cell phones

[last updated 2007 Aug 9 by sophy]

It's definitely worthwhile and recommended to have a cell phone while doing your rotation at FACES. It's the primary way to stay in touch with folks, including getting consults / feedback from medical officers, especially in Suba. You will SMS (text-message) A LOT.

-Kombo at FACES Kisumu (Lumumba Health Centre) has basic cell phones that you can borrow for free from FACES for the time you're rotating there. You just pay for the phone cards to charge the phones to make calls. These cell phones are pay-as-you-go. Kenyans call it "topping off" your phone.

-If you have a tri- or quad-band GSM phone, then you can ask your cell phone provider ahead of time to unlock your SIM card (you might need a password to unlock it), then purchase a SIM card in Kenya (it's not expensive, around US$10-20) and then purchase a pay-as-you-go phone card to put money on your phone. This is a nicer option if you particularly like your phone and it has a good texting keyboard. Be aware however that nice phones are more prone to theft; cell phone thefts are one of the most common petty crimes in Kenya.