Stretching the Limits of Our Compassion: Courageous Love in Kenyan Hospice Ministry

By Juli Boit

Brave Women Series - Juli's Story

For the past 18 years, I have lived in the same neighborhood in a village in Western Kenya. When I moved here as a single, 25-year-old nurse practitioner, I thought I was coming for a year, maybe two, to be a part of a team doing HIV work in the community. Who I was then versus who I am now is likely connected to the number of miles I’ve walked along the dirt path running through this village.

In 2004, I left my job as a nurse on an HIV unit in Los Angeles, California to come to Kenya. By then, HIV was mostly being treated as a chronic disease in the United States. In Kenya, the story was very different. One couldn’t even say the word out loud, let alone have access to testing or treatment.

No one should die alone.

This was one of the convictions that led me to leave my home and family to move here.

---

"No one should die alone. This was one of the convictions that led me to leave my home and family to move here."

---

What I found when I arrived was a team of humble and compassionate Kenyans that welcomed me to work with them. Together, we were united in mission and committed to providing quality holistic care. As a result, we have witnessed fear and stigma losing its power because of love.