Life and hope for Kenyans living with HIV and AIDS

News from Upendo Village

Upendo Village Welcomes Sr. Florence this February!

Sr. Florence will be making her first ever trip to the United States from February 8-28 and has quite a few speaking arrangements set up. Events and dates that are open to the public are listed in RED. If you have questions about any of the events below, or would like to possibly add to the calendar, contact Marybeth at 630.909.6604.

February 11 & 12
St. Elizabeth Church
Chicago, IL

Sr. Florence will be speaking at all masses. Saturday at 4:00pm and Sunday at 8:00am and10:30am

February 16
Our Lady of the Angels Motherhouse--Auditorium
Wheaton, IL
The Wheaton Franciscans will be hosting a night of refreshments and candid conversation with Sr. Florence. Stop by and bring a friend to learn about the life giving work of Upendo Village from 5:00pm-7:00pm.

February 17
Immaculate Conception High School
Elmhurst, IL
Upendo Village has been chosen as the Lenten Project for Immaculate Conception Parish this year. Sr. Florence will be speaking to the high school students about what Upendo Village is, and the differences in the lives between comparative age groups to these students, and how Upendo Village is helping change their lives.

February 18 & 19
Immaculate Conception Parish
Sr. Florence will be speaking at all masses. Saturday at 5:15pm and Sunday at 7:30am, 9:00am, 11:30am and 5:15pm

February 19 from 2:00pm-4:00pm
Kie&Kate Couture and Cuvee Wine Cellars
Elmhurst, IL

Between the 11:30am and 5:15pm masses at Immaculate conception, Kie&Kate Couture and Cuvee Wince Cellars will be hosting a fun reception for people to meet Sr. Florence on a more personal level. Plus, 10% of all purchases that are made by Upendo Village Supporters will be donated to Upendo Village!

February 21
Immaculate Conception Grade School
Elmhurst, IL
Sr. Florence will be speaking to grads K-8 about Upendo Village and the differences between the life of a child their age here in comparison to a child in Kenya, and how Upendo Village is helping change their lives and future.

February 22
Cardinal Meyer Center
Chicago, IL
Sr. Florence will be meeting with the leaders of the Black Catholic churches in the Archdioces of Chicago

February 23
Loyola University
Chicago, IL

Sr. Florence will be visiting her alma mater to speak to a class that will be traveling to Upendo Village in June.

February 25

Grandmothers to Grandmothers Program

Sr. Florence will be meeting with the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Program from Sr. Joan of Arc Church in Lisle. This grassroots program was recently in the news for their efforts in assisting the grandmothers of Upendo Village. Read the article here.

Help Upendo Village Win $5000!

We have entered our youtube video in Good + Brookside Foods "Give Back" Challenge! The submission that gets the most votes will receive a $5000 grant towards operations! Please go to this link and vote for Upendo Village before December 9 at Noon PST. Please share the link with your friends, family and online social networks to have them vote too. As supporters, you know how much good $5000 can do in Upendo Village. Also, if we get to the most discussed or most watched, Upendo Village will be introduced to the thousands of followers of Good! Please vote and paste the links below in your Facebook status and Tweets! Thanks in advance!

Go here to vote for Upendo Village: http://brooksidefoods.maker.good.is/projects/UpendoVillage

Update your Facebook status to something like this: Hello Friends! Please help this wonderful cause I support by going to http://brooksidefoods.maker.good.is/projects/UpendoVillage and voting for them to win a $5000 grant! Watch the video there, or go to www.upendovillage.org for more info on the organization. Voting ends December 9 at Noon PST! Please paste this into your status for an least an hour to urge your friends to vote too. Thank you!

Tweet this: RT: Vote4 @UpendoVillage in the #good+brooksidechallenge. Most votes wins $5000 grant! Vote 4 us http://bit.ly/rTS1j8 by Dec9

We are sending this voting information to all of the supporters of Upendo Village, but we could use all the help we can get, so once you get the e-mail, please forward it to your friends and family. Thank you so much for your continued support!

Flooding in Upendo Village

October 24, 2011

Urgent Update from Upendo Village

While the horn of Africa has been experiencing drought, a sudden downpour on Thursday afternoon created a menacing outcome for Upendo Village. A nearby retention pond overflowed sending a crash of water through the neighboring secondary school and through the perimeter wall of Upendo Village, flooding the compound below the Sisters'

residence and collapsing the wall behind the generator. The collapse of the perimeter wall and portion of the Sisters' residence poses an immediate threat as less than a year ago, Upendo Village experienced a robbery. Additionally, the torrent of dirty water from the retention pond contaminated the underground water tank which has been a crucial element of operations during the drought. In response to this devastation, the security company has been contacted to provide additional security at night for the duration of the time that the wall is in repair, and the underground tank is being pumped out to be cleaned. Sr. Florence has also been in contact with various community leaders to determine what improvement options are available for the retention pond to increase drainage efficiency and avoid future flooding. Thanks to generous donors, some money was left in the Recovery Fund after the robbery and is being usedtowards the added cost of guards and tank cleaning. As long as these funds last, they will be made available during the repairing process. The unforeseen added expense adds strain to our already tight budget due to increased expenses and high inflation. However, the emergent nature of these repairstake precedence as the safety of the Sisters and clients of Upendo Village are of utmost importance. Please keepUpendo Village in your prayers during this time of recovery. If you would like to help make sure that these incidents are always treated with immediate responseand care, you can donate to the recovery fund at www.upendovillage.org/help -

http://cts.vresp.com/c/?UpendoVillageNFP/06d741be56/TEST/68e2aebf11

Thank you and God bless,

Upendo Village Staff

Holiday Marketplace--November 10, 2011--UPDATE!

The holiday marketplace is coming, and all of the proceeds will go to Upendo Village! This event will be a bigger production than it has been in the past as you can see in the poster, so we need help! We are looking for volunteers to donate their time the day of the event, bakers, and donations to the white elephant sale. Please contact Marybeth Medrano if you have any questions at 630-909-6604

If you haven't bought your raffle tickets yet, or haven't decided which prize you would like to use your chances on, take a look at the baskets below. Click on the image to make it larger.

Charles Rubia Kimani 1998-2011

At 5:00pm on October 3, 2011, Charles Rubia Kimani passed away as a result of an accident on Maai Mahiu Road where a vehicle lost control and knocked Charles down. Charles was rushed to Naivasha District Hospital, and passed upon arrival at 6:00pm. Charles was 13 years of age, the fifth of six children born toHIV positive parents, Ann and Isaac. Charles' family became part of the Upendo Village program in 2006, and was sponsored by Virginia and William Miller through CUSP. Charles dreamed of continuing his education and becoming a teacher, and in memory of his spirit, Charles' sponsors have decided to continue giving the gift of education to Charles' younger brother Peter. Charles was the second child to pass away in the Upendo Village program. Please pray for this family and Upendo Village in these times of mourning.

St. Joan of Arc (Lisle) hosts 2011 Oktoberfest

October 1, 2011- St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church will be hosting Oktoberfest in the St. Joan of Arc School Gym. This is a 21+ event that will be featuring live music, German food, various alcoholic beverages and desert! For more information on the event, view the flier here.

Children of Upendo Village Sponsorship Program (CUSP) 2011 Visit

Karen Claeys and Mary Rittman are currently on their annual visit to Kenya and they return this week. To read their updates from their trip, read their notes home here.

Meet Sister Florence and Sister Francisca!

Sister Florence and Sister Francisca are scheduled for several speaking events throughout the duration of their time in America beginning May 12. Which opportunity will you take to hear them speak of their life-giving mission? An abbreviated version of public events is posted here, and a more comprehensive version will be posted soon.

Robbery Recovery Project: Healing and Rebuilding Upendo Village
Read details on the steps that have been taken towards physical and emotional recovery on site since the robbery in late February here.

Thieves Break in to Upendo Village Compound

Details are still coming in, but what we know is that on February 21, a gang of thieves broke into the compound, ransacking the clinic and Sisters' living quarters. For more information...

Holiday Gift Giving Idea
If you are pondering how to gift loved ones, why not donate to Upendo Village in their honor and give them a card to let them know that they are honored in this way. There are two Christmas cards to choose from: one gives a pair of chickens and the other gives a goat. Just download one of the PDFs, print, fold, sign and mail! Then click on Donate in the left hand column to arrange for your gift to Upendo Village in their honor!

November 2010 Letter from Sr. Theresa Langfield, Executive Director
"I bring you greetings, best wishes and heartfelt gratitude from Upendo Village. We simply cannot thank you enough for continuing to be an important part of our mission – a mission that brings a beacon of life and hope for thousands of Kenyans living with HIV/AIDS." To read Sr. Theresa's letter about the life-giving work of Upendo Village, click here.

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Our vision is to give witness to the gospel message in our community by providing compassionate care and quality services of housing, nutritional supplementation, home based care, basic healthcare, counseling and education for women, children and men with HIV/AIDS.