Osopet and HIV/AIDS Advocacy Group

Main focus — community care and pediatric health

OSOPET WAS FORMED TO PROVIDE medical and spiritual care to a group of HIV positive people in rural and remote Kenya (Masailand). The group is situated seven km from Narok and 110 km from Nairobi. Peggy Frank was able to meet Pastor Peter Otuni and the group in July of 2007. During that initial visit Peggy discovered that ARVs were available at the local VTC (voluntary testing and counseling centre) but, to her horror, that the positive children were not receiving care because the nearest Centre for pediatric care was in Nairobi, and transportation costs alone, were more than these farming families could afford. This is where positively AFRICA/VIDEA donors stepped in and began sponsoring children for care.

Another goal of this HIV support group was to make life easier for the women who are HIV+ by providing families with animals — donkeys to carry water and firewood; and milk goats for nutritional enhancement. Again donors have helped in a substantial way. We would like to find donors to purchase donkeys and carts for the positive women who travel 10 km each day and carry 10 gallons of water for their families. If you are interested in purchasing an animal for an Osopet family please follow this link.

The Osopet team has 10 regional caregivers and is expanding its outreach in Maasai territory. Funding remains a challenge and positively AFRICA continues to encourage and support Osopet where they can. There are now 28 young children who require pediatric care. Peggy was in Narok area again in 2010 and was pleased to see the children at the clinic, at school and in their homes. It is only through the continued support of donors that these children stay alive and beaming their way to the future. Before the Osopet — positively AFRICA/VIDEA partnership several children died each year. Now all the children are growing up — and one of them dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon. She has earned a place in a Nairobi Boarding school because of her high grades, and we have no doubt that she will find a way to achieve her dreams.

Critical areas for the future of Osopet include continuing programs like the pediatric program and the provision of animals. Severe drought from 2007 to 2009 has had a huge impact on the numbers of animals these families have — and livestock are critically important to the people as they are barter (bank accounts) as well as food and labour. As well as expanding outreach the community would like to see adults receiving medical care — without care the adults will die of diseases that could be treated, diseases like pneumonia and TB. School fees are needed for the children who are qualified to enter secondary school and training for those who are not academically gifted.

Osopet is looking at several ideas for income generation. Until the community can find a way to generate significant income for their existing and expanded programming, positively AFRICA will continue to work with them.

NISSI Orphanage — The Story So Far

by Peggy Frank, April 2010

NISSI has many faces — all shining and hopeful. It is a community whose business is about helping the most vulnerable in Kenyan society — homeless children. NISSI is a big family, growing every month as more children are abandoned, either by the death of their parents or the parent's complete inability to look after these beautiful children.

Johnson Nyabwogi started NISSI orphanage when the post-election violence, in 2007, left 10 children huddled in tents near the local police station, with nowhere to go. Johnson, once a young orphan himself, remembered the missionaries who provided his care and education when his relatives did not.Ê He wanted to do the same for these children and found other care-givers, a place NISSI could rent, and looked for food for his new family of orphaned children. The NISSI family grew — Johnson is continually asked to look after children that the police find abandoned on the streets.

The orphanage is now registered with the government and home to 55 orphans — most lost both parents to diseases, like AIDS, or they were abandoned. NISSI is run entirely by an incredible group of volunteers. Since the children had no uniforms and could not pay school fees, Johnson started a school. This attracted an additional 40 vulnerable children.Ê Volunteers teach children in 3 pre-primary levels and up through eighth grade — after which there is no money to send them to secondary school.

Who looks after the children? Care-givers cook for the children, watch them at night and walk them from home to school each day. During the day the teachers teach, care for and supervise the children. After school the teachers work at small businesses that generate the income they live on. One amazing thing about NISSI is how happy everyone is. The children play without toys and sing when there seems to be little to sing about. Their needs are many — ranging from drinking cups to chalk, from shoes and clothing to play equipment, from food to textbooks and an adequate school. Their situation would change enormously if they find the resources to build a permanent home and school. They have been given a piece of land by the municipality and have dreams and plans for their property.

Today positively AFRICA is the only source of outside support. We've been able to provide funds for blankets and medical care, for gardening, a water tank and animals, but there are children who have finished eighth grade and need funds to attend secondary school.Ê The teachers and care-givers need salaries, so that they can continue to work with these children whom they love. They also asked that we encourage volunteers to come and join them as caregivers and teachers.

You can help give the NISSI story a happy ending. Remember to contact us at info@positivelyafrica.org when you decide to help. We can also be reached at 250.519.0040.

Kiberia Community Kisumu Dogo Project

Kisumu Dogo nursery and primary school, Nairobi Kenya

THE SCHOOL SITS IN THE HEART of Kibera, a high density suburb and slum of Nairobi, where school offers a sanctuary from much of life's troubles. The facility provides education programs, food support and a church mission with four pre-school classes and eight grades of primary students. Due to an urgent need, the next focus is hospital-support and home-based medical care-giving. The Kenyan organization partner, Revival for World Crusade, was founded in 1988 and is run by a board comprised of a chairman, vice chairman, secretary, treasure and vice treasurer, with thirty-seven volunteers and staff.

Currently the school needs more classrooms as the Kisumu Dogo Primary is now filled to capacity. Also they need help with the new home care program as the population infected with HIV is extremely high in Kibera and the number of slum children living with HIV and AIDS has skyrocketed. The school hopes to take care of the education, health care and nutrition needs of the poor children in Kibera as an ongoing project. Education is an important key to a better life and self-sustenance. Providing the opportunity for Kibera children to be busy at school and improving their situation also aims to reduce early parenthood, child abuse and exploitation of children. Education will also benefit the society as a whole.

To help finance the school, the parents of the children in this school make beautiful bone jewelery, serving spoons, spreaders and forks which positively AFRICA sells on their behalf.

Please support this project with a donation [click here] or by purchasing the jewelery [click here].

KCYP NUTRITION PROJECT

Click here to download Robert Kepha's complete July 08 report to positively AFRICA. [pdf]