The Batavia, N.Y. Daily News (Jan. 6, 2007)

We called it the question box. A cardboard box with a small hole where students could place all those embarrassing HIV questions that no one likes to talk about in a conservative culture like Kenya.

One by one, I pulled the questions out of the box and answered them: If a dog bites me will I get AIDS? Where did AIDS come from? How do I help my family member when they are dying of AIDS? Can you tell if a person has HIV by looking at them?

One question stumped me ...

I pulled a beige, torn sheet of paper from the box. The paper had been crumpled into a ball. In broken English, the student wrote "I have got HIV and I have a fees balance of 10,000 shillings (about $140 U.S. - eds. ). My question is where can I get the money from? Therefore I plea you to provide to me some help so I can continue with my course. Signed, un none (sic)." I felt helpless and stuck when I read the question.

I grew up in Le Roy and attended Notre Dame High School. It was a step of courage to travel across the world to an area without running water or electricity where I did not know the language.

I went to Kenya in response to a lifelong pulling of my heart to Africa; I feel that God's hand was guiding me on this journey. I was able to volunteer my time through an internship - part of my studies for a master's in social work degree - with the Foundation for Sustainable Development.

For 10 weeks in the summer of 2005, I lived and worked in Shikokho, a small village in Kenya's Western Province, one of the poorest areas of the country. (Shikokho, near the city of Kakamega, is an hour's drive from Kisumu and Lake Victoria.)

Subsistence agriculture is the main economic activity in Shikokho. The village has only one health clinic, but no doctors so serious cases have to be taken to the provincial hospital in Kakamega town, about 9 miles away. The journey requires going by foot, bicycle or wheelbarrow and the public "matatu" bus.

My host-mother would walk to the river for water and carry it back on top of her head in a large bucket. She would do this several times - in bare feet- to get enough water for the day's cooking, drinking and bathing.

As I read the student's last question I felt helpless and stuck. His was a simple plea from a child who wanted to live life to the fullest, to go to school and learn. School is not free in Kenya; it often costs $200 or more a year. Education is only a dream for many children whose families live in poverty. Experiences like this one motivated me to put one step in front of the other to help address the needs of those affected by HIV and poverty .

I was not stuck. I was not helpless. I was just being asked to respond, to walk with a child who wanted to go to school.

We are all called to journey with one another, to respond from a loving heart and share our gifts with the world whether it is in our workplace in our families or through distant travels. We all have the power to make a positive change in the world if we embrace the invitation and respond with action.

The suffering and challenges I witnessed caused by disease and poverty in the lives of real individuals inspired and motivated me to start Projects of Hope.

The organization provides grants to support international community initiatives that encourage healthy living and provide access to education. Through the organization, people in the United States have reached out to those in Kenya, providing assistance in paying children's school fees, tutoring, counseling, support, student get-togethers, lunches, school supplies and uniforms.

Consider Angelina, a woman I met during a home visit interviewing people living with HIV in the community. She has five children and cares for three grandchildren.

Angelina tested positive for HIV in 2004 when she went to the voluntary counseling and testing center to find out her HIV status. Her husband had died in 1999 of AIDS. Her body is weakened and often gets malaria, which is prevalent in the area.

There is no family to support Angelina, and no place for her children to go should she pass away. She works in the field for 50 shillings (about 70 cents) a day. Her job is challenged by the HIV, which has progressed to AIDS and robs her body of energy. She doesn't have medicine and doesn't qualify for antiretroviral medication because of her weight - she needs to gain more.

During the interview, I asked her what kind of things she does to keep healthy. She said "I'm just here, like a block of wood."

It was through meeting people like Angelina that I got the idea to gather women with similar interest into a group. With my internship advisor, we talked with the women and they wanted to form a women's group to support one another. They call themselves Yote Yawezekana, which means "All is possible."

The group- 21 women age 25 to 60 years old - is run by and for widows affected by HIV or AIDS and is intended to give hope and support to its members. They care for group members who become weaker, they visit and raise awareness among widows who are HIV positive, and they are active in advocacy campaigns to promote awareness among villagers of the dangers of HIV and AIDS and its effect on families.

And, they live positively and with confidence. Last year, they identified their own strongest need as assistance in paying their children's school fees. Projects of Hope helped with that.

Angelina tries to teach others in her church women's group. She tells them the disease is real, and encourages them to get tested and to take care of yourself.

Once a week, Angelina walks to the hospital - more than two hours by foot - to meet with others in a test club group, a support group for those who have tested positive for HIV.

When I first began talking with her she was happy and upbeat. By the end of the interview, she was sad and hunched over. Angelina is like many of the women I have met in Kenya. It is sometimes difficult for them to find the hope.

I gave her a small gift when I left, a package of vitamins. You would have thought Angelina had won the lottery. She was so happy. She went into the home and showed her family, then presented me with three eggs and some tomatoes. From the little food she had she wanted to honor me with a gift.

The people of Kenya have a strong spirit to keep going despite adversity. As I left, Angelina said, "Don't forget me when you go home. Remember me, my children, grandchildren and Kenya as a whole."

I am extremely blessed to share in the lives of these courageous women and I enjoy sharing stories about my experiences in the community. Despite the many challenges, hope is rising to the surface.