In July I offered my services for a Humanitarian Mission to Kenya. A group of Osteopaths was being brought together by the Divinity Foundation.

The Divinity Foundation is a small, voluntary non-profit humanitarian organisation. Through its healthcare, education and food aid program it provides support to orphaned, abandoned and impoverished children in Kenya.

I will be involved in visiting the Kibera slums and orphanage in Nairobi and setting up a remote clinic in the Pokot desert. There I'll be treating, counseling and providing medical supplies to orphaned children, pregnant women and families.

I started fund raising for the mission in July and have received many kind donations, including a very generous donation of £750, which will cover my expenses of travel, food and accommodation. I continue to fund raise as i can then help provide medication, solar panels and shelters once i am there.

The trip was due to go out in October, but recently there has been severe drought in the north and resources are needed to focus on providing aid, so the mission has been postponed until May 2010. I am very excited and a little nervous, but looking forward to the challenge!

I will keep this blog on the practice website, so you can follow the fund raising progress and share in my experiences whilst in Kenya.

The Stockbridge Osteopathic Practice had much pleasure in sponsoring and supporting the Houghton Trail Event, run on 26th April. It was a perfect morning and over 200 people turned up for the run and cycle event.

Mark and I caught up with many past patients and took lots of new enquires. We provided pre and post race massages for the runners and cyclists, which were well received and helpful to their recovery process.

We saw some interesting cases of muscle fatigue, acute achillies tendonitis, sprained ankle and bursitis and thoroughly enjoyed our productive morning. We look forward to attending the Great Clarendon Run and Hursley Fun Run in the early Autumn.

There are some more photos from the event here.

See you in the Autum! Emma Wightman