Upendo Village Update

February 2007

Sister Florence Muia harvests some of the vegetables grown at the new Upendo Village site. Michael, far left, and Sr. Florence, far right, present the fruits of their labors to two Upendo Village clients to supplement their nutritional needs.

Upendo Village continues to minister to the needs of those suffering from the AIDS pandemic in Naivasha, Kenya. We are so grateful for the continued generosity of all of our donors who have made it possible for Sister Florence and her staff of 8, along with many trained volunteers, to reach out to those in need. We are now serving over 1700 people. Every day, as the myths about AIDS continue to be dispelled through our educational efforts, more and more people come forward to be tested and to learn about AIDS prevention. Upendo Village lives out its mission of bringing hope, healing and wholeness to those who are suffering from this epidemic and all of you who support us are there with us in solidarity and love.

In collaboration with the nearby Kijabe Hospital, Upendo Village (UV) is now able to have clients placed on antiretroviral (ARV) therapy to treat the AIDS virus. UV also partnered with Kijabe Hospital in sponsoring 3 AIDS awareness programs in Naivasha in October and November 2006. These three sessions reached over 3350 people with information on AIDS prevention, nutrition, ARV’s, voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), and modes of HIV transmission. UV has already begun to see the impact of these efforts as more people have come for VCT and for treatment.

Patricia Ngina is assisted in taking her medication by her young son, Eric.

Very often the UV staff finds young children, such as Eric above, having to serve as primary care givers for severely ill parents. If the parent lacks even the strength to get up or walk, children have to drop out of school to care for them. Mary Rittmann and Karen Claeys have begun organizing donors to support the education of UV children whose parents are too ill to work and cannot afford the school fees and uniforms necessary for the children to continue with their education. In 2007, the program is now sponsoring 13 children in primary school and 3 children in secondary school. Congratulations Mary and Karen for a job well done. Most of all, thanks to the donors who have agreed to sponsor a child for a minimum of 3 years. By continuing their education, these children are able to gain the knowledge and skills needed in order to have a future of hope and possibility.

On October 14, 2006 UV hosted visitors from several organizations interested in learning more about the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS on poor people. They visited several UV clients who had lost their jobs due to their illness and witnessed first hand the severe conditions that these families have to endure. The organizations participating in this visit were DT Dobie, the Red Cross, Hotel Intercontinental, the YMCA, Kenya breweries, Barclays Bank, Posta and National AIDS representatives from Naivasha. All were deeply moved by the poverty they witnessed and impressed by the caring and love shown by the UV staff and volunteers.

The number of clients regularly participating in UV support groups continues to grow. Each of the 4 main support groups now meets once a month. Each has now subdivided into “sub-support groups” of 20 so that they can get to know each other in a more personal way and can better share their stories and develop solidarity within the group. Each sub-group then reports on how things are gong at the main support group meeting each month.

At the end of November the UV staff participated in their annual staff retreat. The theme focused on healing and the importance of fostering hope and love in our own lives in order to be able to impart hope and love to the clients. This was a time of reflection, relaxation and renewing energy for the year ahead.

On December 1, 2007 UV and Kijabe Hospital jointly organized an event commemorating World AIDS Day. Six candles were lit at the gate of UV, to represent the 6 continents of the world and to remember all who have died or been affected/infected by HIV. This was followed by a procession into the center of town. Speeches by the Ministry of Health, Naivasha Sub-district Hospital and the President of the Rotary Club of Naivasha were the highlights of the event. About 2000 people attended!

Construction work at the 3.5 acre permanent UV site continues to progress. Our capital campaign donors have made it possible for us to begin construction on a multipurpose building, the staff house (staff is needed on site to care for clients requiring emergency shelter), and the clinic building. As funds become available, we will continue to work on these buildings so that our operations can be moved to the new site as soon as possible. Special grants are being sought to help us reach our goal.

A multipurpose building is being constructed at the UV permanent site—another sign of hope for the future.

Our Christmas fundraising effort was a big success. Thanks to all of you who donated to our general operations fund, we were able to raise over $19,000. In February 2007 the students at Wheaton College held a fundraiser for AIDS in Africa which was attended by 450 people. The funds were divided between World Vision and Upendo Village. UV board member and Wheaton College Alumna Shayne Moore was one of the evening’s speakers. We thank the students for their hard work on this event and look forward to further collaboration in the future.

Thank you for your support for Upendo Village and the people of Kenya. Your concern and solidarity bring hope and life to many. Together we continue to work toward the day when the people of all the countries of the world will be able to live healthy and happy lives.—

Beatrice Hernandez, OSF, MD

Upendo Village, NFP.

HIV/AIDS Women Project-Kenya

Sr. Florence Muia, ASN – President

Sr. Beatrice M. Hernandez, OSF,MD-Executive Director

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 449

Wheaton, IL 60189

E-mail: contact@upendovillage.org