The Live With Hope Centre (LWHC) is a community and faith based organization located in the Motobo area of Kericho town, in the South Rift Valley region of Kenya.
The founding of LWHC can be traced back to the work of two teachers from Motobo Primary School, who in the year 2000 realized that there were a very high number of deaths in the neighborhood. They started visiting many of the sick people and began to suspect they were dying of HIV/AIDS. In order to improve the quality of care they could give the sick people, they decided, with the financial help of the then parish priest, to take a HIV/AIDS counselling course and encouraged many of their colleagues to do likewise. Unfortunately, the rate of infections seemed to be soaring, highlighting the need for a more organized approach.
EXPANSION
In August of 2000 The Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception arrived in Motobo at the invitation of the parish priest. They came to help with education in HIV/AIDS awareness, promote behavior change in at-risk populations, as well as to visit and comfort the sick and dying.
At the time, the level of stigma for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) was very high and a support group for HIV positive individuals was set up. It was at this time that the name Live With Hope was introduced. The Live With Hope Centre was officially founded on the 14th of February, 2001, with the project being registered with the Kericho District Department of Social Services on the 3rd of October, 2002.
GROWTH
In the year 2004, LWHC gained significant support through the Presidents Emergency Plan for HIV/AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in collaboration with the Walter Reed Project (WRP) of the United States military. As a result of this, LWHC was able to develop and expand service provision by establishing four departments, each catering to a specific need and target group. The names of some of the departments have since changed, but their functions, objectives and target groups have remained essentially the same.
CURRENT
LWHC continues to cater to an ever expanding group of beneficiaries. Our different programs have grown gradually since inception and with each passing year we are able to attend to and address an ever increasing variety of needs.
Our staff is supplemented by volunteers assisting in specific areas where they contribute expertise and help build staff and client skills with a view to ensuring the long term sustainability of the program and its activities. LWHC also provides attachment opportunities for local university and college students where they get to work first hand with clients in situations related to their areas of study.
LWHC has grown by leaps and bounds in the years since its humble beginnings and it is with thanks to all the dedicated and selfless individuals and organizations that have contributed in their own unique way that we owe this success. We hope to continue this growth and outreach to all those in need and look forward to a brighter more hopeful future for all we will be fortunate to serve.
