We work with amazing people to bring about positive and lasting change in some of the world's poorest places.
'The Iron Lady of Nanyuki'
Emily Otieno stands to address her class; a sea of tiny, smiling faces turns to listen. This is no ordinary teacher. The children are being taught by ‘The Iron Lady of Nanyuki’, a namesake from the Kenyan town Emily calls home.
It’s a big title. The term ‘Iron Lady’ is usually reserved for hard-nosed politicians. Yet, Emily earned this accolade through her only agenda; to help her community face up to and cope with HIV.
St Peter’s Junior School was set up by Emily beside her home to teach children orphaned by HIV, who had already fallen behind in their education. From the outside the school looks basic; an unmarked clay building nested in furrows of sticky mud. But inside something wonderful is happening. Children sit snugly on tiny chairs wrapped in multi-coloured hats and coats, as they giggle their way through a song about how much they love porridge.
Emily has made it her life’s mission to help people “live positively with HIV” since she was diagnosed nine years ago, after her husband’s death. “At the hospital I was seeing people die. I thought, how can I help these people?”
She started a support group in her home with just four people. As it grew she recalls, “There was a lot of stigma and we had to hide ourselves.”
Knowing that denial and stigma would lead to more deaths she made her status openly known. This brave step was momentous, saving lives and breaking down attitudes. “People started telling me how they were suffering. I gave them advice about where they could get help.”
‘Living in Faith’, a thriving association with Emily at its helm, was born.
240 members later, Emily and her team of volunteers ensure that the 1,200 orphans in their village receive care and education. She can frequently be seen giving open air talks about HIV treatment and she notices people around her getting stronger.
As the children of St Peter’s chuckle their way through another song, the distant rumble of buses taking tourists to view Kenya’s famed savannahs can be heard. Little do they know that the real magic of Kenya is taking place here in Nanyuki, in a tiny school hidden amongst the muck and chicken coops.
