Fighting HIV and AIDS in Kenya
Dec 08
HIV and AIDS, Voices from the Field Kenya, World AIDS Day No Comments
Children in urban slums are often exposed to abuse and exploitation, making them particularly vulnerable to HIV and AIDS. Photo: Elizabeth Wright, Mukuru slum, Nairobi, Kenya
It is amazing to see the potential that exists for extremely poor communities to overcome challenges on their own if they are given the opportunity and the tools. In my work promoting community development in Kenya with Concern, I have seen firsthand evidence of the dramatic results that can be achieved to reduce the impact HIV and AIDS using simple methods such as education, community mobilization, and dialogue.
In Kenya, Concern Worldwide is addressing issues of stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV and AIDS, and in particular children affected by HIV and AIDS, through a program called “Community Conversations.” We have launched this program in two of Nairobi’s urban slums, as well as in three rural districts in Nyanza Province. How does it work? To put it simply, we engage a diverse group of community members in regular dialogue about HIV and AIDS, and we work to get participants to analyze the underlying causes of stigma, discrimination, and new infections.
The Community Conversations groups bring in traditional healers, local government officials, parents, merchants, teachers, and health workers to form a sort of task force to analyze what is driving HIV and AIDS in their communities and come up with ways they can address issues together as a team. The program has been successful in promoting a sense of collective responsibility among community members to take action to halt the spread of HIV and AIDS and minimize its impact.
What I’ve witnessed through this program is that providing basic social services is effective in meeting the immediate needs of children affected by HIV and AIDS, but it is even more vital to address the deep-seated and often culturally-rooted issues related to the causes and effects of HIV and AIDS. For example, in a community where AIDS orphans are stigmatized and sexually exploited, merely providing a girl with a new uniform does not necessarily guarantee her an education. The Community Conversations groups focus on the root causes of issues facing children who are vulnerable to—or already affected by HIV and AIDS.
The program gives participants, including youth, a forum and an alliance comprised of their own neighbors and leaders where they can identify factors fueling the epidemic and then create a community action plan to deliver sustainable, collective change. The action plans, which take into account the relative power of participants, from parents and guardians to social service providers, are then marketed to the wider community and government officials to solicit their commitment and drive lasting change through pertinent laws and policies.
For youth in particular, the Community Conversations groups offer a safe place to express the obstacles and risks they face and to come up with solutions for addressing them in their own lives. The program has helped young people to identify “high-risk” behavior and to make long-term changes and appropriate choices to protect their health. The impact of this collective dialogue and learning is then multiplied by participants’ mobilizing to share knowledge with their peers, which in turn helps to reduce discrimination towards those affected by HIV and AIDS and minimizes the spread of the disease.
Because of these Community Conversation groups, Concern has seen a breakthrough in community sensitivity and awareness of HIV and AIDS issues and how the disease is transmitted. I have seen a fundamental shift in communities’ attitudes towards children affected by HIV and AIDS and their recognition that they must take responsibility for caring for and reducing the vulnerability of children to the disease. The program has also significantly strengthened local coordination of HIV and AIDS care and support services, increased people’s use of community HIV and AIDS resources, increased knowledge of HIV and AIDS, and minimized stigma and discrimination as well as harmful traditional practices such as early marriage.
By bringing the community together to discuss and take responsibility for addressing these issues, this deceptively simple Community Conversations approach has bridged community divides and enhanced bonds and alliances. The groups have inspired community ownership of issues affecting them, motivating participants to voluntarily contribute their own money and resources to send thousands of AIDS orphans back to school.
Because they lead by example and help those in need, Community Conversation group members often become role models in their communities and beyond. They are certainly role models of mine. Through their continued bravery and dedication to make sure HIV and AIDS stays a part of the public dialogue, I am confident that we will continue to make tremendous strides in protecting the health and well-being of communities throughout Kenya.
You can help someone to receive HIV testing and counseling by purchasing Concern’s Gift of Hope for $63. More here.
