Brother Andre Hospital Project

In response to the community’s desperate need for professional healthcare access, we responded by spearheading the effort to build a Maternal-Child health Center for the community of Dandora, Kenya. We sought out and connected resources with need and ultimately delivered a top-rated Hospital serving the entire population of Dandora and beyond. 

When I first visited Holy Cross Dandora Parish in 2011 I was perplexed by the juxtaposition of the poverty in this neighborhood against the hospitality and gratitude expressed by its Parishioners.

One of eight Millennium Development Goals identified by the UN was to improve maternal health and reduce child mortality. 10 years ago Kenya’s maternal mortality rate was unacceptably high at 488 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, and Dandora’s MMR was even higher. To compare, the U.S. rate is 19 per 100,000 live births. A place for safe, clean births and sustained health for expectant and new mothers and their young children was an enduring dream for this community. 

Pregnant with possibility for efforts toward social justice I envisioned Dandora Area Wellness Alliance, Inc. (now New DAWN Africa) as a step toward empowerment and a chance for renewed hope for wellness, physically and emotionally. On July 7, 2014 we broke ground to commence building the Maternal-Child Hospital of our dreams. And we aim to deliver more than healthy babies; we aim to deliver an enduring sense of health and wellness, respect, dignity, empowerment, and most of all, hope.