Rabuor Village Project is a volunteer-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Seattle, Washington, USA.

Our Story
Back in 2001, Seattle resident Loyce Mbewa-Ong'udi (see bio) began to privately support the activities of a women's group based in her home village of Rabuor, western Kenya. This courageous group of women had been working tirelessly to cope with the rising tide of illness, poverty and orphaned children that HIV/AIDS had brought to their community. Yet, despite their best efforts, it was clear that problems of such magnitude called for outside help. At first, Loyce believed she was the only person who was willing and able to lend some small but crucial assistance. But as she soon found out through talking to others about the predicament of those in Rabuor, many others felt compelled to join in her cause.

This small group of concerned individuals started to grow and in 2003, Loyce, with the help of many dedicated volunteers, established the Rabuor Village Project (RVP), a U.S.-based non-profit organization to assist the people of Rabuor in finding innovative and sustainable solutions to the challenges of poverty and HIV/AIDS. The Rabuor Village Project is now supporting activities that benefit the residents of Rabuor as well as more than 7 surrounding villages. In the future, RVP hopes to further expand its activities to other eligible communities through its Village By Village initiative.

Programs
Rabuor Village Project believes that in order to successfully foster long-term positive change in rural communities, we must empower local residents to address their concerns in a comprehensive and sustainable way. All program activities are designed to ultimately become self-sustaining, and will serve as the foundation of a community development model that can be applied in other, similar settings throughout the world (read more about the Village By Village initiative).

Before RVP began its work in the village, a participatory needs assessment was conducted with a wide variety of residents and other local stakeholders. During this process, we identified a number of issues of great importance to the community and sought input on ways to address these issues. At the completion of the assessment, three broad program areas were identified. Read more...

Our Team
The success of our activities is ensured by a diverse team of volunteers and employees based in Rabuor and in the US. Click here to meet some of the dedicated people that are making it all happen.

Where We Work
Our work is currently taking place in rural areas of Nyanza province, western Kenya. Nyanza covers 16,162 square kilometers and has a population of 4,392,196 (1999). The predominant ethnic group of the region is Luo. There are approximately 3 million Luo living in Nyanza province (Kenya Ministry of Health).

Rabuor village, the central site of RVP activities, is located about 25 kilometers from Kisumu, the third largest city in Kenya with a population of over 322,000. Kisumu is the principal lake port of Kenya and the commercial center of the region. Commercial industries include refined sugar, frozen fish, textiles, beer, and processed sisal. The area in and around Rabuor is hilly and well vegetated and much of the land has been improved for agricultural and livestock activities.

Impact of HIV/AIDS in the Region
The western provinces of Kenya have experienced the highest adult HIV prevalence rates in the country with recent estimates for Nyanza province at 28-35% (Matinde TO, Kenya MoH). For the local area called Chulaimbo which includes Rabuor, rates are even higher. Data collected from Chulaimbo hospital, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) surveillance site, during the assessment indicate that the Chulaimbo area has an HIV prevalence of over 31% among the general population, one of the highest rates among all rural townships in Kenya.

It was evident during the initial assessment (March 2004) that there have been a disproportionate number of AIDS-related deaths among young men in the region, leaving women to support their families while they themselves are in many cases becoming ill. In addition, the number of children who have lost one or both parents has grown substantially although exact figures for both of these trends are not readily available.

General Information & Newsletters

Printable Fact Sheet (PDF 57KB)

RVP Newsletter June 2008

RVP Newsletter March 2008

RVP Newsletter December 2007

RVP Newsletter June 2007

RVP Newsletter March 2007

RVP Newsletter October 2006

RVP Newsletter June 2006

RVP Newsletter March 2006

Rabuor Village Project In the News...

KPLU Radio "Meaning of Work" Series - September 1, 2007 (MP3 audio file)

Seattle PI Blogger Bill Center - April 22, 2006

Madison Park Times - March 22, 2006

UW College of Arts & Sciences Newsletter - Winter/Spring 2006

KUOW's "The Beat" - September 27, 2005

Seattle PI - April 5, 2005

UW News - March 29, 2005

Colors NW - June 2004

Strength In Numbers
Rabuor Village Project is grateful for the support of a diverse group of individuals and organizations who make it possible for us to achieve our goals.

We would like to give special thanks to: Rotary Clubs of Seattle NE, Edmonds, Duvall, Seattle 4, and Rainier, WA; University Congregational UCC, Seattle, WA; Rotary Club of Kisumu, Kenya; LTC Financial Partners, Kirkland, WA; the Pangea Group of Seattle, Slum Doctors of Bellingham, All Pilgrims Christian Church of Seattle, Save Africa's Children, and the growing number of kind individuals who continue to generously support RVP in its mission.