The name of a much-loved Bermudian firefighter who died aged just 42 is being kept alive at a Kenyan orphanage for children who have lost their parents to HIV/Aids. The Royal Gazette found out more about the Hayward Community Orphanage Program.

The late Bermudian firefighter John Hayward was known to family, friends and colleagues as a man who cared. His widow Gaynell, a former Nurse of the Year, recalls: "He was very well liked. He was fair. He always went the extra mile. His colleagues really respected him. He just got along with everyone."

His former boss at the Fire Service, Chief Fire Officer Vincent Hollinsid, also remembers "a very, very kind and very giving individual".

It's fitting then that Mr. Hayward's name should live on in an organisation committed to care. John's thoughtful nature made such an impact on African Tabitha Osiany that she named her orphanage in Kenya after him following the father-of-two's premature death from a heart attack eight years ago.

Tabitha, who met John while she was studying nursing with Gaynell in Jamaica, told The Royal Gazette: "Gaynell and John Hayward were very good friends of mine. When Gaynell called me and told me that John had died I thought of starting something in his memory.

"He was a tender, loving person. He was just lovely. I contacted Gaynell and I told her I wanted to do something in memory of John. We wanted to remember him for all time."

John, a Seventh Day Adventist and keen motorcyclist, died on the steps of the Cenotaph on Front Street, Hamilton, on May 30, 1999. His bike had broken down and he pushed it into town in blazing heat, before collapsing.

"He was three minutes from home," says Gaynell. "We lived on Ferrars Lane. They found him dead. The irony of it was that he was training dispatchers for the (emergency) 911 system and he never benefited."

Two years later, to the day, the Hayward Community Orphanage Program (HACOP) was registered in the Rongo District of Kenya. It has since helped more than 800 orphans but there are always more vulnerable youngsters needing assistance than it can provide for.

Tabitha explains that Aids and HIV deaths are commonplace in her home country, leaving hundreds of thousands of children without parents. The CIA World Factbook estimates that the east African country has 1.2 million people living with HIV or Aids and 150,000 deaths from the virus a year.

"It is a big problem," says Tabitha. "We care for about 150 or 200 (orphans). We don't have a lot of resources to give them but we are able to give them clothing, we give them food and we distribute pens, pencils and books and other reading material. If we had more resources, we'd be able to give them more.

"Our challenges include food, support, clothing, school fees, shelter for the very poor orphans and psychological support for them. While we wish to do all the above we are financially incapable to meet all the needs."

Although the charity calls itself an orphanage, it does not have a physical base. The children it helps often live with elderly relatives or siblings in dreadful conditions.

Tabitha wants to open a day centre where the orphans could collect food, get involved in social activities and get some basic education. And thanks to John Hayward's widow that could now be a step closer to happening.

Gaynell has never forgotten Tabitha's gesture in memory of her husband and this year she, along with Bermuda Nurses' Association, has raised some $12,000 for the orphanage.

"Tabitha asked me if she could name it after John," said the 51-year-old, who has never remarried. "She wanted to do something really special because she knew that John was really special to me and her. When he died, she was really devastated."

This year's appeal by the Nurses' Association raised more than $24,000, which will be split equally between the orphanage and a programme providing meals for deprived children on the Island.

Donations came from businesses, schools, churches and individual members of the public, via contributions in donor buckets. John's former colleagues in the Fire Service also helped, by taking part in the John Hayward Memorial Golf Tournament at Belmont. The Kenyan orphanage will receive its half of the money in installments from Gaynell, who lives in Southampton. She plans to keep raising cash in the future and hopes to eventually meet some of the children who have benefited from the organisation named after her husband.

Tabitha says: "We must acknowledge the wonderful assistance we have had from Mrs. Gaynell Hayward. It is through her kindness and assistance that HACOP came into existence, which has been personified by naming the organisation in honour of her late husband. She has on several occasions given support to HACOP orphans."

Gaynell adds: "It's a nice thought that his name lives on in Kenya. He was funny, he had a sense of humour, he would always play with little kids. I think that's synonymous with his personality and life."

* To find out more about the Hayward Community Orphanage Program email gaynell@ibl.bm.