An Angus heroine who has changed the lives of orphans with HIV in Kenya has been honoured with a prestigious award.
Alison Stedman of Arbroath Rotary Club has received the prestigious Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland’s Champions of Change award.
The award was presented for her outstanding work to help children with HIV in Kenya.
During her charitable career, Arbroath Rotarian Alison’s team’s efforts have supplied five houses, a block of four teacher bedsits, two classrooms, irrigation, solar pumping, wells, 100 cooking shelters and a large literacy project in Nyumbani Village.
She received her Rotary accolade from Peter Kellner, chairman of the National Council of Voluntary Organisations, alongside other community heroes from across the country, at a ceremony in Cardiff City Hall.
Having first started going to Nyumbani in 2005 Alison set up the COGRI-Nyumbani (Scotland) Trust in 2007 to raise funds to deliver care-based projects for over 4,000 HIV infected orphans in Nairobi.
The orphans are cared for in a number of ways.
There are currently 135 orphans living in the Nyumbani Home which also has an internationally accredited Diagnostic Laboratory and Respite Centre for the most malnourished HIV children.
An outreach programme called Lea Toto (Raising the Child) cares for children in their own communities.
There are eight Nyumbani clinics around the slum areas in Nairobi caring for approximately 3,500 children.
Nyumbani Village is a purpose built self-sustaining eco-village in Kitui District providing 100 homes and supporting services for destitute grandparents and their dependent grandchildren.
COGRI-Nyumbani has received the backing of the Rotary network, Inner Wheel, churches, families, local businesses and friends resulting in raising around £457,000 since it was formed.
Alison said: “Thirteen years of making 19 working trips to Nyumbani, leading countless volunteers out of their comfort zones and seeing every penny of our money working year on year makes it all worthwhile.
“Seeing the toddlers I met all those years ago now adult, medicated, educated, working and living good independent lives, two of them married with negative children (medical science has moved on dramatically) tells me my gut instinct about the integrity of those in charge at Nyumbani was correct and together we have made a huge difference to the lives of our medically challenged children.”
