Laban Ochieng

Last week, CARE for AIDS celebrated our first client graduation from Kisumu, our second region that started operating at the beginning of this year.  People living in the Nyalenda slum in Kisumu are worse off than most of the clients around Nairobi, and we have experienced difficult challenges but also amazing testimonies over the last nine months while working with a group of 80 clients from Central Baptist Church.

One of the clients who shared his story during the graduation was Laban Ochieng, a longtime resident of the Nyalenda slum in Kisumu.  Laban discovered he was HIV-positive several years ago and quickly experienced a drastic decline in his quality of life.  As his strength failed, he had to quit his job as a skilled mason.  When Lazarus and Elizabeth, the CARE for AIDS center workers, met Laban, he was confined to his bed and unable to work, feed himself, or even walk around.  He weighed under a hundred pounds and was not taking medication - simply waiting for his life to be over.

Laban (right) with Cornel

Immediately, the CFA workers began helping Laban to get help from the hospitals and start a regimen of medication.  They spent time explaining to him how ARV medication works and how to properly take the drugs, along with providing a food supplement to guard against painful side effects.  With this treatment, Laban began to regain his strength and was soon able to move around under his own power.  A couple of months later, he resumed his masonry work and starting reaping the benefits of a reliable income.

At the same time, Laban was learning through the CFA center about what HIV means and how it relates to one's standing before God.  He was taught for the first time that Jesus loves him despite his HIV status and that he could still live a meaningful life for Christ while looking forward to eternity in heaven.  Laban discovered the selfless love of people who follow Christ through Lazarus, Elizabeth, and other members of Central Baptist Church.  Several months into the program, he made the decision to commit his life to the Lord!  Since April, Laban has been regularly attending services at Central Baptist and becoming more and more a part of the church community.

Today, Laban's weight has increased to 155 lbs.  His CD4 count, a measure of the body's immunity, has increased from 97 to 340, taking him above the threshold that signifies AIDS. Who knows where he would be right now without the assistance that CARE for AIDS provided?  Potentially, he wouldn't even be alive.  Almost certainly, his quality of life would be heartbreaking.  Laban's is only one story of dozens in this group alone, but it is a story of profound change and true empowerment - a testimony to part of the vision of CARE for AIDS:

Life Sustained + Life Eternal