HIV/AIDS IN KENYA

We had HIV/AIDS week two weeks ago. Kenya has about 1,500,000 people living with HIV/AIDS. Every year the amount of people who have HIV gets lower and lower. Because its such a problem, Kenya tries to incorporate information and teaching kids how to protect themselves in most classes, TV shows and they started to have life skills in school. Such as in English some of the readings that they have are about HIV. The problem is that many people won't talk about if they have HIV/AIDS or tell their partners if they have it because there is such a bad stigma that goes along with having HIV/AIDS. Many people think if someone gets HIV then its an automatic death sentence. People also are scared to share anything with that person. We had teachers come in, who were HIV positive and share their stories of how it was to be HIV positive and a teacher. They are part of a big organization that tries to find HIV positive teachers who can share their experience, be support systems to each other and teach the children and others about being HIV positive.

They said when the other teachers found out that they were HIV positive, they didn't want to eat lunch with them anymore, they wouldn't share cups as they use to, the other teachers wouldn't talk to them. When you come out with your status it can become a tough life after because people are so fearful of the disease and they believe that they are going to die if they get it. Unfortunately it doesn't encourage people to protect themselves with condoms, get tested or talk about it. It shoves the issue into the dark and causes people get spread HIV/AIDs because they much rather be ignorant of their status then know it. Another women said that her husband left her with a little girl because both mother and child were HIV positive. He refused to get checked himself, unfortunately he most likely has it and now has another wife and children who he might have infected or he might have passed away because he wouldn't go and get tested.

Men typically don't get tested because they are to embarrassed. They tell their wives to go get tested and then see what the results are. Women also have more of an opportunity to go get tested secretly because they are the ones that take the children to the doctors appointments. But there are commercials that are going around Kenya, encouraging men to go get tested with their wives because it is men that spread it the most rapidly. Many men in Kenya have multiples wives and partners.

Now there are medications called ARV's that people can take, which helps them control the effects of HIV and allows them to live much longer lives and many times a complete life. I didn't know this but the United States actually gives money to Kenya so that treatment and medication for HIV positive patience are free. Also for TB and malaria, two other diseases that are big problems in Kenya. Don't worry I take my malaria pills everyday! Hospitals also test mothers before they gives birth. Both for the health of the mother and child and also for safety of the doctor who is coming into contact with the mothers blood. If the doctor finds out that the mother is HIV positive they will give the mother the option to find out if she is or not and if the mother decides she wants to know and she is HIV positive then they will put the child on the ARV's as soon as the baby is born preventing the child from receiving HIV. Which has decreased the amount of children with HIV/AIDS significantly!

The teachers said that when they told their students, the students didn't react poorly. They just said that the kids told them, 'well it doesn't change who you are, we still love you'. Which was really good to hear.

Now it is our job to teach our kids about HIV/AIDS in our life skills class and how to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS. Being a deaf ed PCV we had to spend time learning how to explain HIV/AIDS in sign language and learn the different signs because it can get really confusing if your not using English and its such a touchy topic its a little nerve racking because you don't want to be relaying the wrong information. But we learned a lot of fun activities we can do with the kids to teach them all about HIV/AIDS.

It was really an eye opening experience talking to teachers who are HIV positive and see how they not only live with the disease but teach others about it. Its going to be a tough subject to teach but such an important one. I look forward to trying and breaking down the negative stigma that follows those who are HIV/AIDS positive and also try to help my students grow and spread awareness and to teach them how to protect themselves or learn what actions to take if they do have HIV/AIDS.