Dean Cain: "Eyes on Kenya"

On a recent trip to Africa, Dean Cain visited with families devastated by the AIDS crisis. He shares his observations and touching recollections exclusively with the LKL Blog about a once in a lifetime journey he'll never forget.

Click on image to see more of Dean Cain's photos

One of the advantages to having achieved a certain amount of fame, is the ability to spotlight causes and bring certain situations to light. I was given this opportunity when I traveled to Kenya earlier this year to film a documentary called “Eyes on Kenya” which airs Wednesday, December 3rd on My Network. A group of 6 film and television actors visited Nairobi and its slums, and then went on safari in the legendary Masai Mara. This program documents our experiences. Being a devoted father to an eight year-old boy, I knew I would be in for a heart-wrenching but very rewarding experience.

My job was to visit a family devastated by AIDS. This is ground zero of the AIDS pandemic. The father long since gone, the mother in the hospital with full-blown AIDS, and the three children, aged 9, 7, and 2, left to fend for themselves. The children were also HIV-positive, though completely unaware. I visited them in their home, no larger than my closet, talked with them and observed their living-conditions. Unimaginable. I gave the children food and clothing, and took them out of the slums for the first time in their lives. It is one thing to see these conditions on television, but truly horrifying when you see and smell it with your own senses. It is also different when you look a child in the eye.

(Read More)

Filed under: Larry King Live