Founder

Sister Florence Muia is the founder and president of Upendo Village. She provides hands-on HIV/AIDS medical and support services as well as coordinates the efforts of the Upendo Village staff and volunteers.

Sister Florence has been a member of the Assumption Sisters of Nairobi, Kenya for more than thirty years. She has a diploma in Social Work from the Government Training Institute, a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences (Anthropology and Sociology) from Catholic University of Eastern Africa and a Master's Degree in Pastoral Counseling from Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois.

Sister Florence is Kenyan and after witnessing the silence around the HIV and AIDS epidemic in her country she was compelled in 2002 to found Upendo Village. Sister Florence had a vision to establish a Kenyan project by and for the Kenyan people desiring to create a safe haven for women, men and children affected by the disease.

In 2005, Sister Florence was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize as one of one thousand women worldwide for her dedication in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS. She has been recognized in Kenya and internationally for her work including the 2004 recipient of the Rotary International's Paul Harris Fellow Award, "in appreciation of tangible and significant assistance given for the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the worlds." And in 2007 she was the recipient of Loyola University's Chicago Damen Award in recognition "of accomplishments in industry, leadership in the community, and service to others."

Sister Florence lives and serves in Naivasha, Kenya, where Upendo Village is located.