Bonyo's Kenya Mission
Changing the world one life at a time
"I am grateful for the experiences and memories I am taking away from serving at the Bonyo clinic. As a second year medical student with much schooling still ahead, it’s hard not to lose yourself to imposter syndrome by thinking you only will be useful when you are an attending physician. But, this experience proved me wrong. Being a clinician to these strong Kenyan individuals, they instilled a confidence in myself that I will take with me forever. They helped me realize that it’s not the big discoveries or tasks in medicine that help shape lives, it’s the little things that make it worth it - an ankle injection that brings an individual back to their youthful days, eye glasses to help them see more clearly, or just offering a hand beside a fearful patient admitted to an overnight stay at the clinic. It brought me back to the basics and showed me how powerful they are in developing a foundation as a doctor. Through using his own drive, Dr. Bonyo has created a legacy that will continue to shape future physicians and I am forever thankful to be a part of it.”
- Himani, KCU Class of 2026
“Volunteering at the Mama Pilista clinic was an eye-opening experience into the differences of Kenyan health care and the practice of tropical medicine. In the short time of being there, I quickly learned how to work as part of a medical team, adapted to taking a patient's history with a translator's help, and gained more confidence in performing exams and diagnosing patients. I also learned and saw so much more about various skin findings on darker skin tones than I had or would ever learn in my current medical curriculum. Through both the patients and the translators, I gained more insight and knowledge into the beautiful Kenyan culture and the language of the Nuo people. Aside from experiencing the culture, the best part of this experience was seeing the grateful smiles of the patients and knowing that it was caused by our hard efforts.”
- Vivian, KCU-Joplin, Class of 2025
“This Kenya trip has exceeded all of my expectations in the best way possible. It was a wonderful privilege to be able to serve the people of Kenya and the people from your home village. I have learned a great deal working at the clinic with patients from the rural parts of Kisumu, while also receiving invaluable direct mentorship from all of the attendings, which I am sure will prove to be extremely useful during my 3rd and 4th year rotations. Overall, this trip has left a great impression on me and motivates me to continue embarking on more medical outreach missions in the future in countries that need help. Thank you for allowing us to be part of this experience in taking care of the people of your village and showing us all the beautiful things Kenya has to offer.”
- Gordon, KCU, Class of 2026
“After surviving the first year of medical school, I wanted an experience to remind me why I got into medicine. Bonyo’s Kenya Mission is truly everything that medicine is about - helping people no matter their circumstances and meeting them where they are. It was a true honor to be a volunteer with Bonyo and his team, and I was able to learn skills for clinical rotation early on. The trip was beautiful, inspiring, and educational.”
- Heleena
“My goal with global health trips is to go beyond the pathology of the health problems we encounter, and try to understand how people make do in their existing health systems. Working with Bonyo’s Kenya Mission opened my eyes to the resilience of the Kenyan people. Everywhere we went, people were working hard, trying to make an honest living and provide for their families. It was this hard-working spirit that motivated me in my work at the clinic and made the care we provided all the more meaningful. Rather than installing a temporary patch for their problems, we inserted ourselves into the existing grassroots vision of the clinic and built lasting relationships within a sustainable health system. I will absolutely return to Kenya in the near future to expound on these relationships and build new ones.“
- Rajbir
“I was inspired by the love, community, and culture. My experience was it was an honor to go and serve and bond with the community. I have developed more as a person and discovered more about my purpose here on the earth. From the babies to the oldest adults I have learned something valuable. My life has been impacted tremendously for the better, I have grown and I am not the same person who went on the mission. I am grateful to you Dr. Bonyo for allowing me to come alongside you and the mission team. It is because of God I had this awesome opportunity. Keep doing this great work for God and the people of Kenya.”
- Michelle
“Amazing experience! I learned so much about tropical medicine and being able to diagnose patients with malaria. Unlike any other mission trips I have been on, this clinic allowed us to round on patients that were admitted on the previous days. Seeing the in-patients get progressively better was extremely rewarding.”
- Carmen