Around the World

Be The Change has partnered with a number of organizations in Kenya that provide services to adults and children living with HIV/AIDS, those impacted by the disease, as well as  the country’s other vulnerable and disenfranchised populations.   Be The Change selects people from the Oklahoma City community to participate in its Volunteer Exchange Program.  The program is designed to provide service minded Oklahomans with the chance to help and support our Kenyan friends.  

Be The Change volunteers provide support at the Dagoretti Children’s Center - a facility for children with disabilities including children infected with HIV.  Volunteers have provided training for the staff of the facility to better meet the needs of the many children who reside there that have special needs.  Be The Change volunteers are currently working with the program staff of the center to develop a comprehensive program for the children who have Autism.  On an upcoming trip, volunteers will assist in the renovation of facilities to accommodate a multi-sensory room for these children.

In December of 2010, Be The Change volunteers built playground equipment for the children at the Kakutha Primary School in the village of Kangundo.  This is a small village located east of Nairobi in a drought stricken area called Ukambani.  On future trips, volunteers will assist in completing classrooms at the school.  There are over 500 children enrolled at the school and adequate classroom space and supplies are necessary for the children to receive a quality education.  

On that trip, volunteers transported over $250,000.00 worth of donated medications to the Kicoshep HIV clinicin Kibera.  Kibera is one of the largest slums on the African continent and some estimates show that as many as 60% of the men, women and children who live in Kibera are HIV positive.  The Kicoshep clinic run by people from Kibera for people from Kibera.  The medications were provided as a part of the Humanitarian Medication program at Other Options, Inc. - an AIDS Service Organization located in Oklahoma City.  Donations of HIV medications and other medications used to treat HIV related illnesses and conditions are accepted by Other Options from all over the United States.  The medications are catalogued and sent to HIV clinics in developing countries all around the world.  Be The Change will again deliver these life saving medications 

to the Kicoshep clinic in Kibera on future trips.