HIV/AIDS is a disastrous epidemic. It is bringing unprecedented hardships to communities, especially those in developing countries where there are limited resources with which to respond to the challenges. Sickness, stigma, orphans and poverty are left in its wake. Positive Aid has been working in one of the most affected areas in Kenya since 2007, empowering people from the very grass roots to prevent HIV transmission, and care and support those people already infected and affected by the disease.

Positive Aid’s prevention activities include sensitising people on HIV and how it works, enhancing dialogue and improving local understanding, counseling pregnant women on preventing ‘vertical’ transmission of HIV, distributing condoms and decreasing fear and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS. Care and support activities include home-based visitations to HIV clients in the villages, facilitation of referrals to treatment, home-based counseling and HIV testing, the provision of basic needs to clients with urgent wants, and the formation of positive support groups for adults, couples, and children living with HIV/AIDS.

We are seeing a great impact from our work in the communities, where people are becoming freer to discuss issues of HIV and prevention, more are knowing their HIV status and how to reduce transmission, and those people already infected are increasingly accessing treatment and support services to improve their quality of life and continue functioning effectively in their families and communities. Many lives are being changed due to the growing movement Positive Aid’s project is driving.