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Nicole Nichols

Travels to Africa- Part 3: A Day at the HIV-AIDS Clinic

Updated: Jun 8, 2022

Photographers Vision for Africa: Nacohag Medical Centre

I realized today that I have gotten behind on sharing my favorite images from my travels to Africa.  I have so many stories to tell, so many pictures to edit, and so little time. If you missed the past couple of stories please check out: Part 1: All I Want for Christmas Part 2: Macheka- the Girls Orphanage.  And please keep following my blog, because I have at least five more stories to share with as many people as I can.


a street full of kids in front of the clinic in Kenya at HIV-AIDS clinic

a street full of kids in front of the clinic in Kenya



a street full of kids in front of the clinic in Kenya at HIV-AIDS clinic

a young child through the window of the clinic


When I was in Naivasha, Kenya volunteering with Friends Vision we spent one day visiting a local HIV-AIDS clinic.  Visiting a medical clinic in a third world country is quite shocking at first.  Not quite as pristine as the white walls and modern high-tech rooms we encounter in the U.S.  Nacohag Medical Center is a very simple modest facility with multi-colored walls, old concrete, and building standards that likely would not be approved of in the states.  However, their physicians do amazing work for the community and the locals are quite fortunate to have this clinic and the multitude of services they provide from HIV testing to delivering babies.  It was interesting to listen to the manager of the clinic talk to us about the needs of the community, how far they have come, and how far they still have to go.  The amount of HIV cases has been on a steady decline so now instead of just focusing on treatment, they are able to focus more of their time on prevention through sexual education.


Photographers Vision for Africa volunteers their time taking pictures for the clinics website

Photographers Vision for Africa volunteers their time taking pictures for the clinics website



Photographers Vision for Africa volunteers their time taking portraits of the medical staff in Kenya at HIV-AIDS clinic

Photographers Vision for Africa volunteers their time taking portraits of the medical staff in Kenya at HIV-AIDS clinic



Steven helps with computer maintanence

Steven helps with computer maintanence


They asked our group, Photographers Vision for Africa, to take pictures of the staff and the building facilities for their new website. And my husband, the computer IT guy of the group, spent time in their office helping clean up their computer systems to get them running more efficiently.  We also had a donated laptop we were able to give them which as always thrilled them to have.


kids try to sneak in to see who the visitors are

kids try to sneak in to see who the visitors are


I’m not sure if we just happened to be on a street that was a popular hang out for kids, but there was definitely an overwhelming amount of children playing in the streets and surrounding us at all times.  They curiously watched from the windows and peeked through the doorways as far as the staff would let them.   Many of them had no shoes, and many of them asked us for water and candy.  They laughed and joked with us, despite hardly being able to understand each other.  Their stomach may have been empty and their feet bare, but their hearts were full and their spirits high.


kids try to sneak in to see who the visitors are

kids try to sneak in to see who the visitors are


To see more of my pictures taken while volunteering with this HIV-AIDS clinic in Kenya, please play the slideshow below.

[mbspremium slideshow=1]

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