Home And Community Based HIV Care And Support
St. Michael Community Centre play a critical role in the delivery of HIV-prevention services. We wish to end HIV/AID through AIDS education campaigns, and develop a strategic plan for the same.
We not only work towards preventing HIV from spreading, but also try to ensure a healthy and dignified life for children and adults living with HIV within the Murang’a County, Kenya.
We have a THREE-PRONGED approach to fighting HIV.
Our Approach
In prevention, we are working towards abstinence and have low cost operations that target community participation in prevention activities. At St. Michael Community Centre we create initiatives to raise awareness of HIV prevention, transmission and treatments available. Through health Clinics we educate people on HIV infections, co-infections and ways to counter infections, and the importance of taking prescription drugs for those already infected.
We work towards reducing stigma associated with HIV/AIDS by counseling our vulnerable communities in Murang’a and encouraging them through the importance of getting tested for HIV; hence, we educate them on the various options of living healthily if they test positive.
We provide fliers, brochures and newsletters to sensitize the community on HIV.
People living with HIV need care and support to live full lives with the virus. We help them adhere to treatment and educate them about the importance of taking medication regularly which can help them live longer and healthier lives.
At St. Michael Community Centre we enable expanded access to education, nutrition and healthcare, and counsel children, peers and parents and provide support they need.
Once supported the People Living with HIV [PLHIV] are empowered for their lifetime. Our key objective is to empower people living with HIV. We work to provide training for skill building, funding for income generating programs and links to schemes to start small businesses like kiosks , grocery stalls, tailoring shops and selling tea with urns, among other projects.
We further create Women Self-Help groups made of extremely poor women in the community living with HIV who will work together for a mutual good of generating income to support their families. These groups aggregate for common economic building activities such as candle making, shoe making, Kiondo weaving [A local shopping bag made of sisal or nylon twines], renting chairs and tents for ocassions. They sell these crafted items or provide services to generate the much needed income for their families.
People living with HIV are often discriminated and denied access to various social services; hence, their rights are infringed. We therefore, furnish them with information about their rights to gain access to such services. This brings equality among all.
