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By Joyce Gathu
About 22 years ago, Dr Jean Kaggia had a heart wrenching experience that changed the course of her life forever. On a single day, the gynaecologist attended to 40 women of all ages who had post-abortion complications.
"This strongly bothered my conscience and as a Christian doctor, I vowed to find a lasting solution to protect girls from resulting to abortion," says Dr Kaggia.
Born in Limuru, Kiambu County, Dr Kaggia, who was a Government doctor, was all too aware of the extent to which the society was intolerant to young, pregnant teenagers.
In desperation, many turned to abortion. Most used blood-cuddling methods such as drinking poisonous concoctions that were often fatal.
But the married mother of three knew that fighting abortion was going to be a tough course and she sought support from like-minded doctors.
Together they formed a Christian medical fellowship programme to counter efforts from many quarters who were pushing for the legalisation of abortion.
Dr Jean Kaggia at the rescue centre [Photo/ Joyce Gathu]
"It was not easy since during this time abortion had become an extremely contentious issue," She recalled.
While many were debating the legal and moral aspect of it, many young women were fighting for their lives in post-abortion care wards.
Statistics from the Reproductive Health and Rights Alliance reveal that every year, an estimated 8,000 women and girls in Kenya lose their lives to unsafe abortion.
Immediate and long-term interventions were needed to respond to the crisis.
Dr Kaggia "I remembered a story in the Bible in the book of Exodus where the children of the Hebrews were becoming too many. Pharaoh ordered the killing of every boy. In fact midwives were directed to kill the children at birth."
She says that, as the story goes, babies were to be thrown into River Nile. Moses’ mother obeyed Pharaoh and took the baby to the river, unlike those who drowned theirs, she built a basket and brought a relative to take care of the child.
That biblical analogy was to become the adage that inspired Kaggia and colleagues to establish of a rescue centre in Murang’a County.
Dr Kaggia says "We told the church that your girls are being washed away by rivers of abortion, suicide and complications and just like Moses’ mother, you have an obligation to establish a basket for the victims."
She adds "To take care of the basket, we needed people from the family including the church, counsellors and house mothers because they are the only ones who can look after children as per their cultural beliefs."
After years of marketing this concept to the communities, in April last year Kiambuthia Rescue Kiota was established spearheaded by Dr Kaggia.
Kiota — Swahili name for net— shelters young pregnant girls rejected by their families and the society.
"Most of these girls have been chased from their homes because they are pregnant, but through the programme they are mentored and inspired to be courageous enough to carry their pregnancy to full term instead of opting for abortion," explains Dr Kaggia.
However, it is not only families grappling with the challenges of unwanted pregnancies, even children homes that house orphans get caught in the mare.
"We have a 13 year old girl from a children’s home at the centre, because there are no provisions in law on how to handle pregnant children," she notes.
To widen her outreach, Dr Kaggia says that plans are underway to establish similar rescue centres in Kwale, Naivasha and Moi’s Bridge, North Rift.
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