AIDS Facts and Faces
One of the reasons we will be visiting East Africa will be to confront the tragedy of HIV/AIDS. Our first destination is the large city of Eldoret Kenya. We will be partnering with an organization named the Silas Christian Foundation. It was founded by my childhood friend Nicholas Kemboi. He lives in the slums of Silas (on the outskirts of Eldoret) and a couple years ago realized how this silent killer was uprooting and crushing the families around him. "Ukimwi" is the word for AIDS in Swahili.
Nick and 9 friends then went on to found the SCF almost two years ago. Since that time they've been responding to the overwhelming needs of the city in the following ways:
* Speaking to members of the community, school kids and prostitutes on the dangers of HIV/AIDS, and how to prevent the spread.
* Delivering food, clothing, toys, and school supplies to families and orphans that been overwhelmed by the disease and death.
* Connecting local leaders, doctors, and church leaders and urging them to stand up and address the crisis.
* Counseling HIV/AIDS sufferers
* And recently they've made two trips to Uganda and Sudan to test children and adults for the presence of AIDS - and to treat kids for the common illnesses of the area.
Kenya itself has been crippled by AIDS.
Estimates from the United Nations from 2003 reveal the following statistics:
* Adult infection rate: 6.7%
* Deaths due to AIDS in 2003: 150,000
* Those infected with AIDS: 1.2 million
* Children orphaned by AIDS: 650,000
Sometimes these figures are too hard to grasp. But working with Nick over the past year has put some faces and perspective on the pandemic.
Just last week a lady named Pamela Moraa died of AIDS. Her three children were orphaned. Her body was stuck in the mortuary because there were no funds to pay for medical bills. The kids found some help from the community with a fundraising project, and Nick was able to assist as well.
While we are in Eldoret, our team hopes to partner with Nick and the team. We will be visiting patients, recording stories, taking pictures, and helping with the counseling. We will also be networking local leaders to lend more support to the project. Another big component will be to meet with some of the prostitutes who've left the sex trade and are hoping to make a living by some other means. It's a huge challenge.
One of the reasons we will be visiting East Africa will be to confront the tragedy of HIV/AIDS. Our first destination is the large city of Eldoret Kenya. We will be partnering with an organization named the Silas Christian Foundation. It was founded by my childhood friend Nicholas Kemboi. He lives in the slums of Silas (on the outskirts of Eldoret) and a couple years ago realized how this silent killer was uprooting and crushing the families around him. "Ukimwi" is the word for AIDS in Swahili.
Nick and 9 friends then went on to found the SCF almost two years ago. Since that time they've been responding to the overwhelming needs of the city in the following ways:
* Speaking to members of the community, school kids and prostitutes on the dangers of HIV/AIDS, and how to prevent the spread.
* Delivering food, clothing, toys, and school supplies to families and orphans that been overwhelmed by the disease and death.
* Connecting local leaders, doctors, and church leaders and urging them to stand up and address the crisis.
* Counseling HIV/AIDS sufferers
* And recently they've made two trips to Uganda and Sudan to test children and adults for the presence of AIDS - and to treat kids for the common illnesses of the area.
Kenya itself has been crippled by AIDS.
Estimates from the United Nations from 2003 reveal the following statistics:
* Adult infection rate: 6.7%
* Deaths due to AIDS in 2003: 150,000
* Those infected with AIDS: 1.2 million
* Children orphaned by AIDS: 650,000
Sometimes these figures are too hard to grasp. But working with Nick over the past year has put some faces and perspective on the pandemic.
Just last week a lady named Pamela Moraa died of AIDS. Her three children were orphaned. Her body was stuck in the mortuary because there were no funds to pay for medical bills. The kids found some help from the community with a fundraising project, and Nick was able to assist as well.
While we are in Eldoret, our team hopes to partner with Nick and the team. We will be visiting patients, recording stories, taking pictures, and helping with the counseling. We will also be networking local leaders to lend more support to the project. Another big component will be to meet with some of the prostitutes who've left the sex trade and are hoping to make a living by some other means. It's a huge challenge.
posted by Dan Holcomb - Lahash at 12:13 PM
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