Nico Memorial Medical Clinic

The Nico Memorial Medical Clinic is the heart of Shomeka Outreach ministries. The clinic will service three general purposes: caring for women on an outpatient basis before and after they have a baby, providing inpatient labor and delivery services, and serving as an outpost for community education programs.

The clinic will feature:

• Triage beds for evaluation of patients
• Private labor and delivery rooms
• A newborn nursery
• A large postpartum ward
• Exam rooms for prenatal and post-natal visits
• Basic laboratory testing
• A pharmacy for inpatient and outpatient needs

The maternity clinic is named after the life of Nico Everett Swenson, a precious baby who was carried to heaven shy of his 1st birthday. Shomeka Outreach would like to honor Nico and his family by not only naming the clinic in his memory, but more so, by pledging to stay faithful to the cause of Shomeka....to promote life and health and hope for those in need of medical care, like Nico and his mother.

Micro-Finance Projects for Women

Kazungula is a village that sits along the Zambezi River, bordering both Botswana and Zimbabwe. Since much traffic crosses the river at this junction, the demand for and occurrence of prostitution is common. For mothers, prostitution serves as a simple avenue to provide for the needs of the family. These behaviors hold many negative consequences, but one major risk is contracting HIV/AIDS, which is rampant in this area of Zambia.

Through the help of the Zambian volunteers, Shomeka has been able to educate women of the risks of prostitution and offer alternative means of providing for financial needs. The women are counseled, connected with HIV/AIDS testing and treatment options, and assisted to begin micro-finance projects such as raising chickens or selling produce. This enables them to break the ties of prostitution and become healthier and independent women and mothers.

Traveling Clinics

A group of physicians, professors, and students from Pennsylvania recently held traveling clinics in Kazungula and 4 other area villages. They were assisted by two Zambian doctors and the officials from the Kazungula Department of Health. Patients walked from miles away to obtain treatment and medication, some never before seeing a physician. The team was able to treat 560 patients in 6 days, working long, but rewarding hours. They gave immunizations, counseled and diagnosed HIV/AIDS patients, and participated in the births of new babies.

As the clinic begins operations, more opportunities for community health programs and traveling clinics will arise. Visit the ‘Get Involved’ page for more information regarding short term volunteer opportunities.