In response to this crisis, Dr. Olewe started A Million United Against AIDS (AMUAA). The program promotes education and awareness of AIDS including training in Christian values and abstinence from sex, drugs and alcohol. It also provides training of peer counselors, professionals to perform and interpret HIV tests, and pastors to promote community health from the pulpit, all in resource-limited areas.
The AMUAA Project has been overwhelmingly successful. Dr. Olewe’s team transforms shipping containers into two room testing and counseling centers. Those containers are placed at sports centers and universities. The project was gaining so much attention that the wife of Kenya’s president visited a container testing and counseling center and requested them for all of Kenya.
"AMUAA has now been given more territory to cover nationally, which is opening new frontiers for evangelism in the predominately Muslim areas," Dr. Olewe says. "Lots of people have found the peace of Christ as they interact with our staff in the consultation and counseling rooms."
"AMUAA continues to be the behind-the-scenes tool for evangelism and discipleship," he continues. "Churches continue to refer HIV positive members for counseling and testing."
Another important aspect of the ministry is the Yes to Kids (Y2K) Clinic. The Y2K Clinic provides low-cost health care and spiritual counseling to children living in the streets and children surviving within Nairobi’s many slums. "The Y2K clinic is the major avenue for evangelism and medical interventions," Dr. Olewe says. "Y2K is now a recognized health provider, treating children from across the economic divide."
Frequently, Dr. Olewe and the staff at Y2K will also provide medical screenings for children living in remote areas. They travel through rough terrain, carrying tents, medicine, water, food and cooking gear, and then set up camp for a few days. The families that come to the outreach clinics are grateful for the effort made to help them.
"The children targeted by Y2K outreaches reside in resource-limited settings," he explains. "They often don’t have any health facilities. Infant mortality is high as well as pregancy-related deaths." The Y2K staff have observed a drop in infant mortality due to addressing the health care issues of malaria, diarrhea, and acute respiratory diseases. "These diseases were previously notorious for deaths of kids under five years," Dr. Olewe says.
His work in the Kiambu area has been especially frustrating. "The Kiambu area has grinding poverty in the midst of plenty. They have some of the richest and abjectly poor people in the country."
The VIPS clinic is the final part of the ministry, which is named after its mission statement of Vision, Integrity and Passion to Serve. This clinic is a basic clinic, providing ultrasound, endoscopies, labs, specialist consultations, and pharmacy services. Keeping the price of these services low allows patients from all walks of life to have access to them.
Even with all of these programs in progress, Dr. Olewe feels he is only scratching the surface. "The needs in this country are huge," he says. "There is poor medical infrastructure, escalating poverty levels, desperate children and youth, poor governance and lack of social responsibility by churches. The harvest is bountiful, but the laborers are few!"
Nevertheless, Dr. Olewe is encouraged by positive changes in the communities. "We have engaged the youth of different slums in training and sports as tools for encouraging them to take charge of their communities," he explains. "Mobilized youth have learned how to make healthy choices as well as reach out to the communities through health promotion campaigns."
Having his ministry’s home base in Nairobi has opened many doors for Dr. Olewe. "The government is very supportive," he says. "We receive antimalarials, vaccines, and HIV testing kits for free. Numerous children’s homes and projects have been referred for treatment to us."
But the lack of availabe health care is what drew Dr. Olewe to Nairobi. "Nairobi has world-class services to the rich and famous. The 56% of the three million population which is poor have very little," he says. "Poorly staffed government clinics with limited medical supplies is all they can afford. Having a high-quality, low-cost clinic like ours has made a huge difference in the lives of many."
He is also very honest with how his life has changed since being involved in ministry. "I have discovered my vulnerabilities and frailties," he says. "My need for Christ has been put in perspective. I now have a deep-rooted desire to see the purposes of God for my life being fulfilled. I am now more willing to endure trials and temptations, if only I can be a noble vessel for my Master’s use."
