Overview

Since January 2006, Orphans Against AIDS has partnered with Friends of Young People (FYP) to provide children who have been orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS throughout Kenya with an education. Friends of Young People is a community-based NGO incorporated in Nairobi, Kenya, although the organzation also operates in Kisumu (in the Lake Victoria region) and Kitale (in the Rift Valley region). FYP was founded in 2000 by Beatrice Mwaniga, a trained counselor and former employee of Barclays Bank in Nairobi. [1] Ms. Mwaniga established Friends of Young People in response to the AIDS-related deaths of many of her friends as a way to ensure the future success of their children, but the organization quickly outgrew her direct personal contacts. She has enlisted an impressive group of community leaders in building Friends of Young People’s capacity to identify children orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS, holistically assess their individual needs, and meet those needs through a combination of family counseling, community sensitivity training, and educational funding. Prior to OAA’s involvement, Friends of Young People had received funding and recognition from Barclays Bank PLC, Barclays Bank of Kenya LTD, Kenya’s National AIDS Council, and individual donors.

History and Background

After spending time traveling through Kenya with FYP staff, meeting the orphans and families that the organization was presently supporting, and talking with community leaders about the organization’s impressive reputation, OAA agreed to establish a partnership with Friends of Young People. The partnership guarantees OAA’s sponsorship of 15 students identified by Friends of Young People for the duration of their primary and secondary education, subject to thorough annual reviews of Friends of Young People’s activities and records.

OAA’s contributions, both financial and developmental, have had a significant impact on Friends of Young People’s capacity to meet its current commitments and expand its services. OAA continues to work with Friends of Young People, and specifically with Ms. Mwaniga, to facilitate connections with other potential donors and enhance the organization’s effectiveness. In keeping with this goal, OAA works to ensure that FYP is meeting its aspirations and mission; OAA also tracks the academic progress of its 15 scholarship recipients and continually ensuring that financial resources are being utilized to best serve the students we support.

The Students

The 15 students that OAA currently sponsors range in age from nine to 16 years old, with the youngest beginning his second year of primary education and the eldest his first year of secondary education. All of these youngsters have lost one or both of their parents to HIV/AIDS. This sad reality burdens these students with mental and emotional hardships, familial responsibilities, and financial shortcomings that make the obtainment of a primary or secondary education nearly impossible without the help of OAA. Education is crucial in ensuring that these children do not fall victim to the vicious cycle of HIV/AIDS.

Although the identities of the students must be kept confidential, it is safe to say that each share a story that is all too familiar. With the absence of either one or both parents, the child, along with multiple siblings and cousins, lives with extended family, often being cared for by a grandmother or aunt. As resources are extremely scarce, the guardian struggles to provide basic life-sustaining necessities, such as food and shelter, for the multiple children that she is caring for and often falls short. In order to make ends meet, the child stops attending school (or never attends in the first place) in order to work and ensure the family survives, effectively limiting his or her future.

OAA hopes to make the above story less of a reality in Kenya by providing enough funding for these children to attend school. Fifteen children is a good start, but it is only the beginning. With the assistance of friends and donors, OAA will continue to help as many children in Kenya as we can, until one day the help is not needed.



OAA Kenya Donors

OAA Kenya could not function without the tremendous generosity of our donors:

> St. Rita Elementary School:

In order to both promote cross-cultural awareness between students of similar age and educational level and enhance Friends of Young People’s fundraising capabilities, OAA has established a link between Friends of Young People and St. Rita Elementary School in Sierra Madre, California. Through individual donations from students from kindergarten to 8th grade, St. Rita Elementary School provides a significant amount of the funding for OAA Kenya and continues to be an appreciated supporter. Children helping children not only benefits the students in Kenya receiving the educational funding, but it also provides students in the United States with a basic understanding and awareness of the HIV/AIDS epidemic that affects the world we live in.

> Lincoln College, Oxford University:

Students at Lincoln College, Oxford—where one of the OAA Kenya Project Directors attended graduate school—generously donated the proceeds from their 2006 gala ball to OAA Kenya.

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