AIDS & HIV a re the flip side of Stigma, Discrimination and Denial particularly where the myths and facts of HIV & AIDS have not been separated. These bedfellows cause apathy and resignation to the status-quo, leaving the affected less dignified and dependant. The children and their families seek dignity, not dependence. Traditional charity often deals with smaller numbers of disadvantaged children and meets immediate needs but too often would not enable people to solve their own problems over the long term. Improvements in dealing with HIV/AIDS related diseases have added life in the years of sufferers but certainly the rates of orphanhood will continue to rise before they level. These unprecedented rates of orphanhood have increased calls for alternative approaches that rise to the challenge of massive numbers of vulnerable young children who buckle the traditional community coping system.

The community based early childhood day care centre (ECDCC) model for the care and support of communities' young children , an innovation by KORDP's partner communities is one such approach that is part of the solution to the big problem of increasing orpharnhood, child abuse, ignorance, poverty and disease. In the ECDCC approach young children gain access to interaction with others, protection, medical care , a time for play and learning through play, at least one meal a day and provision of basic literacy skills in preparation for future formal schooling. The voluntary involvement of community members in the administration of early childhood day care centers on a day to day basis ensures the success of this model which provides a continuum to of care extending to the family and wider community levels, encouraging community ownership and long-term sustainability.

KORDP has worked with under-served communities to improve the quality of life for young children and their families through responsive programming from the ravaging impacts of HIV & AIDS, and poverty, disease and illiteracy in Kenya and beyond.

History
Founded in 1994 and registered as an NGO by the Government on June 20th 1996, KORDP grew from voluntary visits to affected families to a needs assessment survey in six districts of Kenya with seed capital from the Ford Foundation and individual well wishers in 1999. The inception partner community was the West Bukhayo community, along the Kenya –Uganda border, in Busia district where the ravages of AIDS were most devastating. Since then, other communities surrounding the lake region have been reached including Webuye (Bungoma District, 2003) Budalangi (2004), Usigu (Bondo District, 2005) and Ikolomani (Kakamega District 2008)while secondary school sponsorship of older orphans extended to the whole country. Over the years, KORDP has partnered with several Philanthropies like The Bernard van Leer Foundation, AJWS, Regional Psycho-Social Support Initiative (REPSSI), Tumaini Finance; Agencies like UNICEF, WFP, National AIDS Control Council; The private sector and a wide range of individuals who share our belief in empowering communities to find solutions to illiteracy, disease and poverty that in particular affects young children and their families.

Challenge
In the last 10 years, significant declining rates of HIV infection in Kenya have been registered. However, the slight gains made are being eroded by increasing levels of extreme poverty within young children's families . In extreme cases families often do not have one dollar a day to meet their basic needs. In this environment, many young children may not be prepared to set a foot in the formal education system.

KORDP’s Interventions:

Community advocacy and mobilization  to rise up to the challenge of apathy, hopelessness and resignation to status quo amongst the oppressed
Gains:

• Community spirit energized from “we can’t” to “we can “instituting  ownership  and sustainability of interventions  from the on-set.

Integrated Early childhood care and support
Gains:

• Over  20,000 OVCs have attended the Community’s ECDs since 2001with better health outcomes
• Over 5000 OVCs have been promoted to Primary 1 during  same period
• Transformation of communities’ attitude towards ECD centers from “schools for AIDs orphans” to normal schools for all children.
• Elevation of some community ECDs to Primary schools. e.g. Munongo ,Musaka, Mujuru, Iyanga

HIV prevention and Psycho Social Support
Gains

• Information, Education and Communication  (I.E.C.) strategies for HIV/AIDS and Pyscho-Social Support  translating into  improved community knowledge, attitudes and practice towards the affected.
• Enhanced emotional well –being and health of the suffering
• Diminished fear of the “unknown” and modified  behavior practices
• Increased  VCT  and  PMTCT uptake  (Prevention of Mother to child  transmission ) leading to reduced rates of children born with HIV.

Capacity Building and Economic Empowerment
In order to strengthen the capacity of the communities to care for themselves and create sustainability its KORDP’s programmes endeavored to empower the communities economically so as reduce food and income poverty in caregivers families.

Gains

• Training of ECD volunteer teachers at Government run colleges ( DICECE centre)
• Training in modern farming methods, food preservation and agribusiness  
• Training in Small enterprise development and provision of loans and saving start up schemes for families living below 1 dollar a day to engage in agribusiness initiatives such as fish mongering, cereals trade, grocery shops, tailoring, dairy farming etc.

Environmental protection

A cross-cutting area which KORDP considers from the start in all projects. Human development is only sustainable if it respects and protects its natural environment.