HOK Commemorates 50th Year with Launch of Diagnostic and Treatment Center in Mbirikani, Kenya

AID Village Clinics has a mission to improve the health and quality of life for rural village communities in Africa. The clinic site is the Mbirikani Group Ranch, a 300,000 acre compound 125 miles southeast of Nairobi, Kenya, home to the Masai.

Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum, Inc. (HOK) will fund the construction upgrades, outfitting, staffing and launch of a solar-powered diagnostic and treatment center in southeastern rural Kenya in recognition of its 50th anniversary in 2005.

HOK?EUR??,,????'???s $500,000 donation to Africa Infectious Disease Village Clinics, Inc. will enable the Chicago-based public charity to launch the most comprehensive tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment center in the region, located at the 24-building Mbirikani Clinic complex.

?EUR??,,????'??In its broadest sense, sustainability is about creating healthy, responsible and economically viable communities,?EUR??,,????'?? said Bill Valentine, chairman of HOK. ?EUR??,,????'??(This) contribution will measurably improve the lives of thousands of people for decades to come.?EUR??,,????'??

Scheduled to begin accepting patients in mid-2005, the HOK Diagnostic and Treatment Center will screen patients (Masai villagers) for TB, AIDS, malaria and other infectious diseases.

A formal dedication of the center is scheduled for October 2005 to coincide with HOK?EUR??,,????'???s 50th Anniversary celebration.

For more information, visit www.hok.com.