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Health, Hygiene and Sanitation

The Program offers essential health services in the communities more importantly the informal settlements of Mumias town.  The project is aimed at empowerment of Community Health Actors to address health care needs. The project is sub divided into the following portfolios:

Child Counseling Project: The project goal is to provide holistic psychosocial support for street children, orphans and vulnerable children affected and infected with HIV/AIDS in communities and schools within Mumias Sub County

Men VCT Project: Provide Voluntary Counseling and Testing of HIV & AIDS targeting men. The project intends to:

  • Encourage men to go for testing
  • Encourage men to use ARVs after testing positive
  • Encourage men to engage in safe sexual practices
  • Offer counseling to those men found positive.

VCT Project for the deaf: Provide specialized Voluntary Counseling and Testing of HIV & AIDS to the deaf.The project intends to reach the deaf community in a professional way that does not violet patient Doctor Privacy. The project will use facilitators that can sign in order to avoid a third person being involved to translate. This will encourage them to attend the VCT sessions and improve self-awareness.

VCT for all: Promote behavior change that reduces further transmission of HIV and AIDS through:

  • Conduct public HIV and AIDS education in institutions, schools and community using theatre for development, drama and video shows on reproductive health, life skills, HIV and AIDS awareness, nutrition and environmental health and sanitation.
  • Community mobilization and awareness using other folk media.
  • Supporting the establishment of Health clubs in schools,  peers groups and follow up of clubs.
  • Regular input to clubs giving HIV and AIDS education
  • Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) including mobile VCT and static (Innovative ways to reach vulnerable groups e.g. commercial sex workers, youths and women which is essential for future VCT services.
  • VCT services to alcoholics and Drug users.
  • Training on Behavior change communication, life skills, peer counseling, theatre for development, Group dynamics Training of peer educators (children, youths and people living with HIV and AIDS), entrepreneurship.
  • Addiction counseling
  • HIV and AIDS risk reduction to alcoholics and drug users.
  • Referral to relevant service providers.

Jiggers Eradication project: The project targets all rural primary schools within Mumias sub County and families affected by the jigger’smenace. The project goal is to have a totally jigger free community through both preventative and curative measures.

Environmental awareness campaign: The project is tasked with regular environmental cleanup services, tree planting initiatives, Community empowerment through urban agriculture, poultry farming, recycling of resources to curb wastage and harmful disposals. Also improving coverage and access to better services (community and household levels), including but not limited to water, sanitation, Solid Waste Management, Drainages and hygiene education and promotion.

 Patient Support Project: Offering comprehensive and compassionate HIV services to HIV infected families through:

Home visits: The project has volunteers who identify clients in the homes by the help of the community members, family members, community leaders and Church leaders. They receive referrals from the Hospitals and support centers. Daily home visits are conducted to assess the needs of the clients, offer care and advice and refer them to necessary Institutions. The nurse carries out home visits too and gives treatment to the clients found with opportunistic infection, psychological support, social support, adherence support are given during the visits.

Community Mobilization: The Home Based care workers and the nurse educate the community on the importance of home based care, prevention of HIV&AIDS importance of VCT and PITC, importance of early hospital care during different forums to include chiefs Barazas, Church gatherings and other social gatherings:

Involvement of the whole family in care:During visits parents are encouraged to take their children for testing so that these children are not left without care. Those who turn positive are referred to start care early.

Referral and Networking: Referral are made to ACoHprojects like Nutrition, clinical service, PSC, Child counseling for care or we refer them to other Hospital and organizations, support groups where they can receive the care that we cannot provide

Psychosocial counseling: Clients have other social issues that affects their life these are poverty, ignorance, stigma and discrimination, disclosure issues, cultural and religion issues that need re-assurance and counseling for them to comply with care.

Economic Empowerment: For the clients who have lost their job they are train on entrepreneurship skills and small capital given to them to start up small businesses so that they can coup with life and get back to their previous states of life

Training: Trainings are carried out to the community members in skills of home based care and refresher trainings on different topics to train home based care workers to sharpen their skills. Caregivers are trained on entrepreneurship skills