Occupational Therapy Program's Mission Trip to Kenya

Gwynedd Mercy University's Occupational Therapy (OT) program organized a 12-day medical mission trip to Kenya this summer in conjunction with Chariots for Hope, Cornerstone Church of Skippack, and additional healthcare providers from the community.

The GMercyU team, led by Adjunct Instructor of OT Rachel Shoener, OTR/L, included Associate Professor of OT Mindy MacRone-Wojton, DSc, OTR/L, MSOT Students Hannah Kalup and Lisa DiLullo, and alumna Linda (Farina) Harper ’88.

Instructor Shoener was introduced to the opportunity through Cornerstone Church of Skippack where Chariots for Hope is a core partner. Chariots for Hope is an organization that provides holistic care for nearly 900 orphans and vulnerable children in Kenya, addressing their physical, social, emotional, educational, and spiritual needs. This commitment extends beyond basic needs, offering care from babies to young adults, intending to support individuals until they can sustain themselves, their families, and their communities.

After attending a pilot trip to Kenya with the organization, Instructor Shoener realized there was a significant gap in accessible training and equipment to provide hearing, vision, and developmental screenings. In fact, only 1% of the 870 orphans and vulnerable children in Chariots for Hope's homes have had access to vision, hearing, or developmental screenings. This inspired her to form a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals, including speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and mental health counselors to train 27 staff members that included social workers, teachers, tutors, and dorm mothers across eight children's homes.

Our shared mission was to empower staff and caregivers by providing them with the training and equipment needed to individually care for the needs of orphans and vulnerable children. Their commitment and desire to learn more about how best to address those needs was truly inspiring.

—Instructor Shoener

Instructor Shoener recruited her colleague and teammate Professor MacRone-Wojton, who share more than 50 years of combined clinical experience working with children and caregivers, to organize the trip. They presented the opportunity to the OT cohort and two students, Hannah and Lisa, volunteered to join. 

“GMercyU’s OT program emphasizes both conceptual understanding and practical application, helping me build the abilities required to problem-solve in a variety of contexts,” Hannah said. “Its emphasis on cultural competence and interdisciplinary teamwork, combined with hands-on experiences during fieldwork placements, helped me prepare to work effectively in Kenyan communities. These experiences allowed me to apply what I had studied in real-world settings, increasing my confidence and capacity to think critically and adaptively.”

For Lisa, GMercyU’s emphasis on whole-person and collaborative care is what pushed her to join – and feel confident in making the leap.

“The program emphasizes a holistic approach to care, which was crucial when working with the children, as many faced complex challenges,” Lisa said. “The focus on interprofessional teamwork at GMercyU was key in helping me collaborate successfully with various healthcare professionals and caregivers, ensuring that our training ran effectively and was aligned with the children’s needs and the community’s resources.”

To help cover the students’ cost, Instructor Shoener and Professor MacRone-Wojton applied for and were awarded one of the President’s Excellence Grants, which supports top strategic priorities that support innovation and student success.

In a full circle and serendipitous moment, GMercyU alumna Linda (Farina) Harper '88 joined the team using her expertise as a radiologic technologist and personal experience as an African native. Linda’s parents were missionary parents who served in the county of Congo, Africa, where Linda spent 13 years until she had to evacuate to Kenya. There, she attended an American-accredited boarding school. Later in life, Linda enrolled in GMercyU’s Radiologic Technology program and has worked in the field ever since.

Linda is an active member of Cornerstone Church and has been on six mission trips with Chariots for Hope. Because of her unique background as both Kenya and a GMercyU alumna, Linda jumped at the opportunity to go on this trip.

When asked by Rachel to go on this medical trip, I was so excited. These children do not have the privilege of the kind of healthcare we here in America take for granted. I was on the Vision Team along with [OT students] Lisa and Hannah. They taught at the baby home, and I could not have been more proud of them. They taught like professionals, adapted to every situation they were faced with, and never complained. I have no doubt they will succeed in their profession and personal lives.

—Linda (Farina) Harper ’88

 Linda has since trained Instructor Shoener to take over her role in leading the future mission trips out of the Cornerstone Church of Skippack.

“This partnership is built on mutual respect, knowledge-sharing, dedication, and love for the children,” Instructor Shoener said. “Throughout this training, I witnessed the true meaning of empowerment, an experience that has forever changed my heart.

The team also left three vision kits and four audiometers for the staff to continue screenings and continues to meet with them monthly to review how the screening process is going. Currently, one of the barriers is that the homes need to share kits, making it challenging to get the kits from one home to the other due to distance and lack of transportation. The team is currently raising money to purchase additional kits so that each home will have their own.

You can support this effort by donating here.