GROW Intern Update: Week 1

Introduction:

Hello everyone! After months of planning virtually, the 2025 GROW team has finally arrived in Mumias, Kenya. It feels surreal being on the ground. From taking boda-bodas through the streets of Mumias, to making chapati, eating ugali, and using bits of Swahili we learned from Duolingo, every moment so far has been filled with warmth, joy, and curiosity. The people of Mumias and WOPLAH have welcomed us with open arms, and we’re truly grateful for their hospitality. The team is incredibly excited to begin working with WOPLAH and is committed to learning and supporting WOPLAH’s mission. By the end of the internship, our hope is to have contributed meaningfully and left WOPLAH even stronger than we found it. 

Tuesday: Kitchen Garden A.K.A Sustainability in Action

Our first full day as an intern began at one of WOPLAH’s most impactful locations, the Kitchen Garden. This space is more than just a farm, it's a classroom that empowers communities with the knowledge and tools they need to combat food insecurity, financial difficulties, and overall health challenges. The farm teaches people living with HIV how to put food on their table, send their kids to school, and eat healthily. 

We had the opportunity to walk through the farm and see these sustainable systems in action. From fish farming and poultry rearing to dairy production, irrigation methods, and compost creation, it was incredible to witness how interconnected everything is. We learned about how animal rearing projects provide livestock to families as a long-term food and income source. The most inspiring lesson was learning about WOPLAH’s circular farming model. An example of this was how, cow manure is used to create organic fertilizer, which nourishes crops that feed the cows, creating a self-sustainable loop.

Wednesday: Visit at the WOPLAH Clinic

On Wednesday, our entire team had the opportunity to visit WOPLAH’s clinic. A clinic that was generously donated to WOPLAH by the Sugar Factory after learning about their incredible community work during a meeting. Upon receiving the space, WOPLAH transformed the space into a healthcare hub that serves local community members and factory workers. The clinic upholds WOPLAH’s core values of confidentially, noncompetence, equity, integrity, non-homophobic, teamwork, diversity, transparency, and accountability. 

During our visit, we saw many women coming in to seek care. While, the clinic focuses on supporting individuals living with HIV/AIDS, to uphold its patient's confidentiality, they provide a wide range of much need services. They offer routine immunization, counseling, family planning resources, and much more. Through its wide range of efforts, the clinic empowers individuals with and without HIV/AIDS to lead healthier informed lives. 

Thursday: Making Chapati!

We spent our day updating the website, exploring grant opportunities to support their effort, and writing up blogs. But the highlight of the day? Rolling up our sleeves and learning how to make chapatis from scratch! We mixed the dough, sliced it into perfect strips, twisted them like cinnamon rolls, and then rolled out the dough before cooking them on a hot flat pan over an open fire. We are so grateful that being a part of WOPLAH is far more than supporting individuals living with HIV/AIDs, it is also a meaningful way to learn from and interact with the local culture.  With people living with HIV/AIDs but also learning about the culture. 

Friday: Village Banking

We had the opportunity to engage with a local community involved in village banking, kitchen farming, poultry rearing, and much more. During a Q&A session, our team got to learn more about the village banking project that WOPLAH supports. Village banking is an initiative in which support groups come together to provide a small, low-interest loan to members using a “merry-go-round” system. The loans rotate in the group so that every member is supported in their projects. In this case, one member was using the loan to continue the construction of his family home. This model does not only promote economic sustainability, it also encourages financial literacy and communal responsibility. 

Additionally, one member shared that his poultry had recently faced an infection that led to the loss of several chicks, so the team visited his poultry setup where he was advised to isolate the affected chicken and administer proper care. This experience showed WOPLAH’s commitment to continue providing guidance and support to its members despite promoting community-driven problem solving.

Saturday: Meeting with Ambassador of Hope

Formally introduced ourselves to some of WOPLAH's ambassadors of hope and we got to ask them questions about their involvement and reason for joining WOPLAH. We also witnessed them partaking in WOPLAH’s “merry-go-round” model. 

Sunday: Meet with HIV Positive Family

To end off our first week, we had the privilege of being welcomed into (name) home, where we met his beautiful family, his wife, and their four HIV-negative children. Through an open Q&A conversation, we learned about their journey living with HIV, how they got together, and how they ensured their children were born HIV-negative. A common misconception that was cleared was that a positive HIV mother cannot breastfeed her newborn. We learned that exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for the first six months, followed by continued breastfeeding with complementary food until the baby is around 18 months old. It is crucial to make sure that the baby is not introduced to other foods or liquids in the first six months. 

Witnessing their story firsthand challenged the stigma and misconception surrounding HIV/AIDS. Many believe that living with HIV means the end of your dreams and aspiration, however, the story/journey of (name) is a testament that individuals with HIV/AIDs can also live a healthy life with negative offspring. Dreams don’t end with HIV/AIDS.