Around the period 2003-2007 two of the Directors of Tender Hearts Foundation, started
participating in community programs in Kenya. This initiative, to some degree,
registered good change and progress on educational, food, and healthcare for orphans,
and widows in Nyanza province, an area with the highest poverty and HIV infection in
Kenya. Provision of clean water for underserved communities is a big problem that also
needs urgent attention. Majority of the Nyanza population collect water from ponds
which obviously are unhygienic and a health hazard. Poverty and the spread of HIV/AIDS
infection are other social and health issues that must be addressed aggressively. Public
education on management and treatment of HIV/AIDS is one program the organization
has pursued, but a lot more campaign and support must continue. Poverty level and the
number of orphans and widows have steadily risen in Kenya, which is a challenge that
calls for local and international support.
In early 2009, having noted increased number of people that the organization supports
in Nyanza- Kenya; it became necessary to make an international appeal. In order to
achieve that goal, the idea to have a non-profit organization was conceived – thus the
formation of Tender Hearts Foundation in February, 2009. The organization solicits
professional, financial, material, food, and other material donations to support poor
people in underserved communities in Kenya and USA.
People who have become orphans and widows as a result of deaths associated with
HIV/AIDS are on the rise in Kenya, more so, in the rural regions of Nyanza Province.
Despite much concerted efforts by the Government and Donor agencies, HIV/AIDS cases
are still on the rise.
According to the Govt. Central Bureau of Statistics, over sixty percent of orphans in
Kenya are as a result of HIV/AIDS. Of the sixty percent, 30 percent of that figure is from
Nyanza Province, making the region one of the HIV/AIDS endemic zones.
One of the reasons attributed to the spread of HIV/AIDS in Nyanza is the rising trend to
poverty, which has become a vicious cycle for prostitution. It has, therefore, become
necessary to work on the eradication of HIV/AIDS alongside that of poverty. Most
orphans are left behind without any property or no relative to care for them –thus the
desperate need for well-wishers to give support. Those left to care for the orphans are
grandmothers and distant relatives.
Another reason for the spread of HIV/AIDS is the practice of retrogressive cultural
beliefs, such as wife-inheritance. This practice contributes up to 30 percent of HIV/AIDS
orphans in Nyanza province. Tender Hearts Foundation hopes to conduct, among its
programs, education to the local people on the dangers of continuing retrogressive
cultural practices.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.