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World AIDS Day Blog: Day 1

Marie Claire blog: Behind the Scenes:Kate Wharton reports on HIV charity projects in Nairobi, ahead of World AIDS Day on 1 December

In this job I'll admit we get some fantastic perks, but one thing I never thought I'd have the chance to do was something with a little more meaning, something that would open my eyes to life outside the daily routine of work and seeing family and friends.

World AIDS Day is around the corner on 1 December and I had the opportunity to see for myself how charities are supporting communities in Kenya, affected by HIV and AIDS. The number of people living with the disease in the country stands at 1,091,000. Whilst numbers are stabilizing, lack of education about HIV means the virus is still spreading. And the stigma and taboo surrounding AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa is similar to the attitude in the UK during the 80's. In other words there's still a long way to go.

Day 1

It's an 8am start as we head straight off in the dilapidated van that will get us around Nairobi. We're told the Nairobi rush hour begins at 4pm but as far as I can make out, it's a day-long affair. The Kenyan elections are looming and the roads are teeming with campaigners in their tour buses, drumming up support.

Our first visit of the day is to ANCHOR (Africa Network for Children Orphaned and at Risk). The project was launched by the charity HOPE Worldwide Kenya two years ago and the Coca Cola Africa Foundation, along with Emory University and Rotarians for Fighting AIDS provide funds to support the scheme. It's like a kid's club where children who have lost one or both parents to AIDS can come and be part of a community unit, playing together in various activities from sports to arts and crafts.

There are 2.4 million orphans in Kenya today. 40% are Aids-related cases where one or both parents have died from the disease. Sometimes grandparents or neighbours take care of orphaned children, but often the orphaned children themselves become head of the family.

We drive to the Mukuru slum on the outskirts of Nairobi. The contrast between suited businessmen in the heart of the city and a corrugated iron town of makeshift shacks, sinking into the increasingly muddy conditions, is stark.

Everyone is trying to make a living here. Some have set up shop at the front of their shack, selling basic commodities, others have makeshift hair salons and stand with their clippers at the ready.

We are greeted at ANCHOR by a sea of inquisitive faces of children between the age of 3 and 10. The centre serves three villages with 1,200 children and 200 of these are orphaned, with another 400 with one surviving parent.

What hits me immediately is the relaxed atmosphere at ANCHOR. The children are guided by caregivers but can move between activities with ease and seem totally at home here. And their ambitions are high, regardless of their situation, as one little girl tells me she wants to be a doctor when she grows up.

Dance is a big hit at the centre and we're treated to a fabulous routine by some of the kids, while the boys take a back seat and stick to football in the background.

Jacqueline, 23, a stunning young woman, tells me she joined the programme to become a carer at 17, as her parents could no longer afford to educate her. Instead of falling into the traps of drug abuse or prostitution, which she tells me is all too easy in Mukuru, she won a beauty pageant to become Miss Mukuru and her prize – to train and work as a caregiver at the centre. HOPE has been Jacqueline's life line.

The visit is more positive than I anticipated (partly due to not knowing each individual child's situation) but mainly because of the upbeat environment and the optimistic outlook of these little children.

To read more about World AIDS Day go to www.worldaidsday.org

To read more about Hope Worldwide go to www.hopeww.org

World AIDS Day: 1 December 2007

Thursday 29 November 2007


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