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While doing data collection during an Early Childhood Development Study SWAP field team came across two children, a girl of 10 years and a baby boy of 1 years old in a village in Western Kenya. The youngest child was malnourished. They were both with a care taker, who was not a relative but just a well-wisher. While finding out more we learned that the children’s mother, Esther, after giving birth to her last born child became mentally ill. Her husband was a motorbike taxi rider and could not care for the children. The wife had become extremely violent and continued running away from the home. She had at one time tried to strangle her eldest daughter so the children were taken away from her. Since nobody understood what was going on and even related it to witchcraft, they decided to lock her during the day inside the mud house. Esther was always trying to escape and in the process had destroyed most of the items in the house. The family did not know what to do and the situation was desperate.

With donations through Donor See we intervened and went with a clinician to the home, who sedated her after which she was taken to the Psychiatric clinic at the nearest referral Hospital. Following some days on observation she was diagnosed with post-partum depression and psychosis and placed on medication. The treatment was very successful, she became calm and was able to slowly start resuming her usual duties of cooking, working in the garden and other household chores. The children were reintegrated with the family with close supervision of community health volunteers. The children were provided with nutritional supplements and now thriving well and happy to be back with their parents.
The family was supported with some basic items, such as soap, a water filter, fortified flour for porridge among other items. She has been slowly weaned off medication and now only will continue the next year with psychiatric clinic visits for review. She is also regular visited by community health volunteers. Esther has since drastically improved and able to be a loving mother to her children and husband.

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On behalf of SWAPKenya.nl foundation, thank you very much for all your generous donations!