AFRICA/KENYA - A shelter for 129 small children with Aids

Nairobi (Agenzia Fides) - A place where to find shelter, where everyone knows who they are and what they need, from medicines, food and a family. We are talking about Nyumbani children’s home in Nairobi, which includes a group of HIV-positive orphans between 2 and 25 years of age. The first so-called "home" for three orphaned abandoned children with AIDS was opened in 1982. Now there are 129. In Kenya about one and a half million children are orphaned due to AIDS, one pregnant woman out of 10 is HIV positive and 1 infant death out of 3 is caused by this syndrome. These are the figures released by the National Program on AIDS and Control of Sexually Transmitted Disease. Nevertheless, the situation has improved: those infected fell by 15% over the past 5 years. 70% of those staying in Nyumbani have at least one family member, but do not want to take care of them. In a society like that in Kenya, highly puritanical, to have AIDS was considered a result of immoral conduct. Until 2003, minors of the orphanage were not accepted in public schools. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 10/06/2015)