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The Shepherd's Homes in Kenya provide hope and love for children orphaned by AIDS in Africa. Our name comes from Psalms 23:1, "Because the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want."
Although these children are HIV-negative, their families have been devastated by AIDS. Their family members have either died or are no longer able to care for them. The Shepherd's Home is truly a sanctuary, not only providing food and housing, but a safe-haven for the children of the African AIDS crisis to feel love, support, and to better understand what is happening in their world.
Working together with the support of Discover The World, Inc., a religious non-profit corporation founded in 1989 by Doug and Jackie Millham, The Shepherd's Home offers the best chance for these children to end the deadly cycle of AIDS and to help build the "new" Kenya.
AIDS is taking lives at an unprecedented rate in Africa. It's one of the deadliest plagues in history, and what's even more frightening, is that it's happening right now at this very moment.
The most tragic result of this epidemic is the stunning number of healthy children left homeless and starving as a direct result of the deaths of their parents and relatives. Two million children in Kenya alone have their lives forever changed by AIDS and its horrible consequences.
According to the UN, they have grossly underestimated how bad the AIDS crisis will be and that it has the potential to depopulate some of Africa’s countries. Because of AIDS, life expectancy in parts of Africa has dropped below 40. While the epidemic has leveled off in the US, Africa is getting worse.
One reason for the increase in infection is that many AIDS myths still exist in Africa. In remote areas, doctors are even unwilling to tell patients they have AIDS, for fear of retaliation from families who are insulted by their diagnosis. Some believe that having sex with a virgin will cleanse the body from AIDS, so reports of rape gangs are not uncommon. Myths like these allow the disease to spread, so more become infected and the deadly cycle continues.
UNICEF states that the vast majority of the world’s youth have no idea what AIDS is, let alone know how to protect themselves from it. But prevention is working. In countries like Uganda and Zambia, where educational programs have been in place, infection has dropped 15 to 40 percent in only two years. Presidents and Prime Ministers are actively involved and working to bring awareness to their countries before their populations are devastated by this plague.
The Shepherd's Home was founded to push back against this tide of disaster.
Many of Africa's children are forgotten in the confusion and stigma surrounding AIDS. If their parents had died in any other way, they would be treated with the highest priority. But because their parents died of AIDS, these children inherit the stigma that comes with it, and are put at the bottom of the agenda.
These children are expected to care for sick relatives or to earn money for the family, so they withdraw from school. Girls often end up working as prostitutes, unaware of the danger. Instead of being at school to learn prevention, they continually put their own lives at risk and perpetuate this deadly cycle.
But there is hope. In March 2003, the Shepherd’s Home was opened in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya. More than 20 young girls are now under the care of loving, nurturing and highly-skilled individuals. When the children leave, they will have the love and spiritual healing they need to face the truth about what’s happening in their country. And most importantly, they will be empowered with the knowledge they will need to lead following generations in the "New Kenya."
This effort has been initiated by Kenyans, for Kenyans, and is being administered and expanded through Kenyan structures. The directors of The Shepherd's Home, MacMillan and Nelly Kiiru, have dedicated their lives to Christian and Kenyan causes. Partnership funding and other support is being provided from the United States through the California-based relief and development organization, Discover The World, Inc. Founded in 1989, Discover The World, Inc. is a Christian non-profit organization which bridges needs and resources worldwide.
The Shepherd's Home is the first step toward establishing an ever-expanding series of similar communities, each housing 25 children in nurturing environments across Kenya. The homes will comprehensively address issues of health care, education, spiritual formation, and vocational training. At this time, two hundred children are on a waiting list.
Every child who enters The Shepherd's Home is pulled from the deadly cycle of AIDS. Please consider making a contribution to our effort end needless suffering and build an enlightened generation of African leaders.
