Sister Florence Muia, ASN
Founder and President
Upendo Village
Naivasha, Kenya Africa
Biographical Information
* President of Upendo Village in Kenya and provides hands-on HIV/AIDS services as well as coordinates the efforts of the Upendo Village staff and volunteers.
* Member of the Assumption Sisters of Nairobi.
* Nobel Peace Prize Nominee in 2005 as part of the 1000 PeaceWomen project which nominated 1000 women from across the world to represent the millions of women who work for international understanding, cooperation and peace, without recognition and often at great personal risk.
* HIV/AIDS advocate who met with and urged officials in Washington DC, including Henry Hyde, Representative from Illinois, to provide HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment funding to the world’s most impoverished countries. Kenya now has access to antiretroviral medications at reduced cost partially due to this funding from the US.
* Supported Bono of U2 during his “Tour of America” and helped start DGAAN, the Du Page Glocal AIDS Action Network which grew out of Bono’s efforts. http://www.DGAAN.org/
* Was born and raised in a rural village in Machakos District, Kenya.
* Diploma in Social Work from Government Training Institute Maseno, B.A. in Social Sciences (Sociology & Anthropology) from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA)
* Masters Degree from Loyola University’s Institute of Pastoral Studies in Pastoral Counseling in Chicago, IL USA.
* In the past has served as an administrator in a special school for hearing impaired children and also in a girls' elementary boarding school for several years. Sister Florence was the first nun in Kenya to venture into probation work, serving as a Probation Officer for more than eight years before proceeding to the United States for further studies.
* 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.”
* 2007 recipient of Loyola Univ. Chicago’s Damen Award in recognition “of accomplishments in industry, leadership in the community, and service to others.”