HIV affects all dimensions of a person’s life: physical, psychological, social and spiritual. It often results in the loss of socio-economic status, employment, income, housing, health care and mobility. As a result, learning of a positive status leads to stigma and fear for those living with the infections and their families.
Kenya has the joint third-largest HIV epidemic in the world, with about 1.5 million people living with HIV in 2019 (UNAIDS epidemiological estimates). While AIDS-related deaths have decreased by 59% since 2010 and awareness of HIV and AIDS is high, people living with HIV still face such significant stigma and discrimination that far too often, it prevents them from accessing treatment and services.
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is the most effective intervention for prolonging survival in people living with HIV. In fact, it can reduce mortality by 90% when taken regularly and it is readily available in Kenya!
Support groups are not only critical in ensuring that people living with HIV adhere to ART, but these groups also provide a place to identify with others. A place where they are welcome. A place where they learn how to cope with their status. A place where they see they are not alone and they can have hope and a future.
“It is in the support group where the client comes and finds other patients with HIV seated together, laughing, rejoicing, sharing their experiences.”
Support Groups
21 groups
23 members per group (avg.)
478 lives impacted
GOALS
1
Support the involvement of Isiolo communities in driving demand for increased ART uptake and adherence
2
Increase support services to people living with HIV and promote peer-to-peer reinforcement of care and treatment
3
Educate people living with HIV on the importance of hygiene and nutritional support care in the home
How it works
Project Officer
Mbae Leon is Kiunga’s project officer. For more than 8 years, Leon has been coordinating and giving technical support to support groups for people living with HIV in Isiolo, Kenya. Today, he continues that work, counseling community members on the importance of HIV testing and treatment, training community health volunteers (CHVs), visiting support groups on a monthly basis to monitor their progress, and conducting home visits alongside CHVs.
Community Health Volunteers
This work is not possible without community health volunteers. CHVs facilitate support group meetings to address psychosocial problems and the stigma people living with HIV face. CHVs are trained in areas including economic strengthening, basic nursing care, hygiene, positive living, nutrition, emotional support, infection prevention, referrals and networking. This training allows CHVs to:
Promote voluntary HIV testing
Serve as home-based caregivers and adherence counselors
Counsel women on Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission
Lead weekly support group meetings
Health Facilitators
Several times throughout the year, each support group identifies areas of particular interest. On a monthly basis, health facilitators from the Government of Kenya are engaged to deliver training on a specific topic. These topics may focus on HIV lifecycle, medications and side effects, or drug resistance and adherence.
Snacks
Snacks are provided at each support group meeting. This ensures that all support groups members are able to focus and fully engage in each meeting, which is especially important for those with compromised health who have traveled to attend the meeting.