He Who Brings His Community to Care

For more than four years, Lobulu, a local Maasai chief responsible for a community of more than 200 people, has taken on a role that goes far beyond his traditional responsibilities. Whenever he hears of someone within his community or even beyond it—struggling with a neurological condition, he does not simply tell them where to seek help. He brings them himself. From Makuyuni, about 37 miles from FAME, Lobulu gathers patients in a minibus and makes the journey to FAME, connecting people from Maasai communities with specialized neurological care that may otherwise be difficult to access.

It began unexpectedly. During a visit to Lobulu’s community, a group of tourists noticed a child with a neurological condition. Among them was Sandra, who took the initiative to connect Lobulu with Dr. Michael Rubenstein, a Professor of Clinical Neurology and Director of Health Equities and Global Health in the Department of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania. That introduction opened a door that has remained open for more than four years.

Dr. Rubenstein visits FAME twice a year, bringing neurology residents who spend a total of 12 weeks each year at the hospital. Together, they conduct neurological clinics at FAME and extend care into surrounding communities through outreach. For Lobulu, this has created an important link between people in his community and clinicians with specialized knowledge of conditions affecting the brain and nervous system.

Over the years, Lobulu has continued to identify people who need care, organize them in Makuyuni, and bring them to FAME. Some have arrived with severe neurological problems, including epilepsy, while others have come with different neurological disorders that have affected their ability to live normal lives. For Lobulu, the changes he has witnessed have made the journey worth repeating.

“I had people who were sick with epilepsy and other neurological disorders who have recovered completely. Some of them were able to get married and now have raised their own healthy children. For the past four years, each year I have been making three trips to FAME with those already in treatment and those who are new. This clinic has really been of significant importance to my community,” Lobulu says.

What began with one child and an unexpected introduction has grown into a sustained pathway to neurological care for people who might otherwise struggle to reach it. And every time Lobulu gathers patients in Makuyuni and begins the 37-mile journey to FAME, he is doing more than bringing people to a clinic—he is helping his community reach care, one patient at a time.