Youth worker :   ISRAEL ONANYANG

ISRAEL trained as a youth worker and “peer educator” with CREATE in 2002. He supervises 5 needy families, who support one or more orphans, ensuring that the chickens, goats and orange trees donated by the project are well cared for, and that the orphans are well nourished and attending school. He belongs to a peer educator drama group, which writes and performs plays to raise awareness especially among young people about HIV/AIDS and healthy lifestyles generally. The orphan project work is done on a purely voluntary basis, but the workers are given a bicycle to enable them to visit the families who live in rural areas well out of Kumi town only approachable by narrow tracks. The bicycle is a great asset in Israel’s daily life and can generate income. Livestock or tree seedlings are another reward for the community activities, he now has one goat from this source. Israel is 26 years old, married with 3 children. To support the family he and his wife grow food on their 1 acre of land, and Israel does agricultural labouring for other families and uses the bicycle as a taxi in town or to carry people to the medical centre.

Israel so much enjoys the youth work that he has been chosen to help educate other groups in different areas, and through it he has become such a  well respected member of the community that he now represents his parish at sub-county level. He has an ambition to become a local councillor. This new-found confidence all stems from the opportunity given by CREATE training.

Orphan : GIRIPOISIO OMODING

GIRIPOISIO is 12 years old, in Primary 4 at school. He has lost both his parents to AIDS, and lives with his uncle, Robert. His grandparents, Vincent and Ann, also help to care for him. He has been given a goat which has kidded twice, and he really enjoys caring for them after school. He also received 3 orange tree seedlings which, after 3 years, are now taller than him and will soon start to fruit, giving him an income of his own for food, school books and uniforms, and should enable him to go through secondary education.

Orphan: EDISA AKURUT

EDISA is 11 years old, and the youngest of 9 children. Her father died and her mother is ill and often unable to care for the family. From the orphan project Edisa has received a female goat which, after producing a female kid, has now been passed on to another orphan. Edisa is extremely proud of her developing goat herd, which provides her with some security in life, and great enjoyment. She is seen here beside one of her orange trees with one of her goats. She has also received school uniform and books.