Kenya 2013. With Humphrey, Part 1.

I was glad to spend a day with him on Saturday, visiting some of his clients and others that he has been reaching.  Here a few of the stories I found.

NOTE: do to privacy laws in Kenya, you cannot “out” someone with HIV.  If the individual has not stated that they have HIV, then no one can speak openly about it.  This is to protect jobs and status in the community.  While the stigma of HIV is lessening, individuals are still shunned from communities and families if they contract the disease.  This is both a social and religious stigma, and the lack of education is a primary contributor to the problems that HIV patients face.  This is the ministry and world that Humphrey moves in every day.

In order to be somewhat private, I have changed names and also added generic photos that illustrate the families we visited.

One family we visited was a mother and son, both of them over 35.  The son is mentally challenged.  The mother contracted HIV from her husband, who recently died from HIV complications.  She had no way of providing for herself, and her son is unable to truly help. What is she to do?

Enter Humphrey.  Humphrey provides classes on Tuesday at Living Proof that educate the poor on HIV and also on life skills.  He teaches them how to start their own businesses.  So, the woman, Iris, has learned how to open her own food stand, and now makes money selling fruits and vegetables at a road-side stand.   She makes enough money to by rice and beans for her family.  And she gives God the glory.

And Humphrey was the bridge from hopelessness to hope.