Kenyan musician in anti-jigger campaign

Paralympics marathoner Henry Wanyoike and ‘Kitu Kimoja’ singer Avril on Saturday joined the Thika School of Blind students in an anti-jigger campaign in Muranga.

Monday, October 22, 2012
The Star

Paralympics marathoner Henry Wanyoike and ‘Kitu Kimoja’ singer Avril on Saturday joined the Thika School of Blind students in an anti-jigger campaign in Muranga.The team, led by Ahadi Kenya Trust ambassador Cecilia Mwangi and the CEO Stanley Kamau, spent the morning hours cleaning and treating jigger infested children’s feet in Kihumbuini Primary School in Gatanga."I’ve only seen this on TV. I was lucky that during my childhood days, my mother was a neat freak so there was no way I was going to walk bare foot as a child. I however think that with the right education this could be controlled, "Avril told Word Is, hinting that she could be joining the campaign as a permanent volunteer.Avril also entertained the students as the blind students sang along word for word to her songs. Wanyoike, who was volunteering for the second time having participated in the same exercise in Gatunyu a few months ago, talked about the experience as "humbling”."I just hope that one day these jigger menace will be eradicated because if not treated early, the jiggers could lead to amputation of the infected limb,” he said.The weekend exercise also saw Association for the Physically Disabled of Kenya (APDK) and AIC Cure hospital officials participate in the exercise for the first time.