Honorable Mention: Front-Line
International Christian Center
Name and Location: International Christian Center; Nairobi, Kenya
Denomination: Kenya Assemblies of God
Pastor: Rev. Philip Kitoto Sabwa
Date Founded: 1974
Weekend Attendance: 3,700
Website: www.icc-kenya.org
Overview: In 2004, the International Christian Center (ICC) established "Zinduka – Africa" (ZAF), an independent non-governmental organization, to develop and implement its AIDS initiatives and related services for the poor in some of Nairobi’s largest slums as well as other communities. ZAF’s programs are focused on three areas: HIV/AIDS, economic empowerment and advocacy. The efforts target those living with AIDS, as well as those the pandemic leaves behind, such as orphans and vulnerable children, widows and single mothers. In one instance, Pastor Sabwa writes of a woman unable to walk and dealing with a damaged wheel chair: "The cords of love are strong within the group (of caregivers) and they have been pouring love and warmth to (the woman) by carrying her to the care clinic... (She) was jovial despite the pangs of the opportunistic infections draining her."
Specific Initiatives: ZAF has ten fulltime staff who also engage volunteers and partner organizations to provide a wide array of services, including:
- Voluntary testing and counseling at a local clinic and through a mobile clinic serving communities up to 30 miles away
- Economic empowerment through savings and loan services
- Education sessions on preventing HIV transmission
- Food distribution to families caring for orphans
- Presentations urging people to accept those infected with HIV, as well as advocating "living in line with God's principles of morality."
Engagement of the Congregation: ICC's congregation is deeply committed to the work of ZAF through financial support and volunteering, including donated services by physicians and nurses who are members of the congregation. In addition, ZAF is a member of a broader coalition of AIDS organizations coordinating HIV and AIDS-related programs for all of Kenya. Finally, its stand-alone testing clinic received national honors from the Kenyan government for having the highest number of clients.
Judges' Comments: "International Christian Center is doing outstanding work, not only to address the needs created by the AIDS pandemic, but also to create opportunities for economic empowerment. By addressing the issue of poverty, they are having an impact on the root cause of the pandemic and offering a model that will develop and sustain the community."
