[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 131 (Tuesday, September 23, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1855]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1855]]
                 NYUMBANI ORPHANAGE ANNIVERSARY BENEFIT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 23, 2003

  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, this week here in 
Washington, many Members of this House are joining together to 
commemorate the annual benefit for the Nyumbani Orphanage for HIV 
positive children in Nairobi, Kenya, which recently celebrated its 11th 
anniversary. I have spoken on this floor numerous times to note the 
enormous achievements and contributions of the Nyumbani program, and I 
know that I speak for every House Member, regardless of party, when I 
offer our congratulations and our encouragement for this program to 
continue to serve the children of Kenya.
  I particularly want to extend our congratulations to Father Angelo 
D'Agostino, SJ, MD and his outstanding staff who have built this unique 
facility for HIV positive children in the midst of AID-ravaged sub-
Saharan Africa. I had the honor to visit Nyumbani several years ago, as 
have several other Members of the House and Senate, and I know we all 
salute Father D'Ag, his staff, and the children for the great work they 
are doing. I particularly want to congratulate the children who are 
members of the ``Watoto wa Mungu'' singing group whose recording 
``Shauri Yakou'' has been No. 1 on the Kameme FM Swahili hit parade for 
four weeks now. The group also participated in a rock concert organized 
by the Kenya United States Association with some of the leading Kenyan 
singers and musicians.
  One of the great reasons to celebrate this year is that for the first 
time, the Nyumbani program is receiving enthusiastic support from the 
new Kenyan government of President Emilio Mwai Kibaki, who was elected 
last December. I know that there was a great deal of frustration in the 
past at the reluctance of the national government to provide leadership 
on the issues of AIDS prevention and treatment, and at its 
unwillingness to provide the program with the kind of support--
financial, land, technical assistance--that is needed to serve the very 
large HIV positive population. Under President Kibaki, the government 
has sent the first financial assistance to Nyumbani to help with its 
medical and education programs. I also understand the government is 
working diligently to acquire the anti-retroviral drugs needed to 
provide effective treatment to the HIV population.
  President Kibaki and those in his Administration should note that we 
in the Congress recognize and appreciate his leadership in helping to 
address the very serious AIDS problem that confronts not only Kenya, 
but much of sub-Saharan Africa.
  It was not long ago that it was a challenge to even operate such 
programs in many African nations, including Kenya. ``When Nyumbani was 
first established,'' Father D'Ag has written, ``very few of us thought 
these children would grow to adulthood, but through all your love, 
prayers, care, attention and valued contributions and donations, we are 
keeping the kids alive, happy and educated. We expect them to become 
valued members of Kenyan society.'' To the extent that AIDS awareness, 
prevention and treatment becomes a critical initiatives of these 
governments, the children of Africa face a very different and more 
hopeful future, as do their countries.
  Now it is the turn of the United States to follow through on our 
commitment to greatly expand our AIDS assistance programs to Africa. 
Although this program was cited as a primary foreign policy and 
humanitarian initiative by President Bush earlier this year, there are 
many concerns that insufficient funding will flow to the frontline 
efforts, like Nyumbani, that are delivering services and health care, 
but are close to being overwhelmed by the need. We have promised to 
substantially increase aid to Africa for AIDS prevention and treatment, 
and I know that the child of Nyumbani, and we in this chamber, are 
waiting to see if that promise assistance actually reaches the people 
in need.
  The people of Nyumbani continue to raise money through their 
``Nyumbani Gift Shop'' that sells locally made items and gives all 
profits to the Nyumbani project. And of course, efforts to secure 
private contributions and donations to enable Nyumbani, like the dinner 
Wednesday night, continue in the United States and worldwide. More 
assistance for this program is always needed, and welcome, as are 
instruments for the band the children want to form.
  So while some have offered rhetoric about addressing the AIDS crisis 
in Africa, Dr. D'Ag and the men and women of the Nyumbani program 
continue to achieve dramatic results on the ground, every day. They are 
receiving important new assistance from the Kenyan government, and 
hopefully will soon benefit from the promised U.S. assistance for the 
Africa AIDS initiative. Visiting this program was a moving and 
inspirational day, and I hope that every Member will do whatever is 
possible to ensure that the Nyumbani Orphanage, and the Lea Toto 
community outreach program, are able to continue their work towards 
making Africa AIDS-free and assuring that those who have become HIV 
positive live longer and more productive lives
  Congratulations to Dr. D'Ag, the Nyumbani and Lea Toto staff, and 
especially, to the children and families of Nyumbani.

                          ____________________