Busia Unveils Plans to Fight HIV and Stigma

BUSIA county has unveiled a plan to eliminate stigmatisation and discrimination of teachers living with HIV-Aids.

The Journey to Zero campaign will educate teachers on the need to promote co-existence between them and their HIV positive counterparts.

The plan, whose implementation runs until 2019, will create awareness on the importance of timely testing, access to treatment, care and support for teachers living with the virus.

During the launch participants agreed that HIV-Aids affects the country’s workforce and its spread needs to be urgently addressed.

“We cannot continue burying our heads in the sand expecting things to change,” Busia Governor Sospeter Ojaamong’s wife Judithsaid at Amagoro Primary School on Friday said.

“We must come together in the fight against HIV-Aids if we want to succeed. Pulling together will enable us make a change.”

Busia is ranked among counties with the highest HIV-Aids prevalence rates.

The latest National Aids Control Council report ranks the county among the top ten counties with the highest prevalence rates standing at seven per cent.

The national prevalence rate is six per cent.

Magdalene Mwele, a Wellness Programmes Assistant Coordinator at TSC said the Teachers Service Commission has registered an increase in the number of teachers openly declaring their HIV-Aids status and who are were now beneficiaries of the various programmes the commission has for HIV positive teachers.

“The continued partnership between TSC and Kenya Network for HIV positive teachers has resulted in a steady increase of teachers who have visited the commission and voluntarily disclosed their HIV status,” she said.

Documenting human rights Violations of sex workers in Kenya: a study conducted in Nairobi, Kisumu, Busia, Nanyuki, Mombasa and Malindi

Description:
This study investigates the human rights violations experienced by women sex workers in Kenya. This research found that these women have no way to claim their individual human rights under the current operating laws and policy framework. They are unable to keep themselves safe as they seek to support themselves and their families because they are relentlessly subject to police harassment, arrest and abuse. Furthermore, because sex work is viewed as an ‘immoral activity’ rather than as a form of labour, many in society believe that sex workers deserve to be punished for what they do. The information and recommendations contained in this report provide ways for the Kenya Government and state institutions to address the human rights concerns of sex workers. Similarly human and women’s rights organisations in Kenya will find many strategies in this report that can be used to advocate for the protection of sex workers’ rights.

  1. Policy analysis and advocacy decision model for services for key populations in Kenya

    From 2010–2012, the global Health Policy Project (funded by the United States Agency for International Development), in partnership with African Men for Sexual Health and Rights (AMSHeR), developed Policy Analysis and Advocacy Decision Model for HIV-Related Services: Males Who Have Sex with Males, Transgender People, and Sex Workers (Beardsley K., 2013), hereafter referred to as the Decision Model. …

  2. The global HIV epidemics among sex workers

    Since the beginning of the epidemic sex workers have experienced a heightened burden of HIV across settings, despite their higher levels of HIV protective behaviors (UNAIDS, 2009). By gaining a deeper understanding of the epidemiologic and broader policy and social context within which sex work is set one begins to quickly gain a sense of the complex backdrop for increased risk to HIV among sex workers. …

  3. Integrated biological and behavioural surveillance survey among migrant female sex workers in Nairobi, Kenya

    Kenya is currently experiencing both a generalized and a concentrated HIV epidemic. It has a national HIV prevalence of 6.3 per cent and 1.3 million people between the ages of 15 to 64 across the country are living with HIV. According to the Kenya National AIDS Control Council (NACC), female sex workers (FSW) and their clients account for 14.1% of new infections. The Kenyan national response has recently started targeting research and programming efforts towards key population groups, and specifically FSW. However, migrants have not been targeted as a distinct category. …

  4. Documenting human rights Violations of sex workers in Kenya: a study conducted in Nairobi, Kisumu, Busia, Nanyuki, Mombasa and Malindi

    This study investigates the human rights violations experienced by women sex workers in Kenya. This research found that these women have no way to claim their individual human rights under the current operating laws and policy framework. They are unable to keep themselves safe as they seek to support themselves and their families because they are relentlessly subject to police harassment, arrest and abuse. Furthermore, because sex work is viewed as an ‘immoral activity’ rather than as a form of labour, many in society believe that sex workers deserve to be punished for what they do. …

  5. I expect to be abused and I have fear: Sex workers’ experiences of human rights violations and barriers to accessing healthcare in four African countries

    This report documents human rights violations experienced by female, male and transgender sex workers in four African countries (Kenya, Uganda, South Africa and Zimbabwe), and describes barriers they face to accessing health services. Through cross-country comparison and documenting sub-regional trends, the study moves beyond previous often-localised descriptions of violations against sex workers in Africa. The study also fills information gaps about violations in male and transgender sex workers in this setting.

  6. Impact of five years of peer-mediated interventions on sexual behavior and sexually transmitted infections among female sex workers in Mombasa, Kenya

    Background: Since 2000, peer-mediated interventions among female sex workers (FSW) in Mombasa Kenya have promoted behavioural change through improving knowledge, attitudes and awareness of HIV serostatus, and aimed to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infection (STI) by facilitating early STI treatment. Impact of these interventions was evaluated among those who attended peer education and at the FSW population level. Methods: A pre-intervention survey in 2000, recruited 503 FSW using snowball sampling. …

    1. The global HIV epidemics among sex workers

      Since the beginning of the epidemic sex workers have experienced a heightened burden of HIV across settings, despite their higher levels of HIV protective behaviors (UNAIDS, 2009). By gaining a deeper understanding of the epidemiologic and broader policy and social context within which sex work is set one begins to quickly gain a sense of the complex backdrop for increased risk to HIV among sex workers. …

OUR DEEP CONDOLENCES

     Nelly Achieng. final edit minorIt is with humble acceptance of God’s will that we announce the passing on of our beloved Nelly Achieng which occurred on 7th February 2015 after a short illness.Friends and family are meeting daily for prayers and final arrangements at Survivors Organization Office premises just next to cheers club as from 8pm

2nd Corinthians 12:9: My Grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

A VISIT TO SURVIVORS ORGANIZATION BY USAID IN CONJUNCTION WITH APHIA PLUS WESTERN

     On 26th Jan 2015, Survivors organization heard visitors from US AID and APHIA PLUS  to document  success stories at survivors organization.The team has been funding survivors organization for the last 3 years also supporting projects with the aim of  reducing HIV  New Infections,Stigma and Discrimination,Peer Education, CPWP ,HT C,Cervical Cancer Screening, VMMC,Exchange Visit and among otherDSC06509 DSC06511

Survivors Organization  Members  sharing success stories

@Survivors Organization Busia Kenya,

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Survivors Organization Members sharing success stories

@Survivors Organization Busia.

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Condom shortage in Busia town

We sex workers of Busia believe in our slogan of “condom is good all the time and all the time condom is good and that is our nature”! Surprisingly, we are not living to our slogan due to inadequate supply of condoms.

Our main condom supplier who are PS-Kenya together with the ministry of health have not been able to make the necessary deliveries for the past three months, which has made it impossible for sex workers to carry on with their business smoothly. To some extent, a few condom dispensers have been spotted having used sanitary pads and black notes due to being without condoms for long.

We have reached out to our partners who include; Ampath-plus, Busia wellness centre and the public health office but they also sing the same song like us ‘they do not have enough condoms’ they are waiting for new stock!

Kindly we are appealing to other partners and organization out there, who could be having some in store to help us please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!