Highlights From SVH-Mituntu
Mituntu serves a population of about 290,000, including at least 400 OVC under severe need in Eastern Province. Most of the people are part of the Meru culture.
The Kenyan government has recognized the Village as an official Community-Based Organization. Led by a locally elected management committee of 13 volunteers, Mituntu aims to counter the effects of AIDS by providing essential services to OVC, and to ensure that the children remain HIV-negative or live positively with HIV.
As with all SVHs, the key elements of Mituntu’s program are love, food, clothing, shelter, health care, education, income generation, love, psycho-social encouragement, and hope. SK’s AIDS Barefoot Doctors, which include some OVC, have cared for hundreds of households here, and we’re seeking resources to expand that effort.
The Village also seeks to strengthen existing community networks and to link with other stakeholders in community development and AIDS prevention. Sustainability of the services is based on grassroots contributions of material, human, and technical resources. For example, the local community, through the Kenyan government, has donated 52 acres for income-generating activities.
With grants totaling of 1.4 million Kenyan shillings ( about $28,000 U.S. ) from Kenya ’s Constituency Development Fund, construction work for two classrooms as part of the larger Academic Center of Excellence planned for the 52 acres is nearing completion. The center will both educate the local OVC and draw fee-paying students from the entire country, helping to support the orphans and other poor children.
Besides the academic center, the site would include a demonstration farm and a borehole for water access.
Our goal in developing the site is to generate income to sustain the health programs.
The SI Sponsorship program directly supports 20 children (see Sponsorship section).
In addition, community leaders support at least 12 people living with HIV/AIDS by providing food to ensure the effectiveness of anti-retroviral medicine (ARV).
In 2005, the Village used a grant of 200,000 Kenyan shillings (about $2,800 U.S. ) from Kenya ’s National AIDS Control Council to provide for several urgent needs. Specifically, SVH Mituntu:
- Paid for the treatment of 35 OVC at public and private clinics. Also, a sponsored OVC’s two parents and younger brother received three months of anti-retrovirals.
- Chose 48 of the neediest OVC to receive food aid. Each got 4kg of corn, 4kg of beans, and 3kg porridge flour.
- Provided school uniforms to 100 orphans. Also, it paid school fees for 10 primary-school orphans, five secondary-school orphans, and five vocational-school orphans.
- Gave HIV/AIDS instruction to 13 trainers from 12 locations.
To greatly stimulate and transform money-making activities, the Village was recently awarded a $105,000, two-year grant from the Danish Development Agency to build the capacity of local women's groups to run small businesses.
If that effort succeeds as we hope it will, Mituntu will benefit in many ways. But beyond that, thousands of families will lift themselves out of poverty.
