Our Goals
SOTENI’s major goals,(in bold) and progress toward them (in italics), as of June 1, 2007 :
- To bridge the gap between the haves and have-nots, particularly through sustainable, data-driven programs, training, networking, and interdependence. SOTENI operates five major initiatives in Kenya and four programs based in the United States based on our Founding Principles.
- To acquire diverse sources of funding as well as technical and other support that helps us sustain and expand our successes. Our major funders have ranged from individuals in the United States to the U.S. Agency for International Development, Kenya’s National AIDS Control Council, the World Bank, the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio, and the Greater Cincinnati Foundation. We’re also getting technical help from the Lake Victoria North Water Services Board.
- To develop and implement a culturally appropriate curriculum to train “AIDS Barefoot Doctors.” Twenty-four ABDs – some of them AIDS orphans supported by our four Villages of Hope – have been trained and have provided in-home care to thousands of individuals and hundreds of households coping with HIV/AIDS.
- To strengthen the fight against HIV/AIDS by sharing lessons, resources and inspiration, and by mobilizing the caring power of individuals, groups, communities, and governments. In just a few examples: More than 20 volunteers from five continents have learned from and advised Kenyans at our four Villages of Hope. Generous Americans are sponsoring 36 of the neediest AIDS orphans. And SOTENI’s founder has shared lessons learned with audiences from Maine to New Mexico, Kenya to Kentucky.
- To create a flexible, effective model for the empowerment of orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC) so they and their communities can lead in the fight against AIDS. SOTENI operates four rural Villages of Hope that help educate OVC, some of whom we trained as AIDS Barefoot Doctors. In the Villages, grassroots management, training, and income-generation provide the foundation for autonomy as well as resources for supporting OVC and people living with HIV/AIDS.
