By Kathryn Salamone

Foundation Dedicated to AIDS Orphans Hosts Fundraiser

Haledon, NJ… October 25, 2005 The AIDS pandemic has affected 2.5 million people. In the east African nation of Kenya alone, 500,000 children have died of the disease. In cities and rural districts, millions more children, orphaned as their parents succumb to the disease, are being raised by grandparents and other relatives.

To help improve the lives of the children left behind, Kenyan native George Nyeki and nine other friends established the Youthful Faces Foundation (YFF) in 2002, with the mission of “making a difference, one child at a time.”

YFF recently held its annual fundraising dinner to give hope, health, and access to education to 12 children the organization currently supports in various parts of Kenya. Ranging in age from 3 to 13, the children are being raised by grandparents or aunts and uncles. Two of these children are HIV positive and are undergoing anti-retroviral therapy under qualified clinical surveillance provided through YFF.

Nyeki, chairman of YFF and an information technology specialist at Chilton Memorial Hospital in Pompton Plains, New Jersey, spoke of his recent visit to Kenya. Most of the children that YFF helps live in rural districts located a nine-hour drive from the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. Nyeki reported that although their lives have been tragically altered the children have positive outlooks.

“Each child I talked to looked forward to a better future,” he said. “Their expression of hope gave me proof that the efforts of Youthful Faces were indeed making a difference in their lives.”

Nyeki hopes that by the end of 2006, YFF will be able to help a total of 30 children in Kenya.

Alfred Taiswa, DMD, a dentist in Kenya, referred to the children of Kenya as “innocent victims of a disaster they know nothing about.” He identified three areas crucial to improving the lives of these children: meeting their nutritional needs; providing access to quality healthcare, and offering access to education. According to Dr. Taiswa, each child needs only US $50 for care and living expenses.

“Youthful Faces Foundations is restoring hope to these children, some of whom have never known the hug of a mother or the warm smile of a father,” said Dr.Taiswa.

Keynote Speaker Margaret Kilibwa, PhD, assistant professor at the Women’s Health Institute, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, explained her personal commitment to the Nyumbani Orphanage in Western Kenya. Earlier this year, Dr. Kilibwa spent two weeks visiting children who live in small cottages designed as separate family units at the orphanage. She also interacted with pharmacists in Nairobi where she learned firsthand about the country’s medical system and the delivery of healthcare and drugs to those in need.

As founder and director of Tropical Clinics, innovative health centers with a mission of providing comprehensive conventional medical and preventative care to rural communities in Kenya, Dr. Kilibwa is currently raising funds for a 40-bed medical center to be opened in early 2006 in Kakamega, Western Kenya. Dr. Kilibwa projects annual operating costs of the center at $700,000.

“The vision of Tropical Clinics is a total staff of 80, including doctors and other healthcare professionals, who will integrate traditional medicine with alternative medical techniques,” Kilibwa said. “I am actively seeking a financial partnership with a healthcare/pharmaceutical company in achieving this goal.”

Since its founding in 2002, Youthful Faces Foundation has offered nutritional needs, affordable and sustainable quality healthcare, and education amenities to children in various parts of Kenya. YFF funds reach children it currently supports within the existing extended family-guardianship framework at a cost of just US $50 a month.

Nyeki, a published poet, donates the proceeds of his book, The Tearless Cry, to children who have been affected by HIV/AIDS. Published by 1st Books, the second edition will be in stores on December 1st to coincide with the observance of World AIDS Day. Described as “a journey into the heart, mind and soul of a man as he goes on a quest in the pursuit of truth through questions and answers,” the book is available at major book store chains and also online at Amazon.com.

Those interested in learning more about Youthful Faces Foundation can visit its website, www.youthfulfaces.com. Donations to YFF efforts can be sent to Youthful Faces Foundation, P.O. Box 8101, Haledon, NJ 07538.