In 2007, World Council of Credit Unions started working with Busia
Compassionate Centre in partnership with a U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) program to mitigate the impact of the HIV/AIDS
epidemic in western Kenya.
One of the program's goals was to provide
educational grants to children of HIV/AIDS-affected households through
the area's savings and credit cooperatives (SACCOs), or credit unions.
At Busia Compassionate Centre more than one-third of the children are
HIV-positive and many have lost their parents due to the disease.
In
Kenya, primary school tuition is government-subsidized, but secondary
school education requires additional funding, a resource Busia
Compassionate Center lacks. When the USDA program concluded in 2010,
World Council continued to support the orphanage with the help of the
global credit union movement, providing scholarships to cover secondary
school tuition as well as books, uniforms and school supplies for both
primary and secondary students.
To provide a safer environment for
the children, World Council launched major building upgrades at the
orphanage — from installing toilets and a septic tank to wiring the
orphanage with electricity — and provides much-needed everyday items for
the children from clothing and beds to diapers and toothbrushes.
Thanks
to the support and dedication of the international credit union
community the children are receiving the love and support they need to
build a solid foundation and a brighter future.
Checkout
Cart
