Article June 23, 2003 Issue

A nurse gives Kenyans food for thought

By Barbara Weigt

I worked for 12 years as a missionary nurse among the Kikuyu tribespeople on the rim of the Great Rift Valley in Kenya.

My job was to do a lot more than just spread the Bible's good news. I was required to help develop a hospital where we could treat a wide range of diseases—including a high incidence of tuberculosis, as well as malnutrition, especially among children.

One might have thought the Kenyan lifestyle would prevent such difficulties. The women did all that vigorous bending and stretching as they worked in the fields, breathing unpolluted fresh air. The food was home-grown and "natural"—without additives or fancy processing. The children ran ten miles to school over the hills—and back again. (No obesity problems there.) And the men made "fortunes" by traveling abroad to compete in city marathons.