Beckenham: ‘Human beings can make a difference’
Adam Smith / Reporter
Timothy was found alone, on the floor, in an empty room,
left to die. Other babies have been found on street corners,
in sewers, in garbage. Clive Beckenham and his wife Mary are
changing that, one baby at a time.
On Monday, Clive Beckenham and Dr. Paul Wangai will speak at
the Elon Community Church about their work with AIDS orphans
in Kenya. The event will begin at 7:00 p.m., with opening
selections from the Elon Gospel Choir.
Clive, and his wife Mary, began their plight in 1993 while
traveling to Kenya. They had read about orphans in the
newspaper.
“They wanted to know what they could do about
this,” said Julie Bourbeau, a student organizing the
event. “They knew they had to do something,” she
said.
In 1994, the Beckenhams, along with Wangai, the medical
director of the orphanage, opened New Life Homes, a network
of homes for these children, many of whom, according to the
Beckenham’s Web site, were left at hospitals, two or
three to a cot, simply because they were assumed to be
infected with HIV. Ninety percent of the re-tested children,
however, turn out to be HIV-negative.
“They get children adopted unlike any place in the
world; they are extremely successful,” Bourbeau said.
Jenn Pierson is one of many students who organized the
event.
“One of the most amazing things,” Pierson said,
“is that the central home is the family home as well as
the orphanage.”
Beckenham and Dr. Wangai are not visiting North Carolina
simply to discuss their work, but to bring attention to the
AIDS epidemic.
Pierson said, “AIDS affects every part of society--
the economy, politics, everything.”
According to the United Nations, there are more than 42
million people living with AIDS worldwide, with nearly 30
million in Africa alone.
“This is a major global issue, people just don’t
understand the impacts,” said Jim Brown, the faculty
member advising the visit.
Pierson and Bourbeau, both Periclean Scholars, said they are
firm believers in the work that college students can do to
end the epidemic. “Being a global citizen is what Elon
says is really important, and Elon students need to know this
is an issue in the world.” Both students cite a great
response from the student body.
“I’m so proud of the students here,”
Bourbeau said. “This proves how caring, active and
socially aware Elon students are.”
The event on Elon’s campus is sponsored by several
organizations. Elon Cares, a part of Elon Volunteers, as well
as the Periclean Scholars have been instrumental in
organizing the visit by Beckenham and Wangai. Both the Sierra
Club and the General Studies program have made donations
toward the event.
The Beckenhams were originally scheduled to speak at Elon
last April, but were not able to make the trip because of the
war in Iraq.
During their week in North Carolina, Beckenham and Wangai
will meet with students at Elon, Wake Forest University, High
Point University and Winston-Salem State University.
Through their decade of work, the Beckenhams have brought in
nearly 600 children to their orphanages. Statistically, this
is a small number when compared to the countless men, women
and children infected with the disease throughout the
continent and the world. The Beckenhams are not discouraged,
though.
“I know what we are doing is so small, but someone has
to start somewhere,” Beckenham said. “One of the
major things that we have learned is that we, as human
beings, can make a difference.”
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