A young boy receives care during a Mercy and Love Foundation medical outreach in Kenya.
ROSELLE, NJ — It’s no coincidence that her name is Mercy.
Mercy Otieno, president and CEO of Mercy and Love Foundation, started participating in missions in 2016 with different organizations. The work comes genuinely for Otieno, who is in the healthcare field.
“I have a natural empathy for people,” she said.
The Roselle resident went on her first mission in 2016.
“I felt like a whole new person,” Otieno said. “I was euphoric the whole time. I went to Jamaica. I love this. This is my calling. I’m not called to be in an office, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. I’m there for those crying out for a voice. I felt like that was my purpose. I went to Ghana in West Africa. It was a lot of work, but it was satisfying in the end. I felt a calling to start an organization that will help a lot of African counties. That’s where I’m familiar and there’s a connection. This is how Mercy and Love Foundation came to be. It’s compassion and love that draws us to these places.”
She explained that some of these people haven’t seen a doctor since they were born. “Even something as simple as a toothache,” she said. “We don’t hear about it here in the states. If you leave a toothache for a long time, it can lead to death.”
Otieno and the Mercy and Love Foundation will be going on their third mission.
“We’re going to bring surgeons along as well,” she said. “Last year, we had dentists. There are 15 of us. We always partner with local health care professionals. We’re known in Western Kenya and the rural areas. The government knows us. We’re also very big on teaching. It’s another reason why partnering with the local health care professionals is important. It’s a knowledge exchange and they can learn the latest, best practices. After we leave, they can implement what they learn from us.”
In addition to healthcare, the Mercy and Love Foundation also has an education scholarship fund.
“We want to empower the future generations,” Otieno said. “We want to break the cycle of poverty. Poverty is a lack of education. In Kenya, education is free until eighth grade. High school and beyond, parents pay tuition. They are very bright kids, but their potential goes to waste. Their parents can’t afford putting them through high school or college. They end up dropping out and working at a farm, doing odd jobs to bring in money to help (their) family. We’ll give scholarships out to high school and college students.”
Otieno grew up in Kenya and knew the challenges they faced.
“I’m still invested in what goes on there,” she said. When she first came to the United States at age 12, she lived in Jersey City and then moved to Roselle, where she’s been living the past 20 years.
One of the biggest challenges for Otieno is fundraising.
“You have to sell the vision and hope that somebody will see and believe in the vision,” she said. “Rejection is the hardest thing. Not everybody is going to be for it. I’m such a sensitive person. Rejection is tough for me. That comes along with fundraising. You write a proposal or apply for sponsorship and you get a rejection. We want everybody to be excited about the vision. This is not realistic in this world.”
Despite the challenges, Otieno loves doing this work.
To learn more about Mercy and Love Foundation, visit: https://www.mercyandlovefoundation.org/.
Photos Courtesy of Mercy Otieno
