May 12-17 2008 Real Medicine Foundation conducts a

training in the NADA auricular acupuncture protocol for The Omari Project on the coast

of Kenya. The Omari Project has residential, outpatient, and outreach

services all along the coast for treatment and prevention of heroin addiction, and for

prevention of HIV transmission.

Beth Cole, Director of Real

Medicine Foundation’s Whole Health Team

&Megan Yarberry,

RMF’s Whole Health Team Project Coordinator

Dragging in from an all night, death-defying bus ride from Uganda, we serendipitously

catch the day’s only flight to Malindi

Megan met Mohamed Shosi, Coordinator for The Omari Project, when touring coastal Kenya in

December. Shosi has since become RMF’s local coordinator for the project. He organized

trainees, the worksites, and transportation for the trainers.

Trainees Lion, Grace, Hamid &

Shosi

Trainees Nassir,

Omar, Linet & Athman

Trainees Hanifa,

Edison & Maina

Trainees Ahmed,

Mohamed & Abu

The trainees were mostly male, and – as is true of much of coastal Kenya – mostly Muslim. 5 of the trainees are ex-

addicts who have successfully completed Omari Project’s detox

program.

Our first meetings are beneath the cashew

trees at the residential facility outside Malindi

A demonstration is worth a thousand words

Trainees experience the

treatment

Lion shares results from his

first acupuncture experience

Class time

Trainees practice treatments (on each other)

Mohamed demonstrates

how to set up a clean field

Nassir demonstrates

needling

Checking point location

Everybody has a try

Everyone gets that groovy acupuncture

vibe

Lunch

Client treatments

The trainees introduce

acupuncture to the clients

The clients agree to give it a try

Reactions to treatment

Clients discuss their experiences

Some people just head for naps

Yoga Nidra with Beth

In May 2008 The Omari Project opened a new residential facility in Watamu

The house was an old Italian residence with coral walls, a thatched roof, and monitor lizards living in the overgrown garden.

Some of the Omari residential

clients

The neighborhood was invited

over for some acupuncture

In accordance with Muslim

protocol, women were treated in one area, and men another

Friday we worked from

Omari’s Malindi offices

Edison used PA power to get

the neighborhood’s

attention

The kids were first to show up, as usual

Soon, other people did

too

Afterward: Da boyz watching

the Omari-RMF movie

Manthura and Megan working on the database

Manthura, Megan, and an evil sprite

reviewing files

Certificate Ceremony

14 new NADA Specialists – a new tool for drug rehabilitation in

Kenya