Our Church has recently started supporting projects for families affected by AIDS in Africa.This overall project is called "Faces of Africa". In particular we have a link with a town called Naivasha, 50 miles north of Nairobi.

Mireara Secondary School

In 2005 our Parish made a substantial donation to two projects in Naivasha. The first half went to Mireara Secondary School to be provide bursaries for AIDS related young people over a period of four years. The Karagita/Mirera area has close to 70,000 people with an average monthly income of Kshs 3-4,000 (£25-£30) per employed adult. The area has been badly hit by HIV/AIDS which has left many single parent families and even more oprhans being brought up by already stretched family members with their own families to care for, or more difficult still, by grandparents who no longer work and can barely afford to survive themselves without having the added burden of caring for their grandchildren.

In Kenya, primary education is free but secondary education is not. Mireara Secondary School is the only one in the area.

A classroom in Mireara Secondary School

Father Barry with the School Governors on his trip to Kenya in August 2005.

AIDS Clinic

The second half of our donation is to be used in equipping an AIDS Clinic with essential diagnostic equipment.

This bus was used as a Medical Clinic for people HIV and AIDS until last autumn, when it was replaced with a new clinic. Our donation will be used to provide essential diagnostic equipment in the new Clinic.

Upendo Village Hospice Project

Susie Allwork, one of our Parishioners, in Upendo Village on the outskirts of Naivasha

On the outskirts of Naivasha, in a place called Upendo is a children's hospice run by local Sisters. We hope to be able to support their work in the very near future.

Korogocho Slum

He also spent some time in a Nairobi slum , called Korogocho. This is run by Sisters in the Medical Missionary who support a Hospice for the dying, a Food Centre, Medicine and Alternative Medicies for the poor, a library and home visiting for AIDS patients. Sister Gill, who has now retired, was working in the Missionary when Father Barry visited in 2005. Our Parish continues to support the slum by sending donations raised from various collections and social events. In July 2007, we received the following letter from the Sisters now working in the Slum:


"Dear Friends,

Greetings from Korogocho.

Thank you very much for your donation which Comboni Sisters from London passed to us.

We run a community homebased AIDS care programme in Korogocho one of the poorest slums in Kenya. At the moment, we are caring for almost 2000 patients of which 75% of them with AIDS.

We also have a programme for the children of the patients in which we support them as they take care of their sick and dying parents. We prepare them for life without parents some of the children go to grandparents, others to their relatives, but there is an increasing number of some of the children who have nowhere to go and they end up in child headed households in the slum. We are also caring for 350 children with various disabilities.

In our activities we look for a holistic approach to human needs. AIDS is a disaster, but the people in Korogocho are caring for the patients and they are responding to the crisis with courage and companion.

The children regularly hold Prayers for those who help them.

Thank you very much indeed for your support. God bless you all.

Yours sincerely
Sr.Encarnacion Perez
Programme Coordinator"