Founding Members
Cate Irvin cate@newplaceinternational.org
Cate Irvin, following a summer working in Haiti, became inspired to continue working internationally, and so following the completion of her undergraduate degree and after working and being trained at an HIV and family planning clinic, she traveled to Kenya on a tourist visa as a community outreach worker and HIV counselor.
During her six months there she worked in the slums of Nairobi, testing and counseling men and women on HIV as well as visiting the homes of men and women who were sick with HIV, and typically tuberculosis as well. With her current skill set and resources, there was little that she could do for those who were so ill that they were confined to their beds. She could focus only on the education of each person she counseled, but one person at a time is not enough to change a country in which the prevalence of HIV is so high.
During her stay in Kenya, Cate spent a large portion of her time working in St. Paul Childrens Care Centre, and here, even outside of the cities and in a more controlled environment, the problems were numerous. Most of the children were infected with intestinal worms and parasites and were severely malnourished. She herself became ill with typhoid fever and quickly learned some of the problems of over-crowding and poor access to effective antibiotics. These experiences dramatically opened her eyes to the problems that about one sixth of the world’s population face every day. These experiences were her initial inspiration to found NewPlace International and continue to support the children at St. Pauls, and eventually the multitudes of children world wide who live in such conditions.
Meredith Benson meredith@newplaceinternational.org
Meredith Benson became interested in becoming involved with assisting the orphaned and destitute children of Kenya when she worked with Catherine Irvin at a homeless shelter in Boston. The colorful, poignant and often tragic stories that Cate had expressed to Meredith about the children she had worked with at St. Paul Childrens Care Center moved her to become a member of NewPlace International and do whatever she could to help support the efforts in assisting the children of Kenya and hopefully children throughout the world. While Meredith understands the issues involved in homelessness in the U.S., she is also cognizant that the problems the people of Kenya face – the violence in the streets; the high prevalence of children orphaned by and living with HIV/AIDS; and living under intolerable conditions within the slums – is a different state of affairs entirely.
Hillary Desir hillary@newplaceinternational.org
Hillary Desir’s initial interest in Non-Profit work stemmed from her participation in an educational program for young minority students in New York City. The program is designed to foster leadership in minority communities by promoting the educational and social development of its students. The goal is achieved by providing the skills and resources necessary for children from these communities to thrive and effect change within their communities and the country. Hillary, having benefitted from this program, is eager to support this goal of providing children with the opportunity of a better future for themselves and their community. After completing the rigorous fourteen month academic portion of the program, Hillary became a volunteer at the organization while participating in the leadership training that was provided by the program.
Hillary was drawn to NewPlace International by Cate Irvin’s vision to help children on a global scale: To change “orphanages” into supportive environments that not only provide shelter and nourishment, but also promote the education and skills that will allow children to be able to support themselves and contribute to their communities upon reaching adulthood.
