Young Kenyan Studies Health and Prevention at WiRED Center

BY ALLISON KOZICHAROW AND BERNICE BORN

Twenty-three-year-old Ochieng Wilbertforce lives in Obunga, one of the world’s poorest slums in the northwest part of Kisumu, Kenya. One day a friend told him about WiRED International’s Community Health Information Center in Kisumu. Feeling curious, he visited the Center and began his education in health.

 

What follows is Mr. Wilbertforce’s testimonial.

 

I joined the Center, started studying WiRED’s health modules and earned a certificate [see sidebar]. The certificate is proof of my knowledge in health. I can now help people in my community with important prevention issues. Thank you for the certificate you gave me.

 

"Through the Center I am now empowered with knowledge of basic health information, which I have used to help my community and family."
— Ochieng Wilbertforce

I knew about some diseases, but did not know how to prevent them. Through the Center I am now empowered with knowledge of basic health information, which I have used to help my community and family. The modules give me guidelines on how to prevent and cure some of the diseases affecting our people.

 

I want the Center to keep offering health information so that men and women can learn how to stay healthy and prevent the spreading of disease.

 

 


WiRED’s Certificate Program continues to attract community members in Kisumu. At the last awards ceremony 49 people earned certificates for the completion of modules from WiRED’s Health Learning Center collection of 350+ topics.

 

The Certificate Program encourages community members to study a given module, and, when they're ready, to take a comprehensive exam on the material. To qualify, they must pass with an 80% mark or better. Certificates are not offered as accreditation; their purpose is to confirm successful completion of the training programs.