many
mothers who lost their lives and babies because they couldn't
access a health facility. And as for the future, she
says she hopes to see the organization integrated in the
health care system, but for now she is happy with
how it's going and to show the women that they
are not alone and that quote they need to know
(06:30):
they can safely deliver in clinics despite the pandemic and
that they have help at hand. Right and we've seen
the story time and time again where COVID and the
pandemic and quarantine has caused such mass havoc. There was
a lot of regression essentially, and so many of the
things that have been doing well, such as maternal morbidity
rates uh they were going down for a little while
(06:51):
in Kenya, and now because of the pandemic and because
of car FEUs, it caused another rise in those senseless deaths,
and we've seen access has been limited because of that
as well, and it continues to be an issue everywhere,
not just out in Africa and or we've I think
we've talked about India, and we've talked about Pakistan before
how it's been affecting them for a while now. Um,
(07:13):
in the US we see it time and time again.
We've talked about reservations being impacted on US soil and
how they're not getting the care that they deserve and
that they need as well, and it seems to be
an overall issue we're continuing to talk about as well
as the fact that it is causing a setback when
it comes to women's rights in general for the entire world. Um.
And it's it's really sad that we have to come
(07:34):
back here and have this conversation. But obviously it's women
like Dr Karaoke who are making a difference and solving
these problems one step at a time. So it's phenomenal
to be able to talk about what she and people
like her are doing. Yeah. Absolutely, Um. Just the other
day I was thinking about our pre COVID episodes where
(07:56):
we were talking about like how the future is going
for women, and then COVID happens and now we're like,
it's setting women so far back, and it's really disheartening
to see. Oh so these are the issues where we're
just willing to let so much regress. But it's really
(08:16):
it is really heartening on the other end to see
women standing up and fighting to make these issues heard
and to to continue to push and not let something
like a pandemic just eradicate or completely destroy all the
progress that we've made. Right yes, So, as always, listeners,
(08:40):
please let us know if you think there's someone we
should cover in this segment. You can email us at
Stuff Media Mom Stuff at iHeart media dot com. You
can find us on Instagram and Stuff I've Never Told
You are on Twitter at Months of Podcast. Thanks as
always to our super producer, Christina, a very much problem
solver oh yes, oh yes, and they thanks to you
for listening. Stuff Undever told you his prediction of I
(09:02):
Heart Radio. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit
yea heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen
to your favorite ship
Hey, this Sanny and Samantha and don't welcome to stuff
I've never told to your production of I Heart Radio. Okay, Annie,
So I do want to ask you before we start
our Women Around the World. Would you consider yourself a
(00:26):
fixer or a problem solver? Yes? Uh, caveat to that.
I will also say that I sometimes describe myself as
someone who creates more problems by trying to solve problems. Um,
I'm very, very very eager to solve problems and I
(00:46):
hate seeing people struggling are in pain. And because of that,
like sometimes I think when people tell me something, all
they really want is to be heard. But what I
hear is I have to fix this for you. And
sometimes that's not the case, like it's I just need
to tell you this thing, And it's hard for me
(01:09):
because I'm like my mind is racing trying to think
of how can I help this person, How can I
fix this? Do I know anything? That being said, I
am someone who aggressively tackles issues if I am tasked
with it. I'm not tasked with it, perhaps not right,
(01:31):
but I will try to. I like marking things off
my list, as you know. I like being someone who
can just be like, Okay, I've figured this out. We
don't have to worry about it anymore. I don't have
to worry about it anymore, how about you. Yeah, So
it's according to the role. Like if someone else is
taking up that role, then I won't worry about it.
(01:52):
But if there's something that needs to be done, it's
not going to be done or it's not being done,
then I will handle it. And I'm absolutely that same way.
And like project bigger projects, and I'm like, Okay, you
got this, you got this, And if someone doesn't take
charge to get it organized, I'll do it the same
way with like if I have something like my phone
or something that I have around, I will try to
see if I can fix it first. Like that is
(02:14):
my mentality if we're having issues. So one of the
things in my old job was trying to have innovative
ideas to get to solve big impact issue. So let's
say we had a really huge problem with families being
able to transport kids to therapy. So one of the
things that I had to do was look around to
see what we could do as in home therapy, how
(02:36):
we can provide funding, what routes we can do in
order to get all that, like that was something that
was a part of my job. So for me those
level of problems, yes, at the same time, like when
it comes to like friendship stuff typically like if someone
is going through issues, I will be there to listen.
But I also have that problem solver thing as well
with being a social worker and be like, let me
(02:58):
tell you what this might which is not always welcome
and rightfully so. But when it came to the community stuff,
I tried as best as I could and trying to
get some effective things. And honestly, the reason I wanted
to bring this up and we're gonna talk a little
bit more is because this has kind of been a
theme for our specific Women around the World edition today.
(03:21):
And the woman we're talking about who is a doctor
out of Kenya who not only makes an amazing amount
of impact and healthcare in her community, but the overall
health and lives of mothers and expect that mothers around
her community also, and who we are speaking about specifically
is Dr Jemima Karaoke, And yeah, she has a really
(03:42):
fascinating story. Yes, and the reason we are talking about
problem solvers is because Dr Karayuki, her overall determination as
a healer and as a woman in the community has
helps solve so many issues for women that could be
detrimental on so many levels. Dr Karayuki is a doctor
of Gynecology and Obstetrics at the Kenyatta National Hospital at
the University of Nairobi, and she specializes in preventative medicine,
(04:04):
but focuses on the issues dealing with maternal and child
health right and not only that. After the post elected
violence in two thousand seven in Kenya where over a
thousand people were killed and over five hundred thousand people
were displaced after this controversial presidential election, Dr Karaoke started
the Peace Club and then also started the Public Health Club,
(04:24):
which among other things, helps run a cervical cancer prevention
drive and she has so many things within that clinic
to try to bring awareness to this type of cancer.
But she has also continued her work in creating solutions
to problems that continue to endanger the women of our community,
especially as the pandemic has affected the country. After reading
(04:46):
an article about a woman who died because she was
not able to get care due to the COVID nineteen
restrictions and curfew, that's when Dr Karaoke decided that something
needed to happen and she needed to fix the situation,
and it didn't take long for her to start the
Wheels of Life program, which provides free ambulance services for
mothers in labor after dark. After seeing incidents like the
(05:08):
woman who died after not being able to go out
after curfew and if a man beaten to death by
police for violating curfew if you're trying to drive a
woman in labor to the hospital, she pushed to find
a safe way for women to get the care they
need to safely give birth right and a service includes
a call center that offers services ranging from being able
(05:28):
to talk with doctors to talk about the pregnancy, or
a free ambulance service to take them to a clinic
because that's not available. Ambulances are not available for many
of those who I need and within the first year
they have received over a hundred thousand calls seeking help
and guidance while they were pregnant. And of course this
has brought much recognition for her hard work and advocacy,
(05:50):
including being named BBCs on Women in twenty twenty and
just recently given the twenty one Global Health award for
her contribution to advance in global health. She stated in
receiving her award, I am excited beyond imagination as I
never dreamt or saw anything like this coming, an acknowledgment
of something humble that I started only a year ago
(06:10):
out of the frustrations that I felt for the many
mothers who lost their lives and babies because they couldn't
access a health facility. And as for the future, she
says she hopes to see the organization integrated in the
health care system, but for now she is happy with
how it's going and to show the women that they
are not alone and that quote they need to know
(06:30):
they can safely deliver in clinics despite the pandemic and
that they have help at hand. Right and we've seen
the story time and time again where COVID and the
pandemic and quarantine has caused such mass havoc. There was
a lot of regression essentially, and so many of the
things that have been doing well, such as maternal morbidity
rates uh they were going down for a little while
(06:51):
in Kenya, and now because of the pandemic and because
of car FEUs, it caused another rise in those senseless deaths,
and we've seen access has been limited because of that
as well, and it continues to be an issue everywhere,
not just out in Africa and or we've I think
we've talked about India, and we've talked about Pakistan before
how it's been affecting them for a while now. Um,
(07:13):
in the US we see it time and time again.
We've talked about reservations being impacted on US soil and
how they're not getting the care that they deserve and
that they need as well, and it seems to be
an overall issue we're continuing to talk about as well
as the fact that it is causing a setback when
it comes to women's rights in general for the entire world. Um.
And it's it's really sad that we have to come
(07:34):
back here and have this conversation. But obviously it's women
like Dr Karaoke who are making a difference and solving
these problems one step at a time. So it's phenomenal
to be able to talk about what she and people
like her are doing. Yeah. Absolutely, Um. Just the other
day I was thinking about our pre COVID episodes where
(07:56):
we were talking about like how the future is going
for women, and then COVID happens and now we're like,
it's setting women so far back, and it's really disheartening
to see. Oh so these are the issues where we're
just willing to let so much regress. But it's really
(08:16):
it is really heartening on the other end to see
women standing up and fighting to make these issues heard
and to to continue to push and not let something
like a pandemic just eradicate or completely destroy all the
progress that we've made. Right yes, So, as always, listeners,
(08:40):
please let us know if you think there's someone we
should cover in this segment. You can email us at
Stuff Media Mom Stuff at iHeart media dot com. You
can find us on Instagram and Stuff I've Never Told
You are on Twitter at Months of Podcast. Thanks as
always to our super producer, Christina, a very much problem
solver oh yes, oh yes, and they thanks to you
for listening. Stuff Undever told you his prediction of I
(09:02):
Heart Radio. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit
yea heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen
to your favorite ship
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