Partners for Hope Team

It is impossible to tell you what it is to be with these four African American women – the Partners for Hope Team. Here is their second update; Yesterday we met the women we came to help. The women are some of the people Nick and Charles, co-directors of the program Community Transformers (CT) support. Nick and Charles are 27 year old Christian men who grew up in Mathare Slum and have stayed in Mathare to help those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.

CT works through volunteers to offer support groups for women and men infected, a sports program, income-generating projects, a cyber cafe, and home-based care for those sick with HIV/AIDs. We found them more like “wise fathers” than young men of 27 years. We sat and listened to the stories of 25 women and one man infected with HIV/AIDS. With very soft voices they told us how and when they became infected. Some shared how they had one child infected, some two children infected. One woman told of how her husband was in denial and refused to take the medicine. He died from the disease AIDS. Although infected with AIDS, poor and unemployed the women had a calm and peace and actually joy. They laughed and joked. They were suprised to know we called ourselves African Americans. When we brought out the MorrisLife t-shirts we brought them there was dancing and singing in celebration. Just a simple gift brought jubilation. We were humbled. Chris connected with a woman named Chris who is infected. It is one of those things God does when he connects the hearts of two people. Gillian’s son (10 years old) was originally hestitant about his mother going to Kenya. Then he told his class about his mom being in the paper and got excited about what his mom was doing . He gave his mom $20.00 of his own savings and asked her to give it to a child in need in Kenya. Gillian found that child in Mathare Slum who needed a uniform to go to school. We gave Nick and Charles one of the computers we received from C. Ron.

They were so happy to receive such a nice computer to add to their cyber! We left the women agreeing to meet again on Saturday when we will see the jewelry they make. We plan to help sell their jewelry for them to give them help. What they want is a hand-up and not a hand-out. At the Partners for Care House we helped the what if? team with a pastor’s dinner where the Partners for Care staff recruited the pastors to join the fight against HIV/AIDs. The Partners for Care staff are dedicated to win the war against aids. We are blessed to join the fight here in Kenya and in the US. From Kenya, The Partners for Hope Team

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