(KENYA) Have you ever reflected on what your local church can do to support World Renew’s health and HIV programs? How about supporting a reproductive health and HIV prevention project? Or maybe research into faith and HIV risk among Christian couples? A project to improve screening for cervical cancer among HIV-positive women? Well, here is a start.

How about supporting a reproductive health and HIV prevention project? Or maybe research into faith and HIV risk among Christian couples? A project to improve screening for cervical cancer among HIV-positive women? Well, here is a start.

After reviewing a report from World Renew Kenya, the Northern Alberta Diaconal Conference (NADC) has decided to support a project in Ng’enda, Kenya. The report showed that HIV infection is closely related to reproductive health concerns, especially among youth and women. Many women do not know their HIV status. Many will get pregnant and fail to visit health facilities for antenatal check-ups. It is for these reasons that many HIV-positive pregnant women, who do not know they are HIV-positive, are transmitting HIV to their unborn babies. In a recent meeting with the Gatundu District Health Management Team (DHMT), it was evident that “a high number of women are delivering babies from home.” This information provides key information in working to reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

Stepping Stones exercises help couples address issues around faith and HIV risk and create an environment for open communication and dialogue within the church and larger community.

As a result World Renew, with financial support from NADC, launched the Ng’enda HIV Control and Reproductive Health Enhancement Project that is being implemented by Anglican Development Services (ADS, formerly Mt. Kenya Christian Community Services). The three-year project targets youth, women, men, religious leaders and community health workers. The project will directly benefit 2,500 individuals. Church-community dialogue through the Stepping Stones methodology is a key strategy in this approach, where pastors and their spouses play a central role in addressing the vulnerability of Christian couples to HIV and AIDS. These exercises help couples address issues around faith and HIV risk and create an environment for open communication and dialogue within the church and larger community. This will further create for the opportunity for enhanced dialogue around faithfulness in marriage through church-based Bible study sessions and couples’ faithfulness in marriage sessions.

World Renew is working collaboratively with the Ministry of Health in Gatundu on this project. The District Health Management Team is eager to track the outcome of the project for cross-learning and to scale-up its application in the larger Gatundu County. World Renew will work through ADS to refer community members to two health facilities in Kiganjo and Gitare. Through this collaboration, community health workers in reproductive health and HIV-prevention will increase their capacity. As a result, an increased number of women will have safe deliveries at accredited health facilities.

HIV has contributed significantly to high poverty levels in Ng’enda. Often, family resources are spent on medical bills, draining off money that would have been used for investment to increase household income. Poverty increases women’s vulnerability to HIV as they get involved in risky sexual behaviors to survive or remain in relationships where they are exposed to HIV to be supported financially. Poverty has increased in Ng’enda due to large families that are too big for the resources available to support them. The average acreage for a six-member household is a half-acre of land. All the family income is used to meet day-to-day needs such as hospital bills, food, and clothing. This situation leaves families with almost nothing to invest and pushes them into poverty. Through this NADC-funded project, we hope to increase male involvement in HIV prevention, reproductive health, family planning, and prevention with HIV-positive partners. This will subsequently result in interventions that work for women and girls in HIV programming like income generation projects through village savings and loan programs.

Through this project, there will be greater learning between the local community and NADC as well.

Thank you, Northern Alberta Diaconal Conference, for responding to this call.

In Him, 

Nema Aluku

Program Manager
World Renew East & Southern Africa and Kenya