Last year I
visited an orphanage in Kenya with a group from our
church. This was an orphanage for children whose
parents had died of AIDS.

Although the
children had very little, we discovered they were
among the lucky ones, who had a place to sleep, could
attend school and had at least one meal a day. These
children were beautiful, loving and full of hope, even
though some had lost their entire families.

We visited a
grandmother in the village who was trying to raise her
granddaughters after their parents had died. We gave
her a bag of maze (corn) as a gift and she cried and
kissed our hands, thanking us.

My eyes were
opened to the poverty and hunger in a real way, and it
left me knowing that I had to do something, but what?
I’m only one person. Then I heard about the ONE
Campaign and signed up immediately. I now realize that
my one voice, together with all the other voices, can
make a difference and I won’t stop trying until we
do!

-Karen
Kovach, member of the ONE Campaign, Camden,
MI

Check back over
the next couple of weeks for more ONE members’
stories.
And if you haven’t already told us how you first found
your commitment to eliminate global AIDS and extreme
poverty,
send us your story.