POETRY.

In recent meetings CHWs have been sharing poetry about their experiences.

See below for videos and transcripts of poems shared.

A Community Health Worker seated at the entrance of a house with a mother and her three children

Wuqu Kawoq

POET AND ADVOCATE, LOYCE NYABOKE

Loyce Nyachio Nyaboke has been serving as a community health worker for the past seven years in Nyamira County, Kenya. She is driving enrolment in the CHW Advocacy Course across the country and co-leading a national campaign to secure enhanced health outcomes through recognition and remuneration of community health workers.

At a recent CHW Activate meeting, Loyce shared her poem of lament and demand with her fellow CHWs. Her stirring reflections got the digital equivalent of a standing ovation.

See a live recording and full text below.

SPOKEN WORD

Echoes from Earth: The Silent Sentinels.

TRANSCRIPT OF POEM

Clad in attire pristine, not nuns but unseen,
Wandering far, like whispers in between.
Watching the young and the elderly’s breath,
Invisible hands battling illness and death.

They stand as guardians, secrets they unfold,
Illnesses harbored, their stories retold.
In town’s warm embrace, tales they amass,
Sharing truths with the earth, a bond unsurpassed.

Should boats defy oceans in reckless defiance,
Buses stall in echoes of strained reliance,
Even the train, frugal and cheap,
Hold within warriors, their vigilance steep.

But what of the plane in skies vast and high?
Amongst clouds, do they flutter, winging by?
Visas for horizons, foreign and new,
Donors’ investments, where dreams once flew.

Compensation is elusive for the roles they portray,
Enhancing a performance, day after day.
Their voices are like echoes, searching for sound,
In roles they embody, in the ground, they’re bound.

On the government’s path, they silently stand,
Bearing bowls and hopes with humble demand.
Seeking fairness in a shared noon reprieve,
A platform for dialogue, a moment to believe.

Tattered gear and promotions amiss,
They trust like we do, in the fate they enlist.
A bridge of faith, their reports unfold,
Hoping for timely returns, a future to hold.

Weary they stand, overlooked in the grind,
Unabsorbed, neglected, fate less kind.
Exposed to pandemics, the world’s chilling storms,
Unseen, yet essential, a purpose to perform.

When will the help arrive, a soothing balm,
Remember them kindly, their tireless psalm.
For in their quiet echoes, the community’s plea,
A purpose united a shared destiny.

Two women seated on the ground while holding papers

Possible

Poet and advocate, Rahab Mwangi

Rahab Mwangi is a dedicated community health promoter in Ruaka Subcounty, Nairobi County, Kenya. She has a background in theology and a strong passion for holistic well-being. Currently, Rahab is pursuing a Mental Health Counseling certificate and a Master of Science in Addiction Counseling.