HOPEHIV update

26 November

Recently Add Momentum was delighted to have Russell and Selina Davies from HOPEHIV visit us to give us an update on how the various projects we support are doing:

The Undungu Society

The Undugu Society of Kenya have worked with street children since the 1970s and has now set up street associations, a concept that has worked well in West Africa but had not been tried in Kenya before.

18 were formed in 2006 and 15 formed by July in 2007 and they equip young leaders to transform malicious gangs into healthy, constructive and self regulating groups living on the streets. Many are then able to find employment and ultimately safer places to live.

Rehabilitation is a crucial part of the Undungu Society work and is carried out through the Kitengela centre, which rescued 88 street children in 2007. Vocational skills training is also important and in 2007, 29 children were placed from street associations into vocations such as welding hairdressing, driving, mechanics, and dressmaking.

We are delighted that the Undugu Society was awarded the Civil Society Award of the 4th Annual Human Rights and Democracy Awards by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights. The award "recognises the life changing impact" of Undugu's programmes.

Kenya Psycho Social Support (PSS)

HOPEHIV has worked with the Salvation Army in Kenya since 2003, training talented young community volunteers to set up and lead weekly kids clubs for vulnerable & orphaned children in their local communities. These camps and clubs provide a safe place for creative play, art and drama alongside counselling that helps children address their grief, capture family memories and build resilience for the future. Home visits also offer material and educational support.

Up to 200 children can attend a weekly kids club and volunteers also make home and school visits to check they are doing OK and even sometimes take them on an annual adventure camp, the trip of a lifetime for these kids.

Since 2003, over 250 volunteers and 28 pastors have been trained across Kenya. As a result, 107 Kids clubs have been set up in Kenya benefitting 2,500 orphans, with 5,500 other children involved.