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Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. — James 1:27
BEDIE AIDS Self Help Group (BASH) is a community based organization run by the women, men and youth of the community focused on helping widows and orphans. It is located in Suba District, Nyanza Province in Western Kenya.
BEDIE was registered with the Kenyan government in 2005 by members of the community who wanted to consolidate the available resources in the region and allocate them to the areas of greatest need. These include:
- very high rates of HIV/AIDS infection
- the increasing population of widows and orphans resulting from the HIV/AIDS epidemic
- widespread malnutrition among the helpless
- inaccessibility of medical care or pharmaceuticals
- the virtual absence of educational opportunities to orphans
BEDIE is currently focused on helping the poorest of the poor in the community. Of 600 BEDIE members, only about 30 are financial contributors and BEDIE runs on an annual budget of about $2500 USD. Other members contribute produce, child care, and similar goods and services.
BEDIE’s current goals are to help 100 widows become self-sufficient and to educate over 50 orphan children including about 6 in secondary school or teacher training. Other members of BEDIE desperately need help but must wait until more funds become available.
