APRIL 2006 — American Grammy Award-winning singer Alicia Keys recently visited Kenya projects that she and other celebrities fund through Keep a Child Alive, a charitable organization committed to supporting young HIV patients in Africa.

Keys, who supports the project along with talk show host Oprah Winfrey, saw first-hand how funding is helping children at the pediatric AIDS clinic at the Coast Provincial General Hospital in Mombasa.  About 400 children currently benefit from free antiretroviral drugs provided by the Keep a Child Alive program.

The pop star toured the pediatric AIDS clinic and the adult comprehensive care center, which was established by the IMPACT Project. IMPACT is supported by the U.S President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief through the U.S. Agency for International Development, and is managed by Family Health International.  While at the hospital, Keys met with youth groups from Mombasa who are helping to spread HIV prevention messages to their peers.

Next on her tour of AIDS facilities was Bomu Medical Clinic, where Keys unveiled a commemorative plaque and helped plant a tree. Keep a Child Alive will construct an additional level to the facility so that the clinic can expand its AIDS treatment center. Prior to Keys' visit, a CD4 cell count machine was given to the center through the IMPACT Project. The Bomu comprehensive AIDS care center also receives support from the President's Emergency Plan.

Photo: Keys with clinic staff (FHI/Kenya).