Sabina, a 60-year-old Kenyan woman who traditionally would be cared for by her children or grandchildren, is currently caring for her grandchildren, as HIV/AIDS has claimed the children's parents.
Sabina's plight is not unique in her native land, where 10 percent of the 33 million people -- about 3 million Kenyans -- are HIV-positive and only 25,000 Kenyans have access to medication.
Some hope for these people can be found in the services offered by Upendo Village, whose founder and president, Sister Florence Muia, spoke July 9-10 at St. Peter Church in LaPorte. Opened in May 2003, the village has provided shelter, health care, counseling and advocacy for more than 5,000 people.
Sister Florence, 48, an Assumption Sister of Nairobi, addressed the continuing struggle with AIDS in her native Kenya, a country with 1.5 million orphans.
Adding to the problem, she said, are drought and poverty, which lead to malnutrition. Also, a lack of understanding has led to an AIDS stigma, which in turn leads to isolation, hopelessness and fear.
Located in Naivasha, 50 miles west of Nairobi, Upendo Village serves men, women and children affected by AIDS. Upendo is the Swahili word for love. Calling the place a village, Sister Florence said, reflects the fact that "we are all members of the global village linked by a common humanity."
With a staff of six and a group of 20 trained volunteers, Upendo Village provides temporary shelter, basic health care, home-based care, community education, voluntary testing, and counseling and support. Upendo has also partnered with the Naivasha Rotary Club and local police to provide a haven for abused women and children.
A major part of the village's work, Sister Florence said, is nutritional supplementation. Without a proper diet, she said, people have a more difficult time dealing with AIDS and other diseases, including tuberculosis, malaria and pneumonia.
She told the story of Sabina, the woman who cares for her two orphaned grandchildren. Sabina herself is now living with AIDS.
"Usually the kids take care of their parents," Sister Florence said. "Now the older generation is taking care of orphans. It's a sad situation."
Sister Florence thanked St. Peter Parish for its efforts in bringing "hope, justice, peace in a broken world."
Father George Vrabely, pastor, explained that St. Peter has had a longstanding relationship with Holy Cross Parish in Nandora, Kenya, offering prayers and financial support.
While in the United States Sister Florence also stopped in the Diocese of Joliet, Ill., to visit with the Franciscan Sisters in Wheaton, Ill., who helped in the development of Upendo Village by providing seed money for the renovation of a small school.
Also, in the last four years members of St. Joan of Arc Parish in Lisle, Ill., have raised more than $15,000 for the village and donated clothing, school supplies and toys. Children in the parish have written to their Kenyan counterparts.
In LaPorte, Father Vrabely introduced Sister Florence at Mass by citing the value of hearing from someone on the front lines.
Assisting Sister Florence is Franciscan Sister Beatrice Hernandez, a retired oncologist who practiced medicine in LaPorte. Now the executive director of Upendo Village, she points to the village's mission statement of spreading the Gospel message to AIDS sufferers "so that they can live with dignity, self-esteem, self-sufficiency and respect."
Sister Beatrice noted that Naivasha is similar to LaPorte in both population -- about 25,000 -- and the rural nature of the surrounding area. She also praised Sister Florence for bringing together Christians and Muslims to address AIDS and its prevention, caring for orphans, putting an end to defilement and rape, and promoting open support for those infected and affected by HIV.
Sister Florence, who is one of 1,000 women worldwide nominated jointly June 29 for the Nobel Peace Prize, said Upendo Village has created "a lot of awareness in the community." She said, "People are coming out now. There is hope. They have someone to hold with love. There's a feeling of support."
AIDS awareness, however, did not come easily to Kenya. Sister Florence said it took about 15 years of epidemics in the country before, in 1999, the then-president of Kenya acknowledged AIDS as a national disaster.
"Many years of silence," Sister Florence said, "saw the disease take root."
She was pursuing a master's degree in pastoral studies at Loyola University Chicago when she learned that her country had finally publicly recognized the presence of AIDS. She knew then that she had to do something.
"I did not want to sit on the other side of the fence," she said. "I felt I wanted to get involved with AIDS."
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Contributing to this story was Paul Storer in Illinois. |