Boston Author Katie Smith Milway will build health care “caregiver kits” to send to Africa as part of a World Vision health care outreach program.  Milway will work with approximately 20 kids from the Fiske Kids Care Club at Joseph E. Fiske Elementary School on Wednesday, January 16, 2013.  The “kit build” was inspired by Milway’s book, Mimi’s Village: And How Basic Health Care Transformed It, which details how the use of these simple health care kits can save lives in Africa.  The kids from the Fiske Kids Care Club have been doing chores to raise money for the kits since Milway read them Mimi’s Village in November 2012.

The “caregiver kit “contains the following items, many hard to come by in Africa: 1 carrying case, 1 notebook, 1 box of latex gloves (50 pairs), 1 jar of petroleum jelly, 10 bars of antibacterial soap, 4 washcloths, 1 bottle acetaminophen, 10 packets oral rehydration salts, 1 tube antifungal cream, 12 packets of water purifiers, 1 flashlight with batteries, 4 pens, 1 bag of cotton balls, and 1 handwritten note of encouragement from a Fiske Elementary student.

In this newest addition to the CitizenKid collection of inspiring stories from around the globe, Mimi Malaho and her family help bring basic health care to their community. By making small changes like sleeping under mosquito nets and big changes like building a clinic with outside help, the Malahos and their neighbors transform their Kenyan village from one afraid of illness to a thriving community.

Bestselling author Katie Smith Milway has written books and articles on sustainable development. A native of Vancouver, British Columbia, she now lives in Boston. Eugenie Fernandes is an award-winning children’s book illustrator. She lives in southern Ontario, Canada.