Father D'Agostino dies; U.S. Jesuit built AIDS orphanage in Kenya

Published: 2006-11-22

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- American Jesuit Father Angelo D'Agostino, who built and directed Kenya's first orphanage for children with HIV and AIDS, died of a heart attack in Nairobi Nov. 20 following hospitalization and surgery for abdominal pains. He was 80 years old. He was to be buried Nov. 27 at the Jesuit cemetery in Nairobi following a funeral Mass at the Consolata Shrine there. A surgeon and psychiatrist, Father D'Agostino was noted for his efforts to bring affordable AIDS drugs to the poor in Africa as well as for his pioneering work with AIDS orphans. In Nairobi in 1992 he founded Nyumbani, the first home for abandoned and orphaned HIV-positive children in Kenya. "Nyumbani" means "home" in Swahili. It started with three children and currently is home to nearly 100. "We give them a chance to die with dignity," he said in a 2000 interview, reflecting the children's lack of access to expensive HIV-fighting drugs.

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