The local community selects the fruits of their choice.on International Fruit Day at SOS SC Nairobi...A girl and her brother in Limon

1 July was International Fruit Day and thanks to a donation from a supporter in Germany the family strengthening programme at the SOS Social and Medical Centre in Nairobi was able to celebrate the event by sharing a selection of fruit with the community.

On this particular day, 189 beneficiaries visited the centre for medical care and follow ups, while others had come for their ARVs (anti-retroviral treatment for HIV/AIDS) and some parents had brought their children for medical attention. The number of beneficiaries was higher than on a normal day because a group of volunteer doctors from Germany were offering free paediatric and gynecological services at the medical centre.

For the beneficiaries, International Fruit Day began at midday and ended three and a half hours later. Various fruits were laid out by SOS co-workers and members of the visiting community were invited to take some. As many tropical fruits are grown in Kenya there was a wide variety to choose from, including bananas, papaya, oranges, passion fruit, avocados, pineapples and mangoes, as well as apples, grapes, strawberries and water melon.

"Celebrating International Fruit Day was a great thing", said the programme co-coordinator in Nairobi, "because the family strengthening programme beneficiaries are needy people and most of them cannot afford to buy fruits and at the same time provide their children with normal meals." She continued, "It was therefore a good opportunity for both the caregivers and their children to enjoy a variety of fruits."

Judging by the faces of the beneficiaries the event was a great success and the SOS co-workers who took part expressed their thanks to the German donor for the initiative.