Who We Help
The Westport/Aror (Kenya) Partnership was set up to reach out and help a community in the developing world. The aim of the Partnership is to create an awareness of the under-developed world in our own community. The purpose is to personalise and put a human face on the world problem of hunger and deprivation in the context of two communities – one who has plenty and one who lacks the basic needs to survive.
The Aror Health Centre is situated in the Kerio Valley in north west Kenya. Most of the people live in mud huts with straw roofs on the side of the escarpment which reaches a height of 2,500 metres. The climate is hot and dry with seasonal but erratic rainfall.
Infrastructure in the initial years of the Partnership was not good; the roads alone left a lot to be desired, the road into Aror was like travelling up the side of Croagh Patrick. The road has been improved over the years so progress is being made.
The people of Aror, which has a catchment area of about 18,000 people, are a happy, relaxed people, content with their lot. The extended family is the norm in Aror, where all live together and the elderly are an integral part of the system, valued for their knowledge, wisdom and experience.
The Partnership now operates from a very strong base and one reason for this is that over the years many of the Committee members have made the journey to Aror (at their own expense) to experience at first-hand the lifestyle and culture of the people of Aror.
As Sr. Brenda Swan, one of the Medical Missionaries of Mary, said “You did not merely send help, you came yourselves. The people of Aror felt very honoured and privileged to meet you."