Although the initiative of working with HIV+ people in and around Mariakani started as a programme, SCR (our implementing partner) have now gone a step further by including some of the participants in their recent strategic planning process when the dirsction of the organisation was charted for the next 3-5 years. In this way, the HIV+ voices were heard and listened to in the process, and their views reflected in the final plan for the organisation. This small effort ensures that the organisation remiands close to its target groups and provides the sort of support and guidance as wanted and needed by the HIV+ groups.

While the trained facilitators continue to work with the support groups, our partner in Kenya, Support for Community Response, has been through a strategic planning process in which ongoing work with the Positive Self Management programme was agreed as a priority. Discussions are now going on with the facilitators to prepare a proposal for funding for the next stage. 

The facilitators trained in January continue to be involved with their HIV+ support groups. At a review meeting held in May 2011, the facilitators reported that they have been able to train over 100 of their HIV+ friends and colleagues, focusing on issues such as drug adherence, use of condoms, disclosure and how to plan.

Tom, one of the facilitators, was able to convince 10 of his friends to be tested for the virus. All of them proved to be positive and are now taking ARVs (anti-retroviral drugs). The facilitators also reported the changes in their own lives as a result of the training, with Loice sharing how her planning skills have improved, and Chailette reporting her better adherence to the drugs she needs to take.

Stigma remains a big challenge in the community, making disclosure much more difficult for HIV+ people, but the facilitators are confident that the understanding and skills they are able to pass on are helping people cope better and giving them more confidence. They are keen to see their work expand to reach more support groups in the Mariakani area.

In January, the first training of HIV+ facilitators took place in Mariakani, near Mombasa, Kenya. Carried out by Beatrice Imali and Hellen Kagwiria, the training  designed to provide the seven participants with skills and techniques that help them to improve and maintain their physical and mental health.

The participants came from three HIV/AIDS support groups, Tumaini la Bwana, Afya and Kanepha (with a total of around 90 members) and part of the trainees' role in the project is to pass what they have learnt to their friends and colleagues. Visiting Tumaini la Bwana a month after the training, John Cornwell (representing ICA:UK) was impressed by how the trainees had been able to pass on what they had learnt, and the increased levels of confidence and skills the groups were able to show. A more formal follow-up is planned for later this month.

With the success of this first part of the project, we are now looking at ways to extend the approach to a further 10 HIV/AIDS support groups in the Mariakani area.

Hellen Kagwiria (standing) with trainees

The first training of 7 HIV+ facilitators is planned for the second week of January. The money raised through Globalgiving has been sent to Supporting Community Response, our partner in Kenya, and they are preparing to run a five-day training of facilitators, after which each facilitator will return to their own HIV+ Support Groups and pass on what they have learnt through weekly sessions of half a day over a period of seven weeks. It is exciting that we are able to make a start with the programme and we are looking forward to informing all our Globalgiving supporters of the progress next time. 

Two big developments over the summer- we are now registered on the Globalgiving US site, meaning our project is accessible to many more potential donors and supporters, and we have been using the results form our Globalgiving campaign as a basis for seeking further funding from Trusts and Foundations here in the UK. We are also actively seeking volunteers to help us with this task.

Meanwhile in Kenya our partner SCR is exploring the possibility of working more closely with another local organisation, ICA Kenya, who have adopted a similar approach with HIV+ people in neighbouring Eastern Province, and considering how the project can be started with less funding.

It is now 10 weeks since we began fundraising on Globalgiving, and we have managed to raise over £1,100 from 39 wonderful people! Exciting though this is, we still need more funding before we can get moving with the project and we need to identify 11 more donors by the end of July in order to be able to stay on the Globalgiving website.

We have recently contacted supporters with an appeal to talk to their families, friends and colleagues about this project and we are planning to circulate project details to institutional donors as well to build on the individual support already received. Any offers to help us with that are more than welcome!