Guest guest Posted February 2, 2003 Report Share Posted February 2, 2003 Dear Friends, Hello and here is a report about the work of KAIPPG in Kenya. Hope to hear what others are doing and to share more about us as well! Many thanks for the opportunity to post this, and very best wishes to all, Janet Feldman, Director, KAIPPG/International, kaippg@... , http://www.kaippg.org Report on Visit to the Kenya AIDS Intervention/Prevention Program Group (KAIPPG) October 2001 Terry Rosenlund, BSN, MPA, RN PO Box 4038 Tubac, AZ 85646 USA Email: borderline9@... The Kenya AIDS Intervention/Prevention Program Group (KAIPPG) is located in rural Western Kenya. While its mailing address is in Kakamega, the program’s offices are actually located in the small town of Mumias, 50 kilometers from the border with Uganda. Mumias is also the headquarters of the Mumias Sugar Company which is the major employer in the area. The company supports the growing and refining of sugar cane. Those not employed in some fashion by the sugar business or its support structures rely primarily on trading of goods and services or subsistence farming for income or food. The unemployment rate is high. Minibuses are available for travel out of the area; however, local travel is almost exclusively by foot or bicycle. Due to trade across the border with Uganda, primarily for food, there is a major highway through the area that connects to the more eastern areas of Kenya. Long distance trucking devoted to the trade with Uganda brings many transient drivers into the region which, in turn, results in a large network of sex workers. This trade in sex is responsible, in large part, for the very high rates of HIV/AIDS in this area of Western Kenya. KAIPPG is a grass roots organization that operates on a bare bones budget funded with grants from international sources. Much of its work is carried on through the generosity of volunteers and coordination with other programs and organizations. During my visit, it was clear to me that KAIPPG has the respect and cooperation of the people and programs in the communities where it operates. The people I met, whether workers in other programs or KAIPPG clients, were anxious to tell me about their positive experiences with KAIPPG. All of the clients that I visited told me how their lives had been positively impacted by assistance from KAIPPG. Every one of them felt that without KAIPPG their lives would be far worse than what it was. Most of them were able to express hope for the future, even those who were already infected with HIV. KAIPPG operates or coordinates/assists a variety of programs. I did not have an opportunity to visit with all these programs, but will give a brief overview of those I was able to visit. *Advocacy Through Drama I visited four different theatre groups that KAIPPG works with or sponsors. Spread across two districts, these groups use the medium of theatre to present HIV/AIDS education. In cultures where storytelling is used as a primary educational tool and where illiteracy is high, such presentations have proven to be a highly effective way to provide education. Each group presented a different message through plays, verse, songs and dances. There were presentations about the role wife inheritance plays in the spread of HIV, the effects of social isolation of infected individuals, and families who choose to use traditional healers instead of Western medicine to “heal” those who are infected with HIV. Different theatre groups had different levels of ability and skills ranging from very amateur to professional, but each was enthusiastic and effective in making its point. The groups also collectively encompassed the full spectrum of society within their target groups-- from the village to the church, from schools to the workplace. Age of group members also ranged from teenagers to older, more sophisticated members. There were students, teachers, unemployed people and local businessmen in the groups. Most of the actors were men, though there were some girls/women. I was told that more girls were becoming involved but it has been difficult for them to commit fully to the groups as they often have responsibilities at home or in the market. All of the members of these groups were volunteers and their dedication was apparent. The ability of the groups to give presentations was, however, limited. None of the groups had any funding, so all expenses involved in putting on their presentations fell to the actors or the small donations that could be raised at each performance. Several groups have established income generating activities to support their work. Many community leaders have requested that these groups come to their villages and give performances, but due to lack of funding for transportation, the groups are often unable to meet the requests. These groups desperately need some funding in order to provide educational performances to these rather isolated rural communities. *Maternal-Child Programs KAIPPG has two nurses who run both mobile outreach clinics and a permanent facility for AIDS education, maternal-child education and monitoring height/weight and nutritional status of infants and young children. The mobile clinics operate a monthly cycle of visits to strategically placed rural communities. They are currently able to provide immunizations only at a local level. This is due to a lack of adequate refrigeration for biologicals. The nurses have developed a good rapport with the young mothers in the area. The clinics are well attended and are providing valuable services. Mothers sometimes must walk long distances carrying their children to attend these clinics but the only alternative is a trek of 15 km by foot into town. If they are unable to receive immunizations from the KAIPPG nurses, it is most difficult for them to go to another location to have their children immunized. Often they do not go. The KAIPPG nurses told me that they could acquire the necessary biologicals and supplies for immunizations at no cost if they could get a refrigerator to store them. Funding for a refrigerator and other supplies for maternal-child visits is in great need. Some supplies like baby scales have been donated by KAIPPG volunteers. *Home Visits Nurses and other community workers from KAIPPG visit patients/clients in their homes providing drugs, emotional support, food and occasionally money. Currently, KAIPPG has 178 home-based care clients receiving help individually or as families. The communities which the nurses visit are scattered and some are as far as 25 kilometers from Mumias. Lack of transportation greatly limits the number of visits that can be made to these communities. Yet, in a society that still frequently isolates those infected or affected by HIV/AIDS, such visits are often the only emotional and physical support that such people receive. Because of my background in Public Health Nursing, I was able to accompany KAIPPG workers on a number of home visits to clients. The importance of such interventions was obvious to me at each home. Additionally, however, clients and their families universally expressed to me their gratefulness for these home visits and told me how important such support had been for their survival and the well being of their families. Such support and caring had, in some instances, given them the courage they needed to reintegrate into their communities. The ability to be part of a community has been shown to have a positive effect on a person’s quality of life as well as prolonging it. Such a valuable program could be extended to more clients if transportation were available. KAIPPG workers tell me that one or two bicycles would be invaluable to their work. *Dairy Co-op (Bwabi) This program is an example of a program that KAIPPG is “piggybacking” with. It was started by several couples wishing to strengthen their marriages by setting aside one evening a month to spend together. It now has twelve couples who meet monthly. The couple that hosts each month’s meeting plans a “fundraiser” and the other couples help them with it. Through this program, couples have been able to strengthen their marriages, improve their economic situation and give back to their community. One couple has purchased several cows and started a dairy business. They are working with KAIPPG to donate milk to AIDS orphans. Because they want to limit their group to the 12 existing couples, they are hoping to expand their idea by helping other couples form their own groups. *Mungu’ngu Self Help Group The Mungu’ngu Self Help Group, located 15 km from Mumias is a group of people with a variety of physical and mental handicaps who have organized themselves into a community to provide training in job skills. Examples of the skills they are teaching are sewing for women and bicycle repair for men. KAIPPG has assisted this group to acquire tools for training via a Work Aid grant. The leaders of this community have asked KAIPPG to assist them with HIV/AIDS education for their residents and others with handicaps. I found this group particularly inspiring since it wasn’t until the late 1980’s-early 1990’s—years into the AIDS epidemic in the U.S.—that anyone remembered that handicapped people needed to be included in HIV/AIDS educational efforts. The leaders of this community have been proactive in seeking education for their members and KAIPPG has eagerly responded. Everyone involved in this effort would like to see such efforts expanded to other such communities. Funding and transportation, as in other areas, remains a problem for KAIPPG to be able to expand and meet these requests. The leaders here would also like to be able to add members to their community. However, in order to do this, they need additional funds to buy more tools, sewing machines, for example, to be able to provide vocational training to increased numbers of people *Namulekhwa Women’s Nutrition Education and Support Group. This program is an example of a very successful intervention. It is working on several levels. This program targets AIDS widows, those caring for AIDS orphans, and those infected with HIV—often the women in this group fit into all three of these categories. One hundred members have been taught how to grow their own native foods in the most efficient manner and how to prepare and combine what they grow into the most nutritious meals. They are now taking this knowledge to others in similar situations via educational presentations/demonstrations. A wonderful “side-effect” of this program is that it has brought women together into what is effectively a community of women supporting each other. Though these women have what many of us would consider insurmountable problems, this was the most energetic, positive group of people on earth. They are inspired and inspiring! With what they have learned with KAIPPG’s assistance, they are eating well, feeding their children and are able to laugh and care for each other with warmth and compassion. *Musukoto Joint Farmers Group KAIPPG is involved with this group to help them learn better, more efficient farming methods to increase crop yield, which will result in better nutrition for families. The group is located 25 km from Mumias where they act as a regional unit for KAIPPG with over 100 group members and a beneficiary of thousands. Good nutrition is essential as an intervention in prolonging life and its quality for those infected with HIV. In a place such as Africa, where HIV drugs are not readily available, nutrition intervention takes on additional importance as it is often the only “treatment” available. At this village, I saw much evidence that the farmers were, in fact, putting into practice the new farming techniques they had learned with KAIPPG’s assistance. KAIPPG’s involvement with this group has led to additional contacts with the community and resulted in an awareness of the importance of AIDS education for the entire village. Everyone in the village came together for a “cultural day” for this visitor. There were presentations about the importance of AIDS prevention education, the need for compassion and care for community members who were infected and affected by AIDS, the importance of the role of women in African families and society and the importance of helping those who needed it. KAIPPG has also been working with an herbalist who has returned to this village from the University of Nairobi. He has successfully used native herbs to treat some AIDS related skin conditions which “Western” medicine has been unsuccessful in treating. This is a community which, with the help of KAIPPG and others, has raised the awareness of its members and taken action to do whatever is needed to reduce the numbers of cases of HIV infection. It was impressive, indeed, to see an entire village involved in such a manner. Anyone who has ever worked in the arena of Public Health knows the difficulty of gaining cooperation at such a level. The leaders and members of this community should be rightly proud of what they are accomplishing. The descriptions of the programs I visited do not rightly express the strength and dignity of the people I met during my visit. One of the things that nearly everyone I talked with expressed to me concerned the importance of hope that had come with their contact with KAIPPG’s staff and programs. Where, before their contacts with KAIPPG, they felt hopeless for themselves and their families, they now believed that things would be better. They felt empowered to have some control over their lives and looked forward to better times. Hope is a powerful emotion. Without it, all is lost; with it, anything is possible. What kind of price can anyone put on hope? KAIPPG is bringing education and hope to its corner of the world. It is making a difference in the battle against AIDS. I heard it over and over again during my visit. The staff and volunteers of KAIPPG are professional and dedicated to what they do. I’ve never seen a group of people work harder with so little and for so little remuneration. In order to keep going and providing its valuable assistance, KAIPPG needs adequate funding for its programs, adequate funding for staff salaries, equipment to run its programs, and adequate office and clinic space from which to operate. It is worth noting here that KAIPPG provides employment to 12 people. This in itself is an accomplishment for a place with astronomical unemployment rates. But, these people do not make a living wage and they deserve to. They work hard and they earn it each and every day. And when a power surge destroyed KAIPPG’s only computer, they offered to donate part of their salary—by giving up lunch once a week--to purchase a new one. Somehow, those of us involved with KAIPPG’s important work need to help assure that its employees receive funding for adequate salaries. The work in the battle against the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa is hard and the road is long. Those who are willing to step out and walk on it deserve to have all they need to accomplish their goals. We can help by seeing that they have what they need. They will do the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 3, 2003 Report Share Posted February 3, 2003 Hi Janet, And how have you been?Hope that you have been taking good care of yoursewlf. I have sent you a couple of e-mail messages and have all bounced. Do you still have the same e-mail contacts. I am now back in New York briefly. You are aware that Kenya's Global Fund application was approved.....the entire $179m!We very much hope that the NGOs that worked so hard in preparing a Coalition proposal shall be generously rewarded.....I have urged the NGOs ...KECOFATUMA and others to re-group and strategize on the next course of action...I belief that Onyango is aware of these developments (Did know until last week that his mother passed away) More later Your in the struggle Ed KAIPPG visit report Dear Friends, Hello and here is a report about the work of KAIPPG in Kenya. Hope to hear what others are doing and to share more about us as well! Many thanks for the opportunity to post this, and very best wishes to all, Janet Feldman, Director, KAIPPG/International, kaippg@... , http://www.kaippg.org Report on Visit to the Kenya AIDS Intervention/Prevention Program Group (KAIPPG) October 2001 Terry Rosenlund, BSN, MPA, RN PO Box 4038 Tubac, AZ 85646 USA Email: borderline9@... The Kenya AIDS Intervention/Prevention Program Group (KAIPPG) is located in rural Western Kenya. While its mailing address is in Kakamega, the program’s offices are actually located in the small town of Mumias, 50 kilometers from the border with Uganda. Mumias is also the headquarters of the Mumias Sugar Company which is the major employer in the area. The company supports the growing and refining of sugar cane. Those not employed in some fashion by the sugar business or its support structures rely primarily on trading of goods and services or subsistence farming for income or food. The unemployment rate is high. Minibuses are available for travel out of the area; however, local travel is almost exclusively by foot or bicycle. Due to trade across the border with Uganda, primarily for food, there is a major highway through the area that connects to the more eastern areas of Kenya. Long distance trucking devoted to the trade with Uganda brings many transient drivers into the region which, in turn, results in a large network of sex workers. This trade in sex is responsible, in large part, for the very high rates of HIV/AIDS in this area of Western Kenya. KAIPPG is a grass roots organization that operates on a bare bones budget funded with grants from international sources. Much of its work is carried on through the generosity of volunteers and coordination with other programs and organizations. During my visit, it was clear to me that KAIPPG has the respect and cooperation of the people and programs in the communities where it operates. The people I met, whether workers in other programs or KAIPPG clients, were anxious to tell me about their positive experiences with KAIPPG. All of the clients that I visited told me how their lives had been positively impacted by assistance from KAIPPG. Every one of them felt that without KAIPPG their lives would be far worse than what it was. Most of them were able to express hope for the future, even those who were already infected with HIV. KAIPPG operates or coordinates/assists a variety of programs. I did not have an opportunity to visit with all these programs, but will give a brief overview of those I was able to visit. *Advocacy Through Drama I visited four different theatre groups that KAIPPG works with or sponsors. Spread across two districts, these groups use the medium of theatre to present HIV/AIDS education. In cultures where storytelling is used as a primary educational tool and where illiteracy is high, such presentations have proven to be a highly effective way to provide education. Each group presented a different message through plays, verse, songs and dances. There were presentations about the role wife inheritance plays in the spread of HIV, the effects of social isolation of infected individuals, and families who choose to use traditional healers instead of Western medicine to “heal” those who are infected with HIV. Different theatre groups had different levels of ability and skills ranging from very amateur to professional, but each was enthusiastic and effective in making its point. The groups also collectively encompassed the full spectrum of society within their target groups-- from the village to the church, from schools to the workplace. Age of group members also ranged from teenagers to older, more sophisticated members. There were students, teachers, unemployed people and local businessmen in the groups. Most of the actors were men, though there were some girls/women. I was told that more girls were becoming involved but it has been difficult for them to commit fully to the groups as they often have responsibilities at home or in the market. All of the members of these groups were volunteers and their dedication was apparent. The ability of the groups to give presentations was, however, limited. None of the groups had any funding, so all expenses involved in putting on their presentations fell to the actors or the small donations that could be raised at each performance. Several groups have established income generating activities to support their work. Many community leaders have requested that these groups come to their villages and give performances, but due to lack of funding for transportation, the groups are often unable to meet the requests. These groups desperately need some funding in order to provide educational performances to these rather isolated rural communities. *Maternal-Child Programs KAIPPG has two nurses who run both mobile outreach clinics and a permanent facility for AIDS education, maternal-child education and monitoring height/weight and nutritional status of infants and young children. The mobile clinics operate a monthly cycle of visits to strategically placed rural communities. They are currently able to provide immunizations only at a local level. This is due to a lack of adequate refrigeration for biologicals. The nurses have developed a good rapport with the young mothers in the area. The clinics are well attended and are providing valuable services. Mothers sometimes must walk long distances carrying their children to attend these clinics but the only alternative is a trek of 15 km by foot into town. If they are unable to receive immunizations from the KAIPPG nurses, it is most difficult for them to go to another location to have their children immunized. Often they do not go. The KAIPPG nurses told me that they could acquire the necessary biologicals and supplies for immunizations at no cost if they could get a refrigerator to store them. Funding for a refrigerator and other supplies for maternal-child visits is in great need. Some supplies like baby scales have been donated by KAIPPG volunteers. *Home Visits Nurses and other community workers from KAIPPG visit patients/clients in their homes providing drugs, emotional support, food and occasionally money. Currently, KAIPPG has 178 home-based care clients receiving help individually or as families. The communities which the nurses visit are scattered and some are as far as 25 kilometers from Mumias. Lack of transportation greatly limits the number of visits that can be made to these communities. Yet, in a society that still frequently isolates those infected or affected by HIV/AIDS, such visits are often the only emotional and physical support that such people receive. Because of my background in Public Health Nursing, I was able to accompany KAIPPG workers on a number of home visits to clients. The importance of such interventions was obvious to me at each home. Additionally, however, clients and their families universally expressed to me their gratefulness for these home visits and told me how important such support had been for their survival and the well being of their families. Such support and caring had, in some instances, given them the courage they needed to reintegrate into their communities. The ability to be part of a community has been shown to have a positive effect on a person’s quality of life as well as prolonging it. Such a valuable program could be extended to more clients if transportation were available. KAIPPG workers tell me that one or two bicycles would be invaluable to their work. *Dairy Co-op (Bwabi) This program is an example of a program that KAIPPG is “piggybacking” with. It was started by several couples wishing to strengthen their marriages by setting aside one evening a month to spend together. It now has twelve couples who meet monthly. The couple that hosts each month’s meeting plans a “fundraiser” and the other couples help them with it. Through this program, couples have been able to strengthen their marriages, improve their economic situation and give back to their community. One couple has purchased several cows and started a dairy business. They are working with KAIPPG to donate milk to AIDS orphans. Because they want to limit their group to the 12 existing couples, they are hoping to expand their idea by helping other couples form their own groups. *Mungu’ngu Self Help Group The Mungu’ngu Self Help Group, located 15 km from Mumias is a group of people with a variety of physical and mental handicaps who have organized themselves into a community to provide training in job skills. Examples of the skills they are teaching are sewing for women and bicycle repair for men. KAIPPG has assisted this group to acquire tools for training via a Work Aid grant. The leaders of this community have asked KAIPPG to assist them with HIV/AIDS education for their residents and others with handicaps. I found this group particularly inspiring since it wasn’t until the late 1980’s-early 1990’s—years into the AIDS epidemic in the U.S.—that anyone remembered that handicapped people needed to be included in HIV/AIDS educational efforts. The leaders of this community have been proactive in seeking education for their members and KAIPPG has eagerly responded. Everyone involved in this effort would like to see such efforts expanded to other such communities. Funding and transportation, as in other areas, remains a problem for KAIPPG to be able to expand and meet these requests. The leaders here would also like to be able to add members to their community. However, in order to do this, they need additional funds to buy more tools, sewing machines, for example, to be able to provide vocational training to increased numbers of people *Namulekhwa Women’s Nutrition Education and Support Group. This program is an example of a very successful intervention. It is working on several levels. This program targets AIDS widows, those caring for AIDS orphans, and those infected with HIV—often the women in this group fit into all three of these categories. One hundred members have been taught how to grow their own native foods in the most efficient manner and how to prepare and combine what they grow into the most nutritious meals. They are now taking this knowledge to others in similar situations via educational presentations/demonstrations. A wonderful “side-effect” of this program is that it has brought women together into what is effectively a community of women supporting each other. Though these women have what many of us would consider insurmountable problems, this was the most energetic, positive group of people on earth. They are inspired and inspiring! With what they have learned with KAIPPG’s assistance, they are eating well, feeding their children and are able to laugh and care for each other with warmth and compassion. *Musukoto Joint Farmers Group KAIPPG is involved with this group to help them learn better, more efficient farming methods to increase crop yield, which will result in better nutrition for families. The group is located 25 km from Mumias where they act as a regional unit for KAIPPG with over 100 group members and a beneficiary of thousands. Good nutrition is essential as an intervention in prolonging life and its quality for those infected with HIV. In a place such as Africa, where HIV drugs are not readily available, nutrition intervention takes on additional importance as it is often the only “treatment” available. At this village, I saw much evidence that the farmers were, in fact, putting into practice the new farming techniques they had learned with KAIPPG’s assistance. KAIPPG’s involvement with this group has led to additional contacts with the community and resulted in an awareness of the importance of AIDS education for the entire village. Everyone in the village came together for a “cultural day” for this visitor. There were presentations about the importance of AIDS prevention education, the need for compassion and care for community members who were infected and affected by AIDS, the importance of the role of women in African families and society and the importance of helping those who needed it. KAIPPG has also been working with an herbalist who has returned to this village from the University of Nairobi. He has successfully used native herbs to treat some AIDS related skin conditions which “Western” medicine has been unsuccessful in treating. This is a community which, with the help of KAIPPG and others, has raised the awareness of its members and taken action to do whatever is needed to reduce the numbers of cases of HIV infection. It was impressive, indeed, to see an entire village involved in such a manner. Anyone who has ever worked in the arena of Public Health knows the difficulty of gaining cooperation at such a level. The leaders and members of this community should be rightly proud of what they are accomplishing. The descriptions of the programs I visited do not rightly express the strength and dignity of the people I met during my visit. One of the things that nearly everyone I talked with expressed to me concerned the importance of hope that had come with their contact with KAIPPG’s staff and programs. Where, before their contacts with KAIPPG, they felt hopeless for themselves and their families, they now believed that things would be better. They felt empowered to have some control over their lives and looked forward to better times. Hope is a powerful emotion. Without it, all is lost; with it, anything is possible. What kind of price can anyone put on hope? KAIPPG is bringing education and hope to its corner of the world. It is making a difference in the battle against AIDS. I heard it over and over again during my visit. The staff and volunteers of KAIPPG are professional and dedicated to what they do. I’ve never seen a group of people work harder with so little and for so little remuneration. In order to keep going and providing its valuable assistance, KAIPPG needs adequate funding for its programs, adequate funding for staff salaries, equipment to run its programs, and adequate office and clinic space from which to operate. It is worth noting here that KAIPPG provides employment to 12 people. This in itself is an accomplishment for a place with astronomical unemployment rates. But, these people do not make a living wage and they deserve to. They work hard and they earn it each and every day. And when a power surge destroyed KAIPPG’s only computer, they offered to donate part of their salary—by giving up lunch once a week--to purchase a new one. Somehow, those of us involved with KAIPPG’s important work need to help assure that its employees receive funding for adequate salaries. The work in the battle against the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa is hard and the road is long. Those who are willing to step out and walk on it deserve to have all they need to accomplish their goals. We can help by seeing that they have what they need. They will do the rest. Membership to Kenya Aids is free and open to all. The site address is http://www./group/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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