THE Holsworthy & District Lions are backing the fight against HIV in Kenya.

Although the majority of the money raised by the Lions is donated to good causes in Devon and Cornwall, there is also an international element to their work.

At their social meeting on May 18, the Lions donated £100 to local young woman Lauren Sanders to help pay for her trip to Kenya.

Lauren, who attended Holsworthy Community College, is currently taking a gap year before going to Bristol to do a degree in nursing.

Lauren spent six weeks near Nairobi in Kenya in April and May working with the Marafiki community, an organisation that works to encourage sustainable development projects in underprivileged areas throughout Kenya. Lauren volunteered to undertake testing for HIV, and counselling people with the illness. In addition, she visited schools throughout the Nairobi area to educate children about HIV and how to avoid it.

There is a degree of stigma associated with HIV in Kenya, so she also was involved in discreet door-to-door testing to help people who felt that they could not visit the testing centre.

Lauren gave a short talk about her experiences in Kenya and said that the overwhelming thing she brought back was the positive outlook of the people of that country despite the deprived conditions in which they live.

She also said the next project that the Marafiki community are undertaking will be to build a shelter to help women who are the victims of domestic violence.