Living conditions have steadily deteriorated in Kenya in recent years. Today, more than half the population lives below the poverty level. Infant mortality and illiteracy are on the rise, while life expectancy continues to decrease.It is unlikely that Kenya will implement a country-wide healthcare system in the near future. According to statistics, there are 0.14 physicians for every thousand Kenyans (in Germany, by comparison, 3.37 physicians care for one thousand patients). Even if a physician is available, most Kenyans cannot afford to pay for his/her services. AIDS poses the greatest medical challenge in Kenya. Treatable diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, or intestinal infections can quickly turn life threatening for AIDS patients. Approximately 150,000 Kenyans die of AIDS annually and an estimated 2.5 million are HIV infected.More than 120,000 Kenyans live with physical disabilities; half of them are children and adolescents. A large portion of the disabled population does not have access to adequate rehabilitation facilities. Very few families can afford expensive rehabilitation treatments, and hospitals and rehabilitation centres lack proper orthopaedic care and staff.