Our ministries are varied yet centered on one vision and purpose – one mission: Strengthening the African Christian family as together we fight poverty and AIDS. In order to accomplish this mission we seek to be a people Transforming Lives: One Person One Family One Community In His Time
TREE OF LIVES This approach has caused us to focus our efforts, in the battle against an AIDS pandemic and systemic evil called poverty, in particular places. Primarily our partnership is with the community in and surrounding Nazareth Mission Hospital in the district of Kiambu, Kenya, about 15 miles from Nairobi. Additionally, we have initiated partnerships in Korogocho (a slum of 160,000 in Nairobi), the remote areas of Mutumo in Eastern Kenya, and Akobo in the south of Sudan. You will read of ministries to all our residents: infants, children, youth, adults, and the aged. Each ministry is an intentional point for us to enter into individual lives and be a part of the forming and shaping of a Christian witness that brings about one thing: wholeness of life in Jesus Christ.
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Recognizing that poverty is neither exclusively nor primarily due to a lack of material possessions, we take seriously the language the impoverished often use: humiliation, shame, inferiority, vulnerability, hopelessness, powerlessness, entrapment. This language reflects the reality of brokenness in the four key relationships every person is called to live: with God, with self, with others, and with creation. As such, our ministry is called to enable others to pursue
strong belief that real answers can only be found in such an approach – in true partnership.
self-sufficiency and reconciliation in each of these four relationships. In this work of Christ, small seeds bear great fruit. Trust and confidence are sustained when people witness us committed longterm to seeking solutions not for them, but with them. It is our
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It is in this partnership that we are being blessed. We are learning much: the strength of the African family that has much to teach us in the West; the nearly overwhelming power of faith in Jesus Christ that sustains in the midst of the worst that life might bring; the measuring of the value of life not in quantity of possessions, but in quality of relationships.
TRANSFORMING LIVES: ONE PERSON One Person
Just as Jesus starts with the individual heart of each man and woman, we witness one-on-one to the power of His love. We begin at the beginning, focused on reconciling relationships with God and self. The Kingdom grows not with exponential programs, but in the most basic math – simple arithmetic – one by one. Tree of Lives commits to each person and the reality that each life matters. Holy Family Clinic – AIDS Some ten years ago, when it became clear that pharmaceutical companies and NGO’s were going to help bring antiretroviral medicines at nominal cost to SubSaharan Africa, Presbyterian missionaries Dr. Richard Brown and his wife, Judith, established an AIDS clinic on the grounds of Nazareth Hospital just outside Nairobi, Kenya. Since it opened with only a handful of patients, Holy Family Center (HFC) has grown to nearly 4,000 patients and 52 full-time professional staff, providing not only antiretrovirals, the clinic helps with hunger programs, social service work, counseling, and varied support groups. Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission With an affordable one-dose medication, closely watched medical treatment, proper counseling and, when needed, baby formula, an HIV+ mother can
deliver a baby free of the AIDS virus. Recognizing the possibility of AIDS free generation, Tree of Lives places major emphasis on the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) through medication, proper treatment, and appropriate counseling and support. Each year more than 100 mothers-to-be enter our program. Pastoral care and counseling
Tree of Lives provide for more than 5,000 inpatient days, which enables hundreds of the poorest of the poor each year to receive desperately needed treatment for life-threatening illness – the majority of which are treated for AIDS. Support groups
Tree of Lives fully funds the only pastoral counseling and care department of its kind in Kenya. Four full-time trained and internationally certified pastoral counselors provide over 2,000 personal contacts each year at Nazareth Mission Hospital. These counselors also provide a community-based hospital visitor program comprised of more than 25 trained volunteers from over a dozen local congregations, complete with training and oversight. These volunteers facilitate more than 3,000 additional visits with our hospital patients annually.
Those diagnosed with HIV/ AIDS are nearly always understandably devastated by the news. Tree of Lives believes that we are all in a shared battle against HIV/AIDS. As such, our support groups for the HIV+ provide not only excellent information about the medical aspects of the illness, but much needed emotional support and encouragement. Ranging in size from 8 to 28 members, small groups provide peer support and accountability in a loving, non-judgmental environment. So much is this valued that every patient in our HIV/AIDS program is not only encouraged but required to be involved.
Patient support
Art therapy
Even with the policy of Nazareth Mission Hospital that full treatment cost (medical treatment, medications, bed and food) is less than $10 a day, many people are unable to cover their hospital expenses. (The average wage in this part of Africa is about $2 a day.) Prior to this ministry of patient support, many stayed away, suffering and weakening at home. The funds provided by
This year 300 of our HIV+ children took part in our pilot Tree of Lives art therapy program. Each child created her or his own mask, drawings and mural, exploring experiences and feelings through art. Designed in cooperation with the Graduate Art Therapy and Counseling Program of Eastern Virginia Medical School, this ministry proved especially helpful for our counselors and health care
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A diagnosis of cancer sends a message of fear to any patient. Such a diagnosis is especially frightening among Kenyan women.
professionals in working with children. Tree of Lives hopes that this will be an ongoing program. Cervical cancer In Kenya, as in the U.S., a diagnosis of cancer sends a message of fear to any patient. Such a diagnosis is especially frightening among Kenyan women where the largest cancer killer is cervical cancer. HIV+ women are ten times more likely to contract cervical cancer, yet these women can be treated if diagnosed early. In May 2010, a Tree of Lives church partner began funding a cervical cancer-screening program at our Holy Family AIDS clinic. To date, more than 1,000 women have been screened and over 50 diagnosed with cervical cancer in need of surgical intervention. VVF The World Health Organization (WHO) describes vaginal vistula as “the single most dramatic aftermath of neglected
childbirth.� In Kenya, this condition is often untreated or ignored due to lack of skilled surgical intervention. This year, U.S. surgeons led by Dr. Bill Rawls of First Presbyterian Church, Norfolk, VA, trained Kenyan surgeons and performed 43 surgical procedures involving vesicovaginal fistulas and reconstructive urological surgery. All surgeries were preformed at Nazareth Mission Hospital. Urology The older men of many cultures are easily forgotten, especially with regard to health care. Our urology surgery ministry, founded and totally maintained by Tree of Lives, offers a renewed vitality and great relief to hundreds of the aging and elderly with modern surgical procedures. This ministry changes lives on a weekly basis. Access, which had been reserved only for the wealthier Kenyan, is now offered to all.
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Nursing Scholarships Tree of Lives supports scholarships for the poorest students who qualify to go to the new medical college that recently opened on the grounds of Nazareth. The school now has an accredited RN nursing program that is drawing students from all over Kenya. This is one more example of how Nazareth is leading the way and impacting the healthcare system throughout the country. This year the first graduating class completed their standardized national exams with a 100% pass rate. This made Nazareth the top nursing school in all of Kenya. Young Scholars The future is shaped by our youth. In a nation rampant with illiteracy, Tree of Lives invests major effort in enabling better education for some of the most needy. On the grounds of Nazareth Mission Hospital, the Allamano Children’s Hope is a Christian primary remedial school
serving the poorest of the poor and handicapped who could not otherwise attend public school. With 60-70 children in grades one through three, the ages of students vary from 6 to 16. Providing one full-time special education instructor and additional education supplies and food, this is one of our most promising partnerships. From the graduating third grade class, each year Tree of Lives sponsors a superior private education for a small yet significant number of students. The potential to transform through education, not only their own lives but the lives of their family and nation, is at the heart of this ministry.
ICU Several years ago, Nazareth Hospital saw the need to begin construction of an intensive care unit at the mission hospital. Through a major partnership with Tree of Lives, this ICU is now fully equipped and staffed, serving as the emergency room for trauma victims as well as the section of the hospital serving patients with HIV, critical patients, and mothers with difficult births. Prayer Partners Tree of Lives recognizes that pray is at the heart of the Christian life and every meaningful endeavor. As a result, there is intentional effort to encourage and nurture prayer partners with those in the U.S. and Kenya. Often these partnerships come out of organic
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relationships of those who journey on pilgrimage to Kenya; other times, they come from intentional interests in those who will be impacted by specific Tree of Lives ministries. African Boxes of Love As part of a special Christmas project for five years, the African Boxes of Love ministry has helped our poorest HIV+ children and our students attending the Christian primary school on the grounds of Nazareth Mission Hospital, each year connecting with more than 500 of the most needy children. From a gift of $60, the African Box of Love includes for each child a pair of shoes and socks, a blanket, a raincoat, pencils, a sweatshirt, and a month’s food for their families (sugar, rice, ugali, cooking fat and margarine).
One Family At the core of African values and understanding is the family; it is the definer of identity. When the family is strong and healthy, the individual members of that family are healthy. Unfortunately, much Western support and aid, both secular and Church related, misunderstands this core African value. As a result, considerable harm often is done with good intention. Tree of Lives seeks to avoid this pitfall; this is why our vision is “to strengthen the African family in our shared battle against HIV/AIDS and poverty.”
Home-based care
Food for the sick
Those infected with HIV/ AIDS are best treated within the home setting. Each patient is assigned a community health worker who regularly visits in the home. The effectiveness of homebased health care is also why Tree of Lives supports training and ongoing support for the caregivers of our patients. Mobilization workshops and support group gatherings are critical to our approach.
Tree of Lives’ food package program helps hundreds of our patients and their families have enough to eat to make the antiretrovirals effective, allowing the patients to regain full strength, return to work, and live a normal life. A month’s worth of these nutrition rich food packages for a family of four costs around $60.
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Over the past five years, more than 2,000 families have been assisted through this life-giving
Tree of Lives’ food package program helps hundreds of our patients and their families have enough to eat to make the antiretrovirals effective.
ministry. Currently more than 450 of our sickest patients and their families receive supplemental food. Income generating projects As many patients begin to improve from antiretroviral treatment, it is important to help enable them to become selfsufficient for their needs. With unemployment topping 60% in Kenya, other means of generating income have been become necessary to help.
Tree of Lives partners to educate and support patients with microloans, funds or items to help them start small incomegenerating activities. So far, hundreds of patients have been trained in small business management principles and funded to start small businesses, ranging from dairy goat keeping to sack gardening, charcoal selling and groceries. Our introductory business seminar, written business plans, and ongoing coaching has been so successful that, to date, the repayment default rate is less than 10 percent.
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Home gardening Another way HFC has attempted to help patients become self-sustaining is through the home gardening program. Patients are taught how to grow their own food. Not only does it give the patient their own food, but they can often grow enough to sell as well, creating another source of income.
As Jesus’ reconciling power brings wholeness to our individual lives, those around us are impacted.
One Community God made us for community. As Jesus’ reconciling power brings wholeness to our individual lives, those around us are impacted. Personal wellbeing is always tied to community health. By partnering with the larger community, Tree of Lives seeks to develop models of self-sufficiency and meaningful interdependence. Our presence at Nazareth offers a visible witness to Jesus Christ and His call on our lives. We are committed to bringing people to a personal relationship with Christ, as well as helping to improve their lives here on earth. We are demonstrating our commitment to the Church universal as we Presbyterians work side-by-side with our Roman Catholic sisters and brothers in the work to which our common Lord has called us. Joy Children’s Home Tree of lives recently received a generous gift in partnering with Nazareth Hospital to plan and open the Nazareth Joy Children’s Home. This orphanage will provide unconditional love in comprehensive and quality support to HIV/AIDS orphans and vulnerable Kenyan children. It will be a true Christian family home to these children, a safe haven of medical care, education and safe housing for nearly 60 children. Renovations to our donated home are underway.
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The Joy Home is designed to create true family for these abandoned children. Using a cluster model, “moms” are currently being trained to develop an environment of love, support and accountability for up to 10 children. This model intentionally avoids some of the pitfalls of an institutional model, creating an environment of true love and the human touch one can only draw from being within a committed Christian family. Outreach The Outreach Team has been very active as it has been identified as the main point of patient identification and entry to the clinic for treatment for HIV/AIDS. The team conducts frequent HIV/ AIDS testing in a number of villages, neighborhoods, businesses, churches and shopping centers. In one recent month, for example, they were able to test 624 people. A total of 340 people joined post-test clubs designed to help people remain HIV negative and for those who are positive to avoid infecting others. Such an approach means that HFC has become not only a place of excellence in offering comprehensive care to HIV/AIDS patients in Kenya as they show Christ’s compassion and love even to the weakest patients, but also a teaching center for other programs.
Korogocho Slum
Korogocho, a slum in Nairobi, has 160,000 residents in less than one square kilometer. In the native tongue, Korogocho means “deep trash” and it sits next to the largest trash dump in Africa that burns in blbical proportion 24/7. It is one of the most impoverished communities on the face of the earth. Tree of Lives is actively involved in Korogocho with a fulltime staff of compassionate partners who provide counseling and food support for the sickest of those infected with HIV/AIDS. In addition, Tree of Lives provides vital support for the poorest children who would not otherwise be able to attend school. HIV+ Youth Ministry Holy Family Center and the Korogocho clinic, located in a major slum in Nairobi, are responsible for more than 1,000 teens infected with HIV or considered to be at high-risk. Nearly all of these HIV+ teens were infected at birth. These teens are the single largest group of defaulters in our program. A defaulter, one who discontinues anti-retroviral therapy, faces the manifestation of AIDS and certain death. Teens who discontinue treatment do so from a lack of education, family instability, and the emotional impact and stigmatization from the disease. A new initiative of Tree of Lives will incorporate the It Takes Courage strategy in a new program specifically for HIV+
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teens. The program will include creation of two vocational enterprises in the Korogocho area (auto mechanic skill training for boys and beautician skill training for girls), HIV counseling, teen support groups, recreational activities, and participation in community service. Korogocho Hair Salon Plans are currently underway to open a new venture in Korogocho related to our youth ministry initiative, a hair salon and training center. HIV+ young women living in destitute poverty will be provided with training in hair styling and business skills. These skills will be honed in our hair salon under the supervision of trained stylists. These stylists are solid Christian women who will not only teach the basics of hair and beauty, but will mentor these young women in the Christian life. Ultimately, each trained young woman will be equipped to be a stylist in either her own business or in the employ of a beauty studio somewhere in Kenya. Youth Ministry – School Based It Takes Courage This year, Tree of Lives sponsored the introduction of the It Takes Courage curriculum and teaching methods into Kenya. During a one-week training session, educators, social workers, and youth counselors were trained by a Kerus Global staff team from the U.S. ITC is a multi-tiered educational strategy designed to
equip the church and key public and private organizations with credible biblically based training and resources. The programs implemented promote character development, the prevention of HIV/AIDS and compassionate care of children and their families suffering due to the AIDS crisis. As a result of this initiative, the ITC curriculum is presently being taught in three Kawaida schools and the Boys to Men and Women of Worth Programs, all under the direct sponsorship of Tree of Lives. Living Waters Statistics show that over 50% of the rural population of Kenya and more than 25% of the urban population have no access to clean drinking water. The child mortality rate in Kenya is 18 times that of the United States. First Presbyterian Norfolk has installed five clean water systems in Kenya, two being on the grounds of Nazareth Mission Hospital, and looks to
install more systems in the most needy of communities. Mentorship: Circumcision It has been demonstrated that men who are circumcised are 60% less likely to contract AIDS. As circumcision is a rite of passage of young teen men among a number of the tribes of Kenya, Tree of Lives decided to get involved in this important ministry as a concrete means to help fight the spread of AIDS. Beyond circumcision, the young men attend a number of classes to learn more about their faith in Christ, how to live as a Christian man, how to honor Christ with their sexuality, and the danger of HIV/ AIDS. To date, more than 1,000 young men have completed this important rite of passage. Women of Worth Initiation Program Tree of Lives also launched a companion program to the Men’s Initiation and Mentorship
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Program. As female circumcision was discouraged and for the most part abandoned, the accompanying mentorship and initiation into womanhood was often lost as well. The Women of Worth program has embraced the positive aspects of mentorship and initiation within a Christian understanding, in most ways similar to the men’s program – minus the circumcision. To date more than 300 young women have been impacted through this ministry. Preschool The local church-based preschool beside Nazareth Hospital has thirty students. Tree of Lives helps offer scholarships to the most needy children. In addition to a solid start with school this ministry enables older siblings to attend school and parents to work. The preschool has developed a sister relationship with the Preschool of First Presbyterian Norfolk.
Poverty is not primarily about a lack of material possessions, rather it is rooted in isolation and the experience of aloneness.
In His time It is all about transforming one person…one family…one community…in His time Tree of Lives recognizes that, in standing shoulder-to- shoulder, face-to-face, heart-to-heart with the most needy, we partner with Christ. All we do is a reflection of His great love for each of us. Our prayer is that all we do is simply that – a reflection of God’s overwhelming love for each of us. Poverty is not primarily about a lack of material possessions, rather it is rooted in isolation and the experience of aloneness. This is why the approach that Tree of Lives takes is incarnation al,
seeking to partner with those in need in order to strengthen the four key relationships of life (with self, God, others and the creation). In partnering, we learn together and ultimately share the victory of Christ. What is in our future? Growing in prayer and relationships both with Christ and our sisters and brothers in Kenya, the prayer partner ministry, as well as our own commitments to pray for each other, is essential to our discerning God’s will as well
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as His empowering us to move forward to advance the Kingdom. With the millions of children orphaned by AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa, there is a very great need for orphanages in Kenya. Many of these young children are often left to fend for themselves. So many are seen in the slums of Nairobi. Our next task in the struggle against AIDS is to help these children traumatized by the loss of their parents due to this dreaded disease through our Nazareth Children’s Joy Home. We seek tremendous growth in our HIV/AIDS ministry – need for expansion of all our ministries.
The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these. (NRSV, Mark 12:31)
It is imperative that our ministries grow to help meet the demand for antiretroviral treatment for those suffering from HIV/AIDS. There is a great need to reach out to those who have not yet sought treatment. Our desire is to share this partnership to enrich those in our nation. The churches in Kenya (no matter the denomination) have an evangelical witness and commitment that our churches need for revival. The churches also have strong lay leadership who, in fact, actually do more work and teaching than the pastor does. The tragedy and horror of Darfur have tended to dominate the press, but the whole of Sudan is in great need of help and the Good News of God’s love and grace in Christ. Several medical students at Nazareth were brought there by Franklin Graham’s Samaritan’s Purse. These native Sudanese doctors have a passion to return to their homeland to use their talents to serve the people of
Sudan. Ideas for the Sudan projects are still very preliminary. It is our fervent prayer that you are in our shared future. We hope that you will be called to be a part of the vision for ministering in the name of Jesus Christ to AIDS patients, for feeding the poorest of the poor, and for helping to transform lives: one person, one family, and one community in His time. Let’s get started. What does a pilgrimage look like? Three times each year Tree of Lives sponsors pilgrimages to Africa. Each pilgrimage is designed to expose those from the U.S. to the breadth of ministries taking place especially in Kenya. Pilgrims work alongside our compassionate partners in a variety of ministry areas. They get to know our partners and those we are called to serve. These relationships are often life changing on both sides. As we experience all that Christ has for us w w w. t re e o f l i ve s . o r g
on these trips, we also spend time in directed prayer, spiritual formation and journaling. This holistic approach to outreach is at the heart of Tree of Lives’ mission. What does a partnership look like? Diverse people and congregations from across the U.S. have partnered with Tree of Lives. Through prayer, financial support, sharing of expertise and pilgrimages, this partnering is very exciting. Whether it be support for an existing ministry or the dreaming and initiative it takes to begin a new thing, Tree of Lives is eager to welcome and partner. Want to move forward? Check out our website (treeoflives.org) or contact either Kate and Rudy Miller (kateandrudy@yahoo.com) or Jim Wood (jim@fpcnorfolk.org)
one person one family one community in His time
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a charitable outreach for victims of HIV/AIDS & poverty in africa P.O. Box 11390, Norfolk,VA 23517 // (757) 625-1697 Ext. 315 // contactus@treeoflives.org www.treeoflives.org Photographs Š Chris Tyree // Design by Re:Act Media