Why HopeCore? by Ari Rasori

As a nurse practitioner who is passionate about Global Health, there are many different organizations that I would love to work for…but the truth is, I am content returning to Kenya..year after year, to my team and my family at HopeCore.

Below I will share a little history of my “Why HopeCore” for those who are interested.

Chogoria, Kenya… 

The red earth is damp from the recent rain and the air is thick with a mixture of fumes and fresh soil. Cars and motorbikes are flying by me dodging potholes in the road as I walk past old wooden fruit stands stacked with colorful, freshly picked produce. Kind, weathered faces look up and smile at me as I walk through the town. I have arrived back in Chogoria. 

I first set foot in this village when I was three years old. Although I don’t have any specific memory of my time here, every year I return to this place, it always feels like home.   

My father, a physician dedicated to global health and travel medicine – met Dr. Kajira (the founder of HopeCore) in the 1980s. Dr. Kajira was born and raised in the village of Chogoria, on the slopes of Mt. Kenya. When he was a child, Dr. Kajira dropped out of elementary school because his family could not afford the $8.00 annual school fee. Experiencing firsthand the hardships of poverty in rural Kenya, Dr. Kajira worked hard to find a way to the United States where he started as a flower gardener and janitor, working his way up to earning a Doctorate of law from UCLA and working as a lawyer for 40 years in Los Angeles before he decided to execute his dream of starting a poverty eradication and health program in his own village back in Kenya. 

My father was with Dr. Kaijira on the first day that this program was started in Kenya, in 2001. 20 years earlier, this program was just a dream. The program started on the front porch of an old storefront with 12 village women and two men (my father and Dr. Kajira). With only $5,000 these 12 women began their own enterprises and started a legacy. 

Fast forward to today, 23 years later, our program has a budget of over 1.6 million and we serve a population of over 350,000 rural Kenyans. 

After 1987, my first time in Kenya when I was 3 years old, the next time I would set foot in this village to experience the HopeCore program was in 2006. I had finished my degree in pre-med at UC Santa Barbara. I knew I wanted to pursue a career in medicine but my 3-week stay in Chogoria with HopeCore, changed the direction of my career path forever. 

There were a few pivotal experiences during my short stay in 2006 that made me realize I wanted to get involved in global health. The most influential moment was when I stepped into a dark concrete room packed with mothers and young children strapped in colorful cloth to their backs. Some of these mothers had walked on foot up to 10 hours through the night just to receive free healthcare for their children.

What I witnessed in 2006 is what I still witness today in 2023 and the reason why I return every year to Kenya. HopeCore is not only providing free healthcare services to the members of their community – they are working to improve EVERY aspect of life for the families of their communities, from economic empowerment to healthcare and capacity building. This comprehensive, multi-disciplinary approach is not only unique but inspiring when you get to experience it firsthand. 

I knew then that global health was going to be a passion and I wanted to find a way to contribute and get involved with HopeCore. Since I wasn’t a medical professional yet, I started helping with their marketing content – making flyers, photo reports, and a few short videos about the impact of the program.

Even though medicine was my passion, I began to develop a deep respect for the importance of economic empowerment and its effect on the health of society. HopeCore didn’t begin as a health program, it began as a micro-enterprise program – providing loans to village women who otherwise would not be able to have the opportunity to start their own businesses or generate their own income for their families. 

The model of HopeCore aligns with the well-known saying from Mahatma Gandhi, “if you give me rice, I will eat today. If you teach me to grow rice, I will eat every day” 

This sustainable approach to healthcare and economic empowerment is why HopeCore continues to succeed and thrive. 

After I finished my Nurse Practitioner post-masters program, I worked both in the ER and in primary care as an NP. I was feeling engaged but also finished many of my days wanting more. Since my father had continued to be the medical director at HopeCore since its inception in 2000- I had peripherally stayed involved in the HopeCore operations, understanding the challenges and the triumphs as I watched this program break through barriers and overcome the many hurdles it takes to be a grass-roots non-profit in rural Kenya. 

As an NP my passion shifted to wanting to support our nurses and healthcare providers on the HopeCore team in Kenya. I began the cross-cultural global health program, MedTreks Kenya with a few very clear goals: 

• A chance for non-Kenyan medical professionals to witness an effective and efficient healthcare delivery system in a resource-limited area while getting the unique opportunity to work side-by-side with our Kenyan staff 

• An opportunity for our Kenyan staff to receive continuing medical education from various healthcare providers who specialize in certain topics such as maternal health, family medicine, orthopedics, pediatrics, etc. 

This program is rooted in a respectful and collaborative approach. It is a knowledge exchange that benefits both sides. Too many times have I heard stories and also experienced personally, the harmful effects of humanitarian medicine. 

The goal of MedTreks Kenya is to pave a new path forward with global health and humanitarian interventions – one that focuses heavily on learning, experience, sustainable and effective interventions…and of course, collaboration. 

In the last 5 years, I have become more involved in the HopeCore program in Kenya, moving from just volunteering my time to make flyers to becoming part of the leadership team in the Public Health and Marketing departments. 

It has been an honor to work with our HopeCore Kenya team. Because I return every year to bring medical professionals through our MedTreks Kenya program – I feel it is important for me to be regularly involved in HopeCore, Kenya. I get to experience the inside operations and be part of the decisions but I also get to truly understand this program and be able to share this intimate and very personalized experience with those who come to Kenya through MedTreks. 

Global health work is challenging but it is deeply rewarding. It is not a path for everyone, but I think all medical professionals should experience it or at least take the time to learn about it.

Understanding how medicine is practiced in other parts of the world gives us a better perspective and ultimately makes us better medical professionals. 

I feel so grateful for having the opportunity to have this as part of my life and it is why I want to create ways for others to get these experiences and find their own journeys in global medicine. 

HopeCore is at the forefront of changing lives in scalable, cost-effective, and empowering ways. I am continually amazed by this program, the team, and the work they are doing each and every day.

If you want to get more involved in global health or simply want to experience an inspiring program that has an immense impact on its community…I invite you to join us in Kenya.

Asante Sana,

Ari Rasori