Little Cynthia Akoth, who has lived most of her 9 years in a mud shack surrounded by death and disease on her native island in Kenya, has a new lease on life thanks to a small group of Long Islanders with a big dream.

According to the World Health Organization's most recent estimates, nearly one and a half million people in Kenya over the age of 15 suffer from HIV/AIDS. On the country's tiny island of Mfangano situated on Lake Victoria, half of the population has been lost to the devastating effects of AIDS. Those who survive are often left homeless and hungry, and tuberculosis and malaria continue to threaten their existence. In this pocket of the world where death is commonplace and life is a constant struggle, members of Long Island's Shelter Rock Church have worked over the past two years to bring health and hope, building homes for those without adequate shelter and providing for critical needs. Among the beneficiaries of their outreach is 9-year-old Cynthia Akoth. After her father died of AIDS, members of Shelter Rock built a new home for Cynthia and her mother, Linnet, replacing the tiny thatched-roof mud hut they had been living in until last August. But as they came to know this family, the Shelter Rock team learned that Cynthia had another serious problem.

Born with a hole in her heart, Cynthia had trouble breathing and failed to gain weight even with food available, and her prospects for a normal life were dim. With only two doctors in her community for a population of 200,000, many dying from other diseases, there was not much likelihood that she would receive the care she needed. Through the efforts of local Rotary district chairman of Gift of Life International, Rob Donno, arrangements were made for Cynthia to be evaluated by a doctor in Nairobi, and it was determined that surgery was necessary. Shelter Rock and Gift of Life representatives quickly began plans to bring Cynthia and her mother to the U.S. for the operation, raising funds and making transportation and housing arrangements; Ronald McDonald House agreed to provide a place for the mother and daughter to stay. Still, thwarted by politically motivated street violence that made travel extremely difficult, as well as complicated processes for obtaining travel documentation, the plans took longer than anyone expected and Cynthia's condition continued to worsen.

Today, however, just a month after arriving with her mom at JFK airport, those problems are as far away as the sounds of the fish jumping in Lake Victoria. On Monday, Feb. 4 Dr. Samuel Weinstein, chief of pediatric cardio-thoracic surgery at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore in the Bronx, successfully performed the procedure that brought Cynthia across the globe. Dr. Weinstein, who has been recognized for his charitable work in conjunction with Heart Care International, commented with a smile "...she's going to go back home to live a normal life."

Speaking in Swahili, Linnet expressed her gratitude at a recent Sunday service at Shelter Rock Church, telling those gathered, "You put your hearts together with mine in prayer, and I have seen God perform wonders in my life and in Cynthia's life." Poignantly, she added, "I have seen that all people are equal in His sight. Thank you Shelter Rock Church, thank you God."

In characteristic New York celebratory style, Cynthia was treated to a day of beauty by NuBest Salon & Spa in Manhasset. nuBest held a month long promotion for Gift of Life International in February to help advance the organization's mission of curing children's hearts around the world. On March 10, nuBest will sponsor a fashion show featuring the clothing of Hirshleifers of Americana Manhasset. Call nuBest for tickets and information at 445-8732.

Shelter Rock Church, whose mission is "Connecting People with God and Each Other," has campuses at 626 Plandome Road in Manhasset and 178 Cold Spring Road in Syosset (www.shelterrockchurch.com). The mission of Gift of Life International (www.giftoflifeinternational.org) is to further the cause of world peace and understanding by facilitating free medical services to children suffering from heart disease and other similar or allied diseases, regardless of race, gender, creed or national origin, and who would otherwise lack access to such services. The organization operates through the network of Rotary Clubs around the world.