The President of Kenya, Mwai Kibaki, expressed sadness this week over the passing of Father Angelo D’Agostino, founder of one of the first orphanages for HIV positive children in that country, who died at the age of 80 from heart disease.

Kibaki called his death “a loss for the entire nation,” noting that during his entire life, Father D’Agostino was dedicated to helping society’s most vulnerable and to finding ways to get the international community to pressure pharmaceutical companies to lower the price of AIDS medicines.

Father D’Agostino, who was born in the United States and was a surgeon in the US military, was ordained to the priesthood in 1966, and in 1992 in Nairobi he founded the first medical center for children infected with AIDS.

He was also known for his work in bringing AIDS treatment to Africa during a time in which it was too expensive and beyond the reach of most of those affected by the disease.