Nairobi, 19 February 2002 - U. S. Ambassador to Kenya Johnnie Carson today helped inaugurate the Pillar of Hope Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VTC) Center in the town of Narok. Sharing the podium with the American Ambassador was Minister of State, the Honorable William Ole Ntimama, and various district and local officials.

The Pillar of Hope HIV/AIDS project has received the support of the Kenya offices of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the U.S. Peace Corps.

In his remarks Ambassador Carson applauded the hard work and dedication shown by Narok-based Peace Corps Volunteer Ms. Kristin Peterson. He noted that HIV/AIDS test kits were provided by the CDC, but that funding for the project came from a variety of sources, including the British NGO, Action Aid Kenya, and the many local professionals who have their donated time to making the Narok VTC Center a reality.

Ambassador Carson repeatedly stressed the importance of voluntary counseling and testing in curbing the spread of AIDS. He pointed out that CDC and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have in the past year established over forty VTC sites in Nairobi, Nakuru, Coast and Western Provinces. Already over 15,000 Kenyans have been tested for the HIV virus and received counseling through these new centers.