community profile
The CARE for AIDS center in Kongowea opened in late 2015 in the Kongowea slum in Mombasa. The community was excited to have the program and recruitment was quick.
center staff
Spiritual Counselor Catherine Kahuhe
Catherine came on staff with CARE for AIDS in 2015 and was one of the first female spiritual counselors on the team. She is a strong leader and is passionate about her work with the clients in Kongowea.
“My favorite part of my work is when I counsel clients and I teach them the word of God, the true Gospel. I want to give them hope and to see them independent and living beyond their status."
Health Counselor James Mshenga
James joined the CARE for AIDS team in 2015 and has faithfully counseled and served three classes of clients in Kongowea.
“My favorite part of my job is visiting the clients at their homes and counseling them. It gives me more joy to see these people transforming.”
center history
YEAR GRADUATES FAITH-DECISIONS ORPHANS PREVENTED
2016-2017 68 27 87
2017-2018 80 22 226
2018-2019 79 17 275
2019-2020* N/A N/A N/A
2020-2021 TBD TBD TBD
*The cohort in the 2019-2020 class was impacted by delays in the CARE for AIDS program caused by COVID-19 lockdowns and health precautions. To learn more about how we responded to the pandemic, visit this page.
graduate profiles
Abubakar, 2021 GRADUATE
Abubakar was brought to the center by a neighbor who was in the program and was concerned about his deteriorating health. Before he contracted HIV, he was an accountant in one of the oil companies in Mombasa. When his family found out about his status, they shunned and stigmatized him. This worsened his situation to a point that they were not willing to take him to the hospital when he suffered a mild stroke. From their perspective, this was an embarrassment to them.
It was at this point that the kind-hearted neighbor took him to the hospital and to the CARE for AIDS center for further assistance. He joined the center at his lowest point and, as a Muslim, he wondered what the church had to offer him. But since he had no one to care for him, he opted to stay.
Abubakar learned the skills of making detergent, fabric softener, and toilet cleaner. While at home, he practiced until he perfected it. There was a lot of free time during the lockdown and Abubakar took it upon himself to sell his products to neighbors. One day while delivering his products to customers, he met with the hotel manager for Serena Beach Hotel (one of the big hotels along the coast of Mombasa). The manager discussed that the swimming pool at the hotel was dirty and how he wasn’t sure it would shine like before. Abubakar shared about his skill and assured the manager that he had the right product to clean the pool and maintain it. He was given his first assignment and he delivered very well. This opened a referral base for him and he got more swimming pools to clean as he continued selling his cleaning products. His work grew from 1 swimming pool to 10 and he employed 10 young men to assist him.
Abubakar graduated in February 2021 as one of the outstanding clients who had not only created employment for himself, but for others in the community. With his earnings from the swimming pool cleaning contracts, he was able to buy a motorbike that enabled him to deliver his products easily. Due to his outgoing and influential nature, he was chosen to be the chairman of his savings group. Abubakar was economically empowered to a point where he would give away his food package to the clients at the center who had the greatest need.
Abubakar is still making cleaning products, cleaning swimming pools, and creating employment for jobless young men in the community. He has been absorbed by CFA as a motivator at launches and graduations. He shared that the CFA program gave meaning to his life and changed his perspective of the church. He will always be forever grateful, especially to the neighbor who took him to the center and the staff who supported him through all 9 months of the program.
Abu-Bakr Faraji, 2020 Client
Abu-Bakr is a 41 year old Tanzanian who has lived most of his adult life in Kenya. He has also traveled far and wide in different countries mainly in Portugal and Mozambique. He is married to two wives a Muslim and a Christian. He is blessed with four children two boys and two girls. Currently, he and his family live in Kisauni-Mombasa.
Abu-Bakr joined the CARE for AIDS program in Kongowea at the urging on one of his wives. She had heard about the program from another community member, and knew it could help her husband physically and spiritually. He was overwhelmed with stigma and his greatest fear was that someone would find out about his HIV status. After joining the program, he was amazed to find that he was not alone- seeing 79 other men and women who were HIV+ was life changing.
Shortly after the joined the program in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced lockdowns throughout Kenya. Abu-Bakar continued to stay in touch with the center counselors via telecounseling, and even attended an e-seminar where he learned how to make liquid soap and detergent. He took to these skills very quickly and filled a market need for soap and disinfectants throughout the pandemic. He and his family are now thriving economically and he has overcome his internalized stigma. We are excited to see Abu-Bakr continue to grow and learn in the coming months and we look forward to celebrating graduation with him and his classmates in 2021.
Mary, 2018 Graduate
Several years ago, Mary fell ill. Her husband had left her with their three young children, so she asked her sister to accompany her to the hospital. At the hospital that day, the doctor told her she was HIV-positive. Mary was devastated.
When her family found out, they rejected her. When she tried to visit their rural home, her brother beat her and didn't allow her to share a meal or even drink from the same water source as the rest of the family.
After being rejected by family, Mary moved to the Kongowea community with her children. She began to collect plastic bottles to resell for income. She barely made enough money for her family to survive and she and her children often went 2 or 3 days in a row without food.
Mary learned about the CARE for AIDS program from other clients at the clinic where she got her medication and she joined the program in Kongowea at the beginning of 2018. When she first joined the program, she still had a lot of internalized-stigma and shame because of her HIV status. Through the counseling she received in the program, she has found a new sense of pride and purpose. She has regained her confidence and is now willing to talk freely with close friends, her children, and people in the church about her status.
Mary has learned a variety of skills in the program- her favorites were business marketing and cake baking. She attends a savings group in hopes of having enough money to start her own business baking and selling cakes and samosas soon. Mary's life has changed completely since joining the program and she is now able to support her children and live a life full of confidence and hope.