Serah Nthenge
MSN '04
Nursing Education

Serah Nthenge was born and raised in Kitale, Kenya, a small agricultural town of approximately 20,000 people located in the highlands. Kitale is about 8 hours from the capitol of Nairobi and 3 hours from Nakuru, the closest largest town. Her family business is dairy farming. They also grow and sell corn, wheat, tea and vegetables on their 600 acre farm with 200 head of cattle.

Nthenge is one of 10 children. When she was 12, her older brother died from injuries sustained in a car accident. After seeing his medical mismanagement, she was inspired to become a nurse. She wanted to help sick people and had always played the nurse as a child. She received her elementary education in her hometown and her secondary education in the local district.

At age 17, Nthenge went to the Nairobi Hospital School of Nursing's 3½-year diploma program. She then attended the 1-year Pumwani Midwifery School in Nairobi from which she received a diploma.  She began working in a church hospital (Kijabe Hospital) one hour north of Nairobi, first as a midwife in charge of the obstetrics department for 6 months, then as a medical-surgical supervisor for 4 years, then as Director of Nursing Services for 1½ years. She gave up that position to become a clinical instructor at Kijabe Hospital School of Nursing for 1½ years. With a scholarship from the school, she attended the University of Eastern Africa Bareton for 2 years and earned her bachelor of science in nursing degree. Afterwards, she returned to the Kijabe Hospital School of Nursing where she taught nursing for 2 years and was then deputy principal (similar to assistant dean) for 5 years.

While at Kijabe Hospital, Nthenge saw a presentation by several doctors who had volunteered in the Sudan. Moved by the plight of the Sudanese people, she was spurred into action. She volunteered with Samaritan's Purse International Relief through their Nairobi office and after a 2-week trial period, signed up for a 3-month tour.

She was sent to southern Sudan to Lui Hospital, run by Samaritan’s Purse, to develop the groundwork for a nursing assistant course. Because of the civil war in Sudan, nursing students — both men and women — were unable to complete their education. Overcoming a lack of resources, she used her prior teaching experience and skills to set up a basic nursing assistant course based on a public health curriculum. Challenges included working alone with few colleagues with whom she could consult, no classroom space (a local school later allocated several rooms), and no supplies (stethoscopes, textbooks, notepads, uniforms and other needed items were brought in from Nairobi).

The nursing assistants dealt with malnutrition of adults and children, malaria, associated anemias, diarrhea diseases, AIDS and river blindness (onchocerciasis). They also had casualties resulting from aerial bombings.

Nthenge's experience in Sudan from February to May 2002 was a positive one as the people were appreciative of anyone from around the world who arrived to offer assistance. She was "so fulfilled" as a nurse. The positives outweighed the negatives such as the lack of infrastructure in the country and war interrupting any small progress.

When in Kijabe Hospital, a Villanova Nursing alumna, Judi Troutman told her about the Villanova Graduate Nursing Program. Desiring further education as a teacher and wanting to enhance her knowledge of curriculum development, she applied and was accepted into the nursing education master's degree program and arrived at Villanova in July 2002. She began her studies in the fall of 2002 and earned her degree in December 2004. She keeps in touch with family and friends in Kenya via email, letters, text messaging, and telephone calls.

Nthenge has been impressed by the collegial relationships with students and professors here at Villanova. They "reason together" and there is a mutual respect. This is contrast to a more patriarchal British system she experienced in Kenyan schools. She wants to foster this type of relationship in the Kenyan system. Nthenge is also struck by the support for critical thinking here. The Kenyan system does not develop this. She initially found the technology, such as laptop computers and Power Point software, intimidating but sees its value.

Nthenge's career goals include returning to Sudan to expand the nursing programs to include practical nurse and registered nurse programs, teaching in a university in Kenya and later moving onto the World Health Organization.