The partnership between Christian organisation Gemeinschaft Sant'Egidio e.V. and the DREAM Kenya Trust, a non-profit organisation associated with Cottolengo Mission Hospital in Chaaria, Kenya, seeks to train specialists to provide better care to HIV sufferers, mothers and children. The partners are thus building on their predecessor project, which achieved better patient compliance and improved the treatment of high blood pressure, diabetes and cervical cancer.
Context:
4.2% of the Kenyan population were infected with HIV in 2020. Despite optimised AIDS treatment, health facilities have insufficient capacity to offer nationwide access to HIV prevention and therapy services. In addition to limited capacity, non-compliance with treatment regimens and insufficient testing for infections is hindering Kenya from achieving its health targets.
Activities:
- Providing training for medical professionals at the HIV treatment centre in Chaaria and from other regions
- Organising 150 mentoring sessions for five church and state HIV centres in the region
- Setting up support groups for young mothers and mother-child prevention
- Arranging HIV tests and home visits for pregnant women, young mothers, children and young people
- Treating HIV-positive children and young people with secondary illnesses and administering of COVID-19 vaccinations for patients
Results:
Delivering targeted training for specialists results in better support and treatment of patients with HIV infections. Involving support groups in the project increases public awareness of the disease.