American artist Alicia Keys' philanthropy has benefitted hundreds of children in Mombasa through a program to improve children's health in the county.
The Grammy award-winning musician has been financially supporting a pediatric HIV clinic at the Coast General Hospital for more than a decade.
Through a charitable organisation, Keep a Child Alive, which she co-founded in 2003, Alicia is a human rights activist and a spokesperson for afflicted women and children around the world.
The Family Care Clinic (FCC) in Mombasa, offers comprehensive, state-of-the-art pediatric HIV services to children and young people. It provides support services to over 1,600 children and families.
"Started as a pilot program within the Coast General Hospital, it became the inspiration for Keep a Child Alive. The early success of the Mombasa model proved that keeping a child alive was not only morally imperative but also an ideal that was achievable," the organisation's website states in part.
Through KCA, the No-one hitmaker is committed to empowering children and young people with the necessary resources, confidence and opportunities to reach their full potential and live healthier, happier lives.
The organisation currently provides financial and programmatic support to nine community organizations in Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, and India, serving over 150,000 people each year.
Keys and her cofounder thought it was important to create a system that not only treated the disease but one that fought the stigmas associated with it.
In 2017, the organization introduced music and healing arts into HIV care, and integrated technology to improve health services and connect individuals.
Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho in a recent interview praised the American for her supporting the county in the youth empowerment sector.
"We in Mombasa benefit from funding she sends us and show that arts are very important," he observed.
KCA is one of the few organizations focused on ending pediatric AIDS and has been at the forefront of the crisis for the past 15 years. It continues its mission to create awareness and facilitate solutions to make the world HIV/AIDs free.
"By providing medical treatment to those who are poor, uneducated, sick, or of different sexual orientations, KCA is knocking down barriers, creating a better future for survivors, encouraging the next generation to be virus-free, and tackling the biggest epidemic of our time," the organisation notes.
