Young journalists report from Kenya
Two young journalists from the UK who flew to Kenya to visit Plan's HIV and AIDS projects in Thika, have reported back on how young people there are making a difference in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
For Ella, 17, and Ghizlan, 13, the visit was an opportunity to find out for themselves how youth-run projects are helping to cut the rate of new HIV infections.
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| Ella and Ghizlan meet Agnes and Anne |
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"It’s a familiar scene in some parts of Kenya – a family of 16, all jobless, looked after by a grandmother who is struggling to feed the orphans that her own children left behind when they died of AIDS.
"In the Western world we know all too well that HIV and AIDS is crippling Africa, and that orphans, of which there are over a million in Kenya alone, are among the most vulnerable. Too often, ‘AIDS orphans’ and others who suffer the effects of the HIV and AIDS epidemic are portrayed as hopeless victims, but what is not shown is their determination, motivation and ability to survive.
"18-year old Agnes and her 16-year old sister Anne live in a tiny village consisting of mud-brick huts and patches of cornfields in the rural district of Thika in central Kenya. Their mother died of AIDS three years ago. As the oldest, Agnes had to take care of her when she was dying.
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| Youths are running AIDS awareness projects themselves |
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“She became very ill, she was admitted to hospital. I would leave school and then go and stay with her in the hospital to look after her. I would miss school. After she died we experienced many problems because our house fell down and we became homeless. But even now we are not comfortable, because in our house we have iron sheets and when it rains water comes in.
"Life is hard for these girls and it got harder when their mother contracted HIV, especially as 16-year old Anne had a baby shortly after. These girls learnt about safe sex the hard way.
“I could learn a lesson from that disease, because it is a killer disease,” said Agnes. “I abstain from sex. I’ll abstain until I’m married.”
"Six years ago, at the time the girls’ mother got infected, Thika had the highest rate of new HIV infections in Kenya, with three in ten people among 20-45 year olds becoming HIV positive. Now, this has dropped to one in ten.
"It’s partly thanks to youth-run projects who have been raising awareness, like the Juja Farm Futures Youth Group which is sponsored by Plan. They have taken matters into their own hands by doing peer education programmes where young people teach other young people about the dangers of HIV and AIDS. And it’s working.
"Patrick, the group’s Chairman explains why; “The same problems the youths are having are the same problems I am having, and we feel very comfortable talking to each other. That’s why we are encouraging youths to talk to other youths. Before, people were saying that HIV is a disease like a common cold because they didn’t have the facts. But we gave them the facts.”
"Francisca Wambui, Plan’s Programme Facilitator, who works with the Juja Farm group, says; “It really works. They are able to reach each other easily because they share the same language, same feelings, and they can express themselves better. They are able to share freely without any intimidation or fear, and they can ask all questions that concern HIV and AIDS. It was their own initiative, and they’ve been able to reach so many other youths within the area. So it’s a big success.”
"The world is all too familiar with statistics that show Africa to be a continent being rapidly engulfed by HIV and AIDS. What is less well known is the difference that young people are making in their own fight against the disease. We need to take notice of the young people in Kenya who have the motivation to make a difference."
This story was produced by Ella Parry-Davies, 17, and Ghizlan Akerbousse, 13, from Children’s Express, a journalism programme for young people aged 8 to 18.
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