Over 1,000 HIV/AIDS Children at Risk as Nyumbani Marks Founder’s Centenary Amid Donor Fallout
Posted by EDITORIAL
Nyumbani marks 100 years of founder Father Angelo D’Agostino as over 1,000 HIV-affected children face risk due to donor fallout, funding cuts, and rising care costs.
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Nairobi Kenya
Key Highlight
Today marks what would have been the 100th birthday of Father Angelo D’Agostino SJ, MD, the visionary founder of Nyumbani, whose legacy was commemorated yesterday through memorial events held at Nyumbani Children’s Home in Karen and Nyumbani Village in Kitui. The centenary celebrations not only honoured a pioneer who transformed HIV care for children in Kenya but also sounded an urgent alarm over the future of more than 1,000 HIV-affected and infected children now at risk following major donor withdrawals. As Nyumbani launches a year-long celebration themed “A Legend of Hope,” the institution is appealing for renewed local and international support to sustain lifesaving care, education, and treatment amid growing financial strain.
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Today, as the world marks the centenary of Father Angelo D’Agostino SJ, MD, Nyumbani Children’s Home stands as both a monument to his compassion and a reminder of the fragility of gains made in the fight against pediatric HIV. Born 100 years ago today, Fr. D’Agostino’s legacy was formally commemorated yesterday through memorial events held at Nyumbani’s Karen home in Nairobi and at Nyumbani Village in Kitui County, bringing together clergy, health practitioners, alumni, and partners to reflect on a life that reshaped HIV care in Kenya.
Founded in 1992 at the height of the HIV and AIDS epidemic, Nyumbani emerged when stigma, fear, and exclusion defined public response to the disease. Fr. D’Agostino, affectionately known as “Fr. Dag,” established the home as a safe haven for children living with HIV, many of whom had been abandoned or denied access to education and healthcare. His work later extended beyond shelter, influencing public health policy and legal reform, including a landmark court ruling that affirmed the right of HIV-positive children to attend public schools.
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Speaking during the centenary Mass, Jesuit Provincial for Eastern Africa, Fr. Kizito Kiyimba SJ, described Fr. D’Agostino as a man who consistently went where others feared. He recalled his role in founding the Jesuit Refugee Service, his work with displaced communities in Thailand and Africa, and his response to the HIV crisis that led to the creation of Nyumbani. Beyond care and shelter, Fr. D’Agostino championed research and access to affordable antiretroviral drugs, contributing to a shift that transformed HIV from a fatal diagnosis into a manageable condition.
Nyumbani’s impact has since grown into four major programmes: Nyumbani Children’s Home in Karen, Nyumbani Village in Kitui, the Nyumbani Diagnostic Laboratory, and the now-suspended Lea Toto outreach programme. To date, the institution has impacted over 40,000 lives and achieved a remarkable 98 percent viral suppression rate in 2025, positioning it as a critical pillar of pediatric HIV care in Kenya.
A key distinction highlighted during the commemorations is the scale and model of care at Nyumbani Village in Kitui. Sitting on a 1,000-acre parcel of land, the village hosts more than 1,000 children and families affected and infected by HIV and AIDS, and includes schools offering education from primary through tertiary levels. In contrast, the Karen-based Nyumbani Children’s Home focuses specifically on children living with HIV, providing specialized residential care and treatment.
One of Nyumbani’s most impactful yet least costly interventions was the Lea Toto Programme, which supported HIV-infected children within their own homes by providing medication, nutrition, and psychosocial support. According to Nyumbani Board Chair Fr. Francis Rodriguez SJ, the programme reached a far larger number of beneficiaries than residential care alone. However, allegations of abuse within the wider institution and the subsequent withdrawal of major donors — including the collapse of USAID funding following its disbandment under U.S. President Donald Trump — have forced Nyumbani to suspend the programme.
The financial fallout has placed immense pressure on Nyumbani’s operations. Fr. Rodriguez noted that maintaining close to 100 children at the Karen home alone costs an estimated KSh 80,000 to 100,000 per month in food and medication, translating to roughly KSh 1,000 per child. With donor confidence shaken and funding streams reduced, Nyumbani is now appealing to local communities, corporate partners, faith-based organizations, and international well-wishers to step in and help sustain its work.
As Kenya grapples with rising HIV infection rates once again, Nyumbani’s centenary is both a celebration and a call to action. The year-long “Legend of Hope” campaign will feature storytelling, stakeholder engagements, and advocacy initiatives aimed at safeguarding Fr. D’Agostino’s vision of holistic, dignified, and sustainable care. For Nyumbani, honouring a century of its founder’s life also means ensuring that the next generation of children affected by HIV are not left behind.
