Addressing HIV and Gender from the Ground Up in Kenya (RE: Helping women to end sex-for-fish culture)

[Guest guest]

Addressing HIV and Gender from the Ground Up in Kenya

http://j.mp/sp1mq0

In Kenya, the government's work against HIV is supplemented frequently

by civil society organizations. These organizations, however, are often

faced with a lack of available funding and knowledge. The Maanisha

Community Focused Initiative, a program that works in many of Kenya's

provinces, works to provide CSOs with both grants and capacity building

in all HIV program areas while simultaneously addressing multiple

gender-related issues.

Maanisha Community Focused Initiative to Control HIV: A Program to

Build the Capacity of Civil Society Organizations in Kenya

By Saranga Jain, Margaret Greene, Zayid , Myra Betron, and

Fritz

The fishing villages situated on Lake in Kenya paint a

peaceful picture with boats dotting the water and the quiet of rural

life. But looking closer, the scene is less than idyllic. The Lake

Basin is one of the poorest regions in the country, and HIV

prevalence is high in communities where there is little access to

information or prevention programs. In fishing villages, poverty

contributes to practices such as " fish for sex, " where women trade sex

for fish they can later sell in the market, or consume. Many people

living with HIV do not know that they are infected because they have not

been tested; as a result, many do not access care and treatment.

Although the Lake Basin has some of the highest rates of

poverty and HIV in Kenya, it is hardly atypical.

This case study describes how the Maanisha program addresses multiple

gender-related issues while working with diverse CSOs on a range of

interventions and approaches. For this case study, AIDSTAR-One conducted

in-depth interviews with key informants at the UN Development Fund for

Women, the National AIDS Control Council, Liverpool VCT Care and

Treatment, and the National Empowerment Network of People Living with

HIV and AIDS in Kenya. They also conducted group and individual

interviews with program managers in Nairobi; field staff from the

Western, Rift Valley, North Nyanza, and South Nyanza regions; and

program staff at Women Action Forum for Networking (WAFNET) and the

Women in the Fishing Industry Project (WIFIP), both Maanisha

implementing partners. Additionally, AIDSTAR-One held focus group

discussions with community members accessing the Maanisha program

through six CSOs to hear their perspectives on how Maanisha was

addressing gender in the context of HIV. These focus group discussions

comprised groups of women—some of whom are living with HIV—as well

as male youth and mixed groups of men and women.

Read the case study on the AIDSTAR-One website:

http://j.mp/sp1mq0

Pearson, MPH IBCLC

M & E Officer, AIDSTAR-One

Visit AIDSTAR-One http://www.aidstar-one.com

Follow AIDSTAR-One on Twitter www.twitter.com/AIDSTAROne

Like AIDSTAR-One on Facebook www.facebook.com/AIDSTAROne

>>> Chifu wa Malindi <chifu2222@...> 12/19/2011 8:30 PM >>>

KENYA: Helping women to end sex-for-fish culture

KISUMU, 19 December 2011 (PLUSNEWS) - For the past five years,

Achieng*, a

35-year-old widow and mother of six, has sold fish on the Kenyan shores

of

Lake ; like many women in the fish trade, Achieng often has to

have

sex with fishermen in order to get the best catch of the day, a system

known in the local Luo language as 'jaboya'.

" When you are a woman and you want to get into the business of

selling

fish, you must be ready to lose your pride and use your body for

bargaining, " she told IRIN/PlusNews. " Being ready to give sex as and

when

it is needed by the fishermen... it guarantees your survival here on

the

beach. "

'Jaboya' has long been associated with the high levels of HIV

infection in

Kenya's western Nyanza Province, where HIV prevalence is over 14.9

percent,

double the national average of 7.4 percent. It is even higher among

fishing

communities. The Kenya HIV Prevention Response and Modes of

Transmission

Analysis 2009 [

http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTHIVAIDS/Resources/375798-1103037153392/Ken\

yaMOT22March09Final.pdf]

reported that HIV prevalence among fishing communities stands at 30

percent, while an estimated 25 percent of all new infections in Nyanza

are

attributed to this group.

An estimated 27,000 women are involved in the fish trade in Nyanza

either

directly or indirectly, according to the Ministry of Fisheries.

Achieng says she is aware of the risks, but the immediate needs of

her

family override any concern she may have about contracting HIV.

" You know you can get HIV... but then you remember you have a family

that

needs to be provided for, and you say, let me die providing for them, "

she

said.

According to Okal, the provincial AIDS and sexually

transmitted

infections coordinator for Nyanza, while efforts to reach out to

fishing

communities with HIV prevention messages have begun to show results,

the

continued poverty of women means they remain vulnerable to 'jaboya'.

" Fish trade that goes along with sex-for-fish continues to be one of

the

greatest challenges in the prevention of HIV in Nyanza... There are

still

challenges which involve the economic and social vulnerabilities of

the

women involved in the trade, " he said.

Economic empowerment

A recent donation of six boats to women's groups in Nyanza by the US

Peace

Corps shows some of the ways 'jaboya' can be addressed; the women are

able

to fish for themselves, eliminating dependence on fishermen.

" When you have nothing, those who have something must tell you to

bend

over backwards for them. Now we have boats and we will no longer be at

anybody's mercy, " Millicent Onyango, one of the beneficiaries of the

US

Peace Corps' " No Sex for Fish " project.

According to Okeyo Owuor, director of the Institute for

Research

on Environment and Development, which is part of the initiative,

empowering

women economically is key to ending the dangerous fish-for-sex trade.

" These women need fish but they don't own any boat. This means they

have to

play along with whoever has the boat and these are men who will demand

for

sex before giving any fish. But when you empower them to own the boat,

then

they have the ultimate power to say no to sexual demands, " he said.

" Six boats might look small but many such initiatives can make an

impact

in ending the sex-for-fish trade if replicated over time. It is

important

to start from somewhere, " he added.

Many of the women trading in fish across Lake 's landing

sites

have formed groups to help them save money to buy their own fishing

equipment.

" We want to help ourselves by putting some of our savings aside so

that

when we have enough, we can buy our own boats and nets and help each

other.

So we will have nearly all women who are at the beaches own a boat

either

individually, or as a group, " said Lillian Rajula, the leader of one

such

group.

According to Nyanza AIDS coordinator Okal, economic programmes must

go

hand in hand with other HIV prevention methods like the promotion of

voluntary medical male circumcision, condom use and behaviour change

communication.

" Apart from the need to empower the women, behaviour change

communication

targeting men is important so that they look at the women as business

partners and not sex partners; these kind of efforts are ongoing and

are

being embraced, albeit slowly, " he said.

*Not her real name

ko/kr/cb

[END]

This report online: http://www.plusnews.org/report.aspx?reportID=94497

Follow us on Twitter! http://twitter.com/plusnews

© IRIN. All rights reserved. HIV/AIDS news and analysis:

http://www.plusnews.org/

[This item comes to you from PlusNews, part of IRIN, the humanitarian

news

and analysis service of the UN Office for the Coordination of

Humanitarian

Affairs. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of

the

United Nations or its Member States. Reposting or reproduction, with

attribution, for non-commercial purposes is permitted. Terms and

conditions: http://www.irinnews.org/copyright.aspx

Principal IRIN/PlusNews donors: UAE, Canada, Germany, Ireland,

Netherlands,

Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and the IHC. More information:

http://www.irinnews.org/donors.aspx

[Guest guest]

Addressing HIV and Gender from the Ground Up in Kenya

http://j.mp/sp1mq0

In Kenya, the government's work against HIV is supplemented frequently

by civil society organizations. These organizations, however, are often

faced with a lack of available funding and knowledge. The Maanisha

Community Focused Initiative, a program that works in many of Kenya's

provinces, works to provide CSOs with both grants and capacity building

in all HIV program areas while simultaneously addressing multiple

gender-related issues.

Maanisha Community Focused Initiative to Control HIV: A Program to

Build the Capacity of Civil Society Organizations in Kenya

By Saranga Jain, Margaret Greene, Zayid , Myra Betron, and

Fritz

The fishing villages situated on Lake in Kenya paint a

peaceful picture with boats dotting the water and the quiet of rural

life. But looking closer, the scene is less than idyllic. The Lake

Basin is one of the poorest regions in the country, and HIV

prevalence is high in communities where there is little access to

information or prevention programs. In fishing villages, poverty

contributes to practices such as " fish for sex, " where women trade sex

for fish they can later sell in the market, or consume. Many people

living with HIV do not know that they are infected because they have not

been tested; as a result, many do not access care and treatment.

Although the Lake Basin has some of the highest rates of

poverty and HIV in Kenya, it is hardly atypical.

This case study describes how the Maanisha program addresses multiple

gender-related issues while working with diverse CSOs on a range of

interventions and approaches. For this case study, AIDSTAR-One conducted

in-depth interviews with key informants at the UN Development Fund for

Women, the National AIDS Control Council, Liverpool VCT Care and

Treatment, and the National Empowerment Network of People Living with

HIV and AIDS in Kenya. They also conducted group and individual

interviews with program managers in Nairobi; field staff from the

Western, Rift Valley, North Nyanza, and South Nyanza regions; and

program staff at Women Action Forum for Networking (WAFNET) and the

Women in the Fishing Industry Project (WIFIP), both Maanisha

implementing partners. Additionally, AIDSTAR-One held focus group

discussions with community members accessing the Maanisha program

through six CSOs to hear their perspectives on how Maanisha was

addressing gender in the context of HIV. These focus group discussions

comprised groups of women—some of whom are living with HIV—as well

as male youth and mixed groups of men and women.

Read the case study on the AIDSTAR-One website:

http://j.mp/sp1mq0

Pearson, MPH IBCLC

M & E Officer, AIDSTAR-One

Visit AIDSTAR-One http://www.aidstar-one.com

Follow AIDSTAR-One on Twitter www.twitter.com/AIDSTAROne

Like AIDSTAR-One on Facebook www.facebook.com/AIDSTAROne

>>> Chifu wa Malindi <chifu2222@...> 12/19/2011 8:30 PM >>>

KENYA: Helping women to end sex-for-fish culture

KISUMU, 19 December 2011 (PLUSNEWS) - For the past five years,

Achieng*, a

35-year-old widow and mother of six, has sold fish on the Kenyan shores

of

Lake ; like many women in the fish trade, Achieng often has to

have

sex with fishermen in order to get the best catch of the day, a system

known in the local Luo language as 'jaboya'.

" When you are a woman and you want to get into the business of

selling

fish, you must be ready to lose your pride and use your body for

bargaining, " she told IRIN/PlusNews. " Being ready to give sex as and

when

it is needed by the fishermen... it guarantees your survival here on

the

beach. "

'Jaboya' has long been associated with the high levels of HIV

infection in

Kenya's western Nyanza Province, where HIV prevalence is over 14.9

percent,

double the national average of 7.4 percent. It is even higher among

fishing

communities. The Kenya HIV Prevention Response and Modes of

Transmission

Analysis 2009 [

http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTHIVAIDS/Resources/375798-1103037153392/Ken\

yaMOT22March09Final.pdf]

reported that HIV prevalence among fishing communities stands at 30

percent, while an estimated 25 percent of all new infections in Nyanza

are

attributed to this group.

An estimated 27,000 women are involved in the fish trade in Nyanza

either

directly or indirectly, according to the Ministry of Fisheries.

Achieng says she is aware of the risks, but the immediate needs of

her

family override any concern she may have about contracting HIV.

" You know you can get HIV... but then you remember you have a family

that

needs to be provided for, and you say, let me die providing for them, "

she

said.

According to Okal, the provincial AIDS and sexually

transmitted

infections coordinator for Nyanza, while efforts to reach out to

fishing

communities with HIV prevention messages have begun to show results,

the

continued poverty of women means they remain vulnerable to 'jaboya'.

" Fish trade that goes along with sex-for-fish continues to be one of

the

greatest challenges in the prevention of HIV in Nyanza... There are

still

challenges which involve the economic and social vulnerabilities of

the

women involved in the trade, " he said.

Economic empowerment

A recent donation of six boats to women's groups in Nyanza by the US

Peace

Corps shows some of the ways 'jaboya' can be addressed; the women are

able

to fish for themselves, eliminating dependence on fishermen.

" When you have nothing, those who have something must tell you to

bend

over backwards for them. Now we have boats and we will no longer be at

anybody's mercy, " Millicent Onyango, one of the beneficiaries of the

US

Peace Corps' " No Sex for Fish " project.

According to Okeyo Owuor, director of the Institute for

Research

on Environment and Development, which is part of the initiative,

empowering

women economically is key to ending the dangerous fish-for-sex trade.

" These women need fish but they don't own any boat. This means they

have to

play along with whoever has the boat and these are men who will demand

for

sex before giving any fish. But when you empower them to own the boat,

then

they have the ultimate power to say no to sexual demands, " he said.

" Six boats might look small but many such initiatives can make an

impact

in ending the sex-for-fish trade if replicated over time. It is

important

to start from somewhere, " he added.

Many of the women trading in fish across Lake 's landing

sites

have formed groups to help them save money to buy their own fishing

equipment.

" We want to help ourselves by putting some of our savings aside so

that

when we have enough, we can buy our own boats and nets and help each

other.

So we will have nearly all women who are at the beaches own a boat

either

individually, or as a group, " said Lillian Rajula, the leader of one

such

group.

According to Nyanza AIDS coordinator Okal, economic programmes must

go

hand in hand with other HIV prevention methods like the promotion of

voluntary medical male circumcision, condom use and behaviour change

communication.

" Apart from the need to empower the women, behaviour change

communication

targeting men is important so that they look at the women as business

partners and not sex partners; these kind of efforts are ongoing and

are

being embraced, albeit slowly, " he said.

*Not her real name

ko/kr/cb

[END]

This report online: http://www.plusnews.org/report.aspx?reportID=94497

Follow us on Twitter! http://twitter.com/plusnews

© IRIN. All rights reserved. HIV/AIDS news and analysis:

http://www.plusnews.org/

[This item comes to you from PlusNews, part of IRIN, the humanitarian

news

and analysis service of the UN Office for the Coordination of

Humanitarian

Affairs. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of

the

United Nations or its Member States. Reposting or reproduction, with

attribution, for non-commercial purposes is permitted. Terms and

conditions: http://www.irinnews.org/copyright.aspx

Principal IRIN/PlusNews donors: UAE, Canada, Germany, Ireland,

Netherlands,

Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and the IHC. More information:

http://www.irinnews.org/donors.aspx