Hello There!!!  

My name is Geoffrey Chege. I am a Kenyan living in the coastal town of Malindi. For five years now, I have dedicated my entire life to the service of people who are infected and affected by HIV/AIDS in Malindi. I belong to an organization called Watamu Adventist HIV/AIDS Project (WAHAP). We look after sick people at home in a program called Home Based Care (HBC). This is because not all people suffering from aids related complications can be admitted in hospital for lack of space. When we started, the prevalence rate in this district was estimated to be 17%. In 2006, we reported a prevalence rate of between 6.5% and 7%. Great improvement!! Any body would be proud of that kind of achievement. We definitely are.  

However, we have another challenge related to HIV and AIDS. Those years when people were full of fear and stigma related to the infection, a lot of precious time was wasted while people buried their heads in the sand and pretended that nothing was wrong in our society. While we are stemming further spread of the virus, birds are coming home to roost. Our dear ones are dying so fast because their infection has become too chronic to treat. We are therefore experiencing a very high rate of orphaned children and others who are at risk of being infected because their - would be care givers are either very sick or there is adverse poverty within the family. The challenge of orphans and vulnerable children is big and needs lasting solutions in areas of education, health and poverty reduction. We are talking of about 12,000 orphans and another estimated 28,000 who are at risk due to disease and poverty. That is not a number we can afford to ignore. 

My organization is planning to initiate three projects. The three projects are as follows:

1. The Watamu School: This will be a high level school that will accommodate orphans and vulnerable children alongside children from well to do backgrounds without discrimination or prejudice.
2. Watamu Sports Academy: This will enroll orphans and vulnerable children as well as children from well to do backgrounds with a bias to sporting talent. Those who excel in sports will be exposed to European and American sports scouts for the betterment of their god given talents. That is hoped to be a way of improving the children’s standards of living.
3. Watamu Cultural Center: This will be a project targeting the rich and vibrant cultural heritage that is abundant in Kenya and which mainly goes to waste due to lack of proper channeling.

We believe that these projects will be a big, positive contribution to the efforts aimed at providing lasting and sustainable solutions to OVC challenges. 

In order to raise money for this grand project, I have volunteered to walk from Mombasa to Malindi, a distance of about 125 kilometers (77 miles). If all goes according to plan, I have been programming myself take to the road on 14^th February and arrive in Malindi on 16^th February 2007. I hope you would like to join me in the walk. It would be enjoyable to do it together with me, but distance and commitments may not allow. You may therefore want to play your part by sponsoring me to do the walking on your behalf. Sponsorship will be in various categories. If your are interested, please contact me on my email for the details. You may reach me on the following address: 

                        g_cheges@yahoo.com telephone no. +254-726-836251. 

I will be more than happy to interact with you on this project that is so close to my heart. Thank you so much for being part of this big dream. I will not let you down by not completing the whole journey. You would not feel good if I did not give you the walk of your life. I promise to deliver. I also promise to send to you the progressive report of the project as it grows from stage to stage. I believe that is what you would like.  Watch this space!!! 

A big thank you from me and the children of Malindi. 

Your new friend