Mombasa

Wednesday started at 6am, as we needed to catch our flight to Mombasa, which is on the coast of Kenya. Once there, we drove a very bumpy hour and a half to the M'bungoni Methodist Child Development Centre (CDC). Along with the centre, they run a HIV/AIDS support group for Compassion parents who have children who are positive or who are themselves positive - it's called "People Living Positive".

They provide education and support, as well as health check-ups and assistance in receiving treatment. The mums were full of so much energy and were all great friends by the look of it. It was, however, heartbreaking to see one of the mums with her little baby girl, both positive. She has hopes and dreams for her daughter, even though the life expectancy of children born positive is only 15 years. She holds out hope that a cure will be found.

In the afternoon we visited the home of a seven year old boy who is HIV positive. His aunty looks after him (as both his parents have died, presumably from AIDS) and he himself doesn't know he is infected. Most parents wait to tell their children when they are old enough to understand. The stigma attached with AIDS is another reason they try to spare their children the knowledge earlier on.

He was the happiest child we have met yet, and while his aunty was interviewed, we ran around with him, visiting his goat and grandmother, whose name happened to be Sarah too. She was fascinating - full of wonderful stories and energy. At eighty years old, she still cuts and carries firewood, thatches her roof, digs in the garden and more. She told us that bodies are like machines - you have to keep working them or they will break down!