In 2005, alumni of the St Ignatius College Riverview Class of 1981 adopted a school in Nairobi, Kenya, through the Jesuits in Kenya and the African Jesuit Aids Network (AJAN).

Their donations assist in the education of AIDS orphans in Kibera, a sprawling slum at the outskirts of Nairobi and home to about 750,000 people. The area is one of the most congested places on earth, at an estimated population density of 3,000 people per hectare or 37 square feet per person.

The secondary school, named St Aloysius, was founded by Fr Terrence Charlton SJ in 2004 after his experience of sponsoring students from the community for their education, but was confronted by rapidly spiralling school fees in Nairobi. As a result, almost 90% of high school aged children in Kibera do not attend school.

The school is named after St Aloysius Gonzaga, a Jesuit scholastic in the 1500s who died from helping those stricken by the plague in Rome. He has since become the patron saint of AIDS, the plague of this modern age.

St Aloysius Kibera was established to provide quality value-laden education in the Ignatian tradition to the children of families stricken by AIDS who migrated from the countryside seeking better prospects in Nairobi. The school caters mainly to those who have lost one or two parents to AIDS or to those whose parents suffer from the disease.

The school population has a ratio of 60 per cent girls to 40 per cent boys, because experience indicates that girls are more likely to contribute to their family after receiving an education whilst boys are more favoured in the Kenyan culture so they tend to have alternative resources for education.

Coordinating this fundraising initiative are Julian McMahon and Peter Strain from the Class of 1981. In their letter to members of Class '81, they write, ‘We see the attraction of this project as not only a simple act of charity to help orphans in need, but as one of great value for money — no intervening agencies and a direct and powerful way to fight against the devastation caused and growing due to HIV/AIDS. This is a rare opportunity for us to intervene powerfully to help a community in great need with a long term sustainable project.’

Due to the support for this project, the school finally held a grand opening for its permanent building beside St Michael’s Catholic Church in Langata, Nairobi in June 2010. The school now boasts science and computer facilities, a wide range of academic subjects and student projects in media journalism. There is also a community service program for school leavers and graduates receive support in the form of career counselling and scholarships for their tertiary education.

This leap in the project’s development was made possible through overwhelming support from groups such as Riverview Class of 1981, but also from the network of Jesuits in the Chicago Province.

With the support received by St Aloysius Kibera School from the American Jesuits, Riverview Class of 1981 is now looking to support a project closer to home. Keep watching this website for more updates on this prospect.

To see the school’s early beginnings and how it has flourished through the years, visit the school’s website at http://www.sagnairobi.org.