Bokoli Village, Kenya

We met Lennis and her husband, Benjamin, in Bokoli village in Western Kenya. The village is a control site for our partners at Global Network, a base from which they receive prenatal vitamins and distribute them throughout the satellite communities.

Lennis is one of the over 30,000 mothers to receive prenatal vitamins through our Thrive to Five project in Kenya. She began taking the vitamins when she discovered she was pregnant last year and will continue taking them while breastfeeding. Benjamin tells us that for the women of the community, taking the vitamins is a source of pride.

The twins were born at the hospital after a long labor with the support of a traditional birth attendant. The birth of baby Robert, the couple’s first son, was cause for celebration. Baby Oscar’s arrival an hour later was cause for surprise (and celebration). Lennis hadn’t known she was carrying twins until delivery. Benjamin jokingly says he wanted to run and hide when a second baby appeared! At 2 ½ months old, both boys are healthy and strong, weighing in at 5 kilos each (about 11 pounds), and clearly their parent’s own source of pride.

In 2010, through our partnership with Global Network and the Riley Mother and Baby Hospital, Vitamin Angels reached over 32,000 mothers and distributed 11,882,250 prenatal vitamins in Western Kenya. Learn more about our trip to Kenya >>