"Imagine you have lost your job. Your spouse has left you. Your family and friends have disowned you. You are left to live by yourself. Why? Because you have contracted a disease for which there is no known cure. A disease that your society despises and deems intolerable... Approximately 1.4 million Kenyans are HIV-positive and are in need of a life transformation, both physically and spiritually."
Being diagnosed with HIV has long been considered a death sentence by the Kenyan population. This is one reason why the primary aim of CARE for AIDS has always been to empower HIV-positive Kenyans to take control of their physical and spiritual well-being. CARE for AIDS is on a mission to spread hope.
Can I make a confession? I'm not a huge a fan of foreign mission work. Too often, I believe the trips become more about the missionary than the people they are meant to be serving. Go ahead, revoke my Christian card. Because of my prejudice, when I had the first opportunity to speak with Justin Miller, a co-founder of CARE for AIDS, I was skeptical. I was prepared to listen politely, learn a bit about the organization and move on.
That isn't what happened.
I was caught by surprise. CARE for AIDS and the work it is doing in Kenya has captured my heart and compelled my involvement. Here's why:
"We are proud that our vision is Kenyan born and Kenyan raised. Our role as American
partners is to provide the resources to equip and empower the people of Kenya
to care for their own. As long as CARE for AIDS exists, there will always be Kenyans
running the ministry on the ground."
to care for their own. As long as CARE for AIDS exists, there will always be Kenyans
running the ministry on the ground."
Source: careforaids.org via CARE
The CARE for AIDS centers in Kenya serve the physical, spiritual, economic, and social needs of men and women living with HIV/AIDS. Each center serves 80 individuals at a time and they have seen 1,735 graduates since 2008.
So when offered the opportunity to partner with CARE for AIDS in their current rewritten campaign, I jumped at the chance.
They've set a goal to raise $24,000 by January 1st. The money will be used to open the 16th center in a slum outside of Kisumu. Kisumu is the most highly infected community in Kenya, and there are nearly 1,000 people on waiting lists to join the centers there.
Haven't you loved all the "thankful" posts on Facebook in preparation for Thanksgiving? What if we add a few "giving" posts to round out the holiday preparation? Raising $24,000 in a few weeks is a big goal to reach, but I believe it is possible with your help. Will you join the campaign with me?
Raise Money | Raise Awareness | Raise Your Voice
Please join me by getting involved in one of three ways - or hey, all three ways would be great too!
- Make a financial donation: It's simple. Just click here and lend your support.
- Share the #rewritten campaign on social media. Visit the rewritten resource page for ideas to share on your blog, Facebook or Twitter.
- Send a personal message to your community. CARE for AIDS has created an email template that you can adapt and personalize to ask others to get involved.
Thank you in advance for your generosity and participation.
