Rescue Team is a group of young people that work together to address the sickness, death and poverty caused by HIV/AIDS in the vicinity of Kalulini, Kenya. Thanks to the prayer and financial support of Castle Hill Baptist Church the resource centre is now fully open.

Being diagnosed with HIV was once a death sentence in parts of rural Africa. However, thanks to the resource centre, HIV positive people including pregnant women are now referred to hospital for medical treatment. Rescue Team is helping HIV positive people to benefit from a full range of support, not only medical. The team is assisting key people in the community such as pastors, teachers and well respected individuals to offer spiritual, emotional and practical care for people living with HIV and their families.

Grace has worked hard on the land all her life and seen how HIV & AIDS has wreaked havoc in her village. Grace’s Christian faith motivates her to help those affected by HIV. She has learned how important it is for people to know their HIV status to stop the spread of HIV. In her kind, but persuasive way, she has brought over twenty people for HIV testing and counseling to Rescue Team’s centre. She is also visiting adults and children who are HIV positive in their homes, offering practical advice about care and diet. She is thus showing that HIV positive people should be cared for and valued, not feared and rejected. Over the next few months, Rescue Team will train other women such as Grace to be female outreach workers. They will give clear, unambiguous messages about HIV transmission and prevention through talks, role plays and songs, helping to dispel the myth that HIV can be contracted by touching someone. Please continue to pray for Rescue Team’s volunteers and counselors. Doing this type of work in the area of HIV and AIDS is emotionally demanding and your prayer support for the counselors and volunteers will be much valued.

Andrew Betts, Advantage Africa’s director, expresses the deep gratitude felt by many: “Everyone involved in this project, most importantly the people who are benefitting from HIV services provided at the Resource Centre, are grateful for the generous and committed support of Castle Hill Baptist Church which is helping to save lives in one of the poorest parts of Africa.”