CARE for AIDS in Kisumu

It is an exciting time for CARE for AIDS, and I would like to take a few minutes to update all of you on a big step for our ministry. Over the past few months we have been contemplating the best expansion plan for the coming years, and we decided that our next region of centers would be located in and around Kisumu, the largest city in Western Kenya. Kisumu is one of the hardest-hit areas of the country by the AIDS crisis, and it is a location that has been passed over by many NGO's and government programs. Much of the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS in this area can be traced to cultural traditions and misunderstanding, so there is great opportunity for a ministry like CARE for AIDS to have a profound impact at the community level. Furthermore, one of the CFA Kenya Directors, Cornel Onyango, is originally from the Kisumu area and has a strong passion for reaching out to the people of that area.

All of these factors contributed to the decision that we would plan to open our first CFA center in the Kisumu area in January 2010, and everything is coming into place to make that happen. Cornel has been traveling back and forth to Kisumu over the past months, making contacts and conducting research on all of the factors that come into play - church partners, potential employees, complementary organizations, government policies. From these trips he made a decision on the first church that we would work with, Central Baptist Church in the Nyalenda area, and on a new employee to serve as the Regional Coordinator in this area. During my visit to Kisumu last week, I got to spend a lot of time with this new member of the CFA team - Geoffrey. Geoffrey has worked on several community-based initiatives in the past that sought to educate HIV/AIDS-infected men and women, and he has also attended extensive training and education concerning HIV/AIDS and it's impact on communities in Western Kenya. Geoffrey is very familiar with Kisumu and the unique challenges in the area, as well as many of the other organizations working nearby. It was exciting to meet Geoffrey and see his passion for making CARE for AIDS a reality in Kisumu - he told me that he had never been exposed to an organization that ministered to HIV/AIDS patients both physically and spiritually, and that he was so excited to see the change that physical care and education, combined with the love of the Gospel, would bring about in Kisumu.

During our trip we were also able to meet with the leadership committee of Central Baptist Church and interview candidates for the spiritual counselor and health counselor positions in the new center. We agreed on two exceptional workers - Elizabeth and Lazarus - and they will be coming to Limuru at the end of the month to start familiarizing themselves with the CFA model and learning how they can apply it to the unique challenges offered in the Kisumu area. I also got to spend some time in the Nyalenda area - a slum where our first center will be located - and see firsthand the negative impact AIDS is having on the society there.

Please pray for all of the steps that are ahead of us as we move forward with taking CARE for AIDS to Kisumu. Please pray for Geoffrey and Cornel as they plan for all of the administrative challenges, and pray for Elizabeth and Lazarus as they prepare to serve HIV/AIDS-infected men and women face to face in their community. Please pray for Central Baptist Church - that they would, as a church body, commit to reaching out to those infected with HIV/AIDS and doing their part to fight the stigma that is so prevalent. Pray for all of those who need CFA - that they would find out about the opportunity and take advantage of it, and that God would work in each of their lives through us. Thank you so much for your prayers and your support as we continue in this quest to change the whole country of Kenya!