Ammu in Kenya: Nyumbani means Home

After leaving Kisii, Noela and I had a week in Nairobi to wrap up our project and do final presentations at the University of Nairobi and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI). And during that week, Noela and I also had the chance to visit Nyumbani, a home for children with HIV/AIDS who have been orphaned or abandoned.

The home was founded in 1992 by a physician who was also a Jesuit priest and today its executive director is a friend of Noela's so we were lucky enough to get a tour. I wasn't really sure what to expect when we arrived. HIV is one of those global health issues that has so much publicity and funding swirling around it that in theory there should be plenty of resources to treat and care for these vulnerable children. But I had just come from Kisii, where there were several women and children with HIV who were not getting medical care due to financial and social barriers.

Thankfully, that was not the case at Nyumbani. We were greeted by a sea of smiling faces, both from the children and the staff who take care of them. The children's home tries to create a domestic feeling by having individual houses, each with its own "den mother" who lives with and cares for up to 14 children, varying in age from infants to pre-teens. The older kids (teenagers) have boarding school style dorms where they live so they can have some more independence.

We also got to tour the amazingly state-of-the-art infectious disease laboratory that Nyumbani runs on its complex. They do all the medical care and testing for the children on-site. And their lab is so good that even large hospitals like Kenyatta National Hospital send HIV-related testing to them. It was a really impressive example of what is possible when adequate resource are put to good use.

Here are a few pictures of me & Noela with the kids. They are absolutely ADORABLE!