"Graceworks" Kenya Program

Making a Difference in the Lives of HIV/AIDS Orphans in Africa One by One

In April 2004, Susan Njemanze, under the auspices of Giving Hope International, traveled to the rural community of Rwika, in Embu, Kenya, to implement the Graceworks project, created to alleviate the suffering of children impacted by the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Rwika.

The idea for the program was developed in 2002, when Susan, while visiting family in Kenya, personally witnessed the devastating effects of the HIV/AIDS pandemic on children. In Kenya alone, there are over one million HIV/AIDS orphans-some who end up in orphanages, most who are taken in by extended family members already struggling to survive in impoverished conditions. Many of the relatives cannot afford basic necessities, let alone school fees and supplies, leaving the children unable to pursue an education. This condemns them to a life with little hope for a promising future.

The conditions in Rwika, a remote settlement of about 130 families, are especially dire, with the village burying its dead at a rate of two every month. No international medical care reaches Rwika, and with family breadwinners usually being first to succumb to the disease, children are left behind, impoverished and vulnerable.

Fifty children in the area were identified by Graceworks as having the most need for essential relief services. In order to assist these children and their caretakers, programs were developed to provide children with:

• Access to education
• Access to medical care
• Access to clean water
• Home based support services (counseling/basic needs)

The Rwika Children's Center was also established and has been a significant accomplishment of the Graceworks project. The Center provides a safe haven where the emotional, spiritual, physical, and educational development of young children who have already been faced with some of life's most difficult hardships can be supported. It serves approximately 50 orphaned and impoverished children between the ages of 4-16, providing them with meals, snacks, tutoring, and crisis counseling services. The center is modeled on the ideal of "Giving Hope, One by One," which emphasizes the importance of establishing close personal connections to make a difference in the life of a child, which in turn benefits the whole community.

Susan Njemanze and Giving Children Hope Kenya, in collaboration with Giving Hope International, is currently working to expand Gracework's program services with the establishment of a community resource center with a children's library, community counseling/educational facilities, and poverty reduction/income generating programs to help sustain the community.

Container Shipment to Mombasa, Kenya

In collaboration with Avoken International, Global Operations and Development, Free Wheelchair Mission, and Somer Haven Ranch International, GHI sent one forty-foot container shipment to Kenya, consisting of : 3 bundles of Blankets/sheets; 10 pallets mixed medical supplies, 2 pallets of school supplies, 2 pallets of 5 gallon buckets of detergent, 1 pallet of medical literature and instructional CDs, 6 pallets various sizes of work uniforms, 1 pallet of new women's shoes, 2 pallets assorted sizes of children's clothes and computers.

All these resources were used for programs which directly impacted the lives of needy women and children in the Mombassa region.