Great opportunity to grow – for both sides

SolidarMed is very happy that the project «Gearing up for sickle cell testing in rural Kenya» gained the support of the MSD Richard T. Clark Fellowship for Global Health. This is a 10-week corporate volunteer program that identifies highly qualified MSD employees to serve as Fellows and partner with nonprofit, non-governmental organizations to fulfill their missions. 

The primary beneficiaries are infants, children, and adolescent sickle cell disease clients. The goal of the three participants Danielle Klafter, Laura Cattani and Tosin Dipeolu was to support DAMKA, the local implementer, and SolidarMed in identifying solutions to increase the diagnosis of infants and children with sickle cell disease in a low-resource setting to address this significant unmet need and reduce infant and child mortality and morbidity. 

Sustainable fight against gegen Sickle Cell Disease

Participant Danielle Klafter is impressed: “Witnessing the community's strength and resilience was inspiring and reinforced my commitment to driving positive change. Our journey involved effective collaboration and dedication, leading to sustainable interventions for combating Sickle Cell Disease. We created a strategic document for policy advocacy, designed a new data tool, raised public awareness, developed social media platforms, and established global funding avenues.” 

“My time in rural Kenya was transformative and deeply moving. Witnessing immediate the resilience of a community facing significant challenges, including poverty and limited access to basic needs, reshaped my understanding of hardship. This journey underscored the importance of empathy and collaboration in creating meaningful change”, Laura Cattani adds. 

Appreciation for global healthcare

Obviously, this experience touched the participants: “The community's dedication and gratitude were overwhelming, and the bond with DAMKA fueled our drive to make a real difference. The MSD RTC Fellowship has enriched my professional skills and deepened my appreciation for global healthcare and community-driven change”, Tosin Dipeolu emphasises.

But not only the participants were happy with their work. Project administrator Kosano Hillary summarises: “The MSD RTC Fellowship has brought invaluable growth to DAMKA. The RTC Fellows have strengthened our ability to collect and analyze data with tools like Kobo Toolbox, which is already enhancing our tracking of program outcomes and supporting evidence-based decision-making. The creation of SCD educational materials has significantly broadened awareness in schools, hospitals, and community centers, and will be instrumental in early diagnosis and care for years to come. Furthermore, the crowdfunding platform the fellows launched through M-Changa has opened up new funding channels, supporting key programs like our neonatal screening pilot and building our online visibility. Working with the fellows has also refined our internal roles and project management practices, fostering greater operational efficiency and expanding our reach to new supporters locally and globally.”

SolidarMed and DAMKA are very grateful for this opportunity MSD Richard T. Clark Fellowship for Global Health offered.

Learn more about the project DAMKA in Kenya