Submitted by Kenyan CTC Staff on Mon, 2011-08-01 00:00
It was an eventful week for Comfort the Children International. Representatives from Bristol Myers Squibb, our supporting partner in HIV/AIDS initiatives, engaged volunteers and staff in intensive Monitoring and Evaluation Training.
Through the training, we killed two birds with one stone by both learning and implementing the lessons. At the end of the three days, the team formulated a Monitoring and Evaluation plan for our new “baby,” the GAPA Project - Grandparents Against Poverty and HIV/AIDS. This is a project whose goal is to empower grandparents, orphans and vulnerable children to fight poverty and HIV/AIDS. GAPA focuses on grandparents struggling with new responsibilities. Namely, grandparents who have been left the burden of taking care of their grandchildren whose parents died of HIV/AIDS.Through the training, we identified struggling grandparents and heard alarming stories from members of our community like onegrandmother who takes care of 12 grandchildren with no food or any other basic needs. These grandparents are not just facing the grief of losing their own children but must now face the additional psychological hardship of raising their grandchildren with little to no economic resources.
Thanks to GAPA we will reach out to this generation through Income Generating Activities, Psychosocial support, Training on Management of Orphans and Vulnerable children. We’ve begun the first phase of identifying the eligible grandparents and have 100 grandparents enrolled and divided into sub-support groups: 7 in Suswa, 2 in Maai–Mahiu town and 2 in Longonot town.
It was an exciting experience to witness how education falls in place with the day-to-day activities of the organization. By supporting and strengthening all members of our community we will witness a better future in Maai–Mahiu and its project sites. CTC is calling to all of the readers to reach out to support this worthy cause.
Thank you,
Charles Wachira, HIV/AIDS Program Director
