Whilst studying for a Master’s in Community Care and HIV/AIDS, Esther Wanjohi opened the ‘Ecumenical Day Care and Support Women Project’ in 2003.  This is based in the Ngong Hills, near Nairobi where she lives with her family. The project provides quality of life and holistic care for women and their families affected by the HIV pandemic in this region of Kenya . Through Esther’s training she is able to offer nutrition, health and behavioural counselling to these families as well as emotional support and home based care. Esther and her team are also engaged with developing income generating micro projects geared towards meeting the needs of the families. This visionary approach ensures sustainability is central to the values of the project.

Core aspects of the work:

• Fight stigma, discrimination and isolation of people affected by HIV/AIDS.
• Provide monthly counselling to members and provide food and share meals together
• Provide clothing for families, especially uniforms for children to assist them in accessing schools where available
• Provide access to antiretroviral (ARV) therapy for people living with HIV/AIDS.
• Life skills training, and employment opportunities through beadwork and micro-enterprises.
• Providing dairy goats, water tanks, crop farming

   

Beadwork

Esther and her team work with women to create jewellery and gifts from intricate beadwork. The women are paid for their work which provides them with vital income for their families. We have been able to bring these wonderful handmade products back to the UK . Over recent years the proceeds from these sales have been returned to Esther to enable her to build a wonderful support centre for her work in the community.

Key Achievements in 2011

• 150 families have received 210 litre water tanks to help with clean water storage.
• Over 35 families have received 1000 litre tanks
• Over 30 members have received loans to start-up or expand their businesses
• Over 150 kids benefited by getting a full school uniform.
• 15 secondary school students were able to get Ecudare bursaries of 2000 Ksh per term.
• 37 members of the project were able to access fares to hospital to access ARVs.
• The rest were able to access free counselling services.
• Over 350 families enjoyed lunch and free HIV testing services at the World AIDS Day celebrations held in Ngong town.  
• 0ver 150 families will enjoy Chapattis over the Christmas season thanks to a recent start-up project.

The New School 

Education is notionally free in Kenya , so long as you are able to pay for your uniform, text books and food. This makes a basic education out of the reach of many and there is no provision for education for most of the children in the Ngong Hills area outside Nairobi , especially those affected by HIV/AIDS in Esther’s project.

In July 2011 Esther came to us with her vision to open a Pre-School and provided a budget for the set-up and running costs. Thanks to the generous donations received we have been able to fund the establishment of this new school and have committed to providing monthly funding to sustain an initial intake of around 150 children.

Here is Esther’s recent report having successfully opened her new school in January 2012:

“Thank you very much for your continued support. Here is a brief report of our school opening. We have opened up the school and the kids were very excited in their new uniforms. As I write it is lunch time and kids have enjoyed ugali and green kales. Now they are dancing and playing around our 1/4 acre of land. They are very excited and glad to get an opportunity to go to school. I have had an opportunity to talk with some of these kids. Their hopes of becoming doctors, nurses and teachers have inspired me once again.

We have 150 pupils in our new school. A lot more kids want to join the new school but if we opened the gate to all we would be having an over flow but I have to be a bit careful until I have some more funding.

We really appreciate your support which has helped us to come this far.”

Esther Wanjohi