As part of its work with the Busia Compassionate Centre inKenya, the Madison, Wis.-based World Council of Credit Unions launched a campaign earlier thisyear to build a new orphanage in the AIDS-struck community in ruralwestern Kenya.

To provide a safe and stable environment for the children, theorphanage also provides them with clean water, sanitary livingconditions and a small farm for food security.

The orphanage community also created a credit union to providethe Busia community with financial services and a pathway out ofpoverty, the World Council said.

To complete the new orphanage facilities and its credit unionoperations, the World Council is seeking donations to purchase thefollowing items:

• Water pumps, rainwater collection tanks and plumbing to provideclean water through the orphanage: $300.
• Beds, school desks, office furniture, shelves and lighting tofurnish the orphanage: $150.
• Infirmary medicine and equipment: $75
• Fencing, stall and pens for farm animals that offer foodsecurity: $25
• PDAs to conduct credit union business: $400
• Financial empowerment and outreach training modules foremployees: $300
• Hand-held printer for transaction receipts: $200
• Bicycle for loan officers to reach remote members: $100
• Internet access and mobile phone airtime to carry out memberservice transactions: $50

The World Council began working with Busia Compassionate Centrein 2006 through a U.S. Department of Agriculture program attemptingto mitigate the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in westernKenya.

One of the program's goals was to provide educational grants tochildren of HIV/AIDS-affected households through the area's savingsand credit cooperatives or credit unions.

At Busia Compassionate Centre more than one-third of thechildren are HIV-positive and many have lost their parents due tothe disease, the World Council said.

Donations to the holiday campaign can be made online.