Preface
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African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) recognises that for HIV and AIDS
behaviour change to occur, individuals and communities must be equipped with accurate knowledge, have easy access to services and commodities, and must be in an environment that is conducive and supportive of the desired behaviour.
Whereas there are many behaviour change communication (BCC) programmes, behaviour change still remains a challenge due to inadequacy of programmes in addressing the HIV and AIDS crosscutting issues.
This BCC Toolkit addresses the HIV and AIDS crosscutting issues of gender inequalities, legal and human rights violations, harmful norms and cultural practices, stigma and discrimination alongside providing accurate information on HIV and AIDS including services and commodities.
The toolkit, which was developed through a consultative process based on training needs assessment of the Civil Society Organization (CSO) partner agencies, AMREF Maanisha Project Implementing teams, BCC practitioners from partner HIV and AIDS programmes and literature review of existing BCC documents, targets all change agents working in HIV and AIDS programmes for purposes of reducing new HIV infections and improving care and support to persons living with HIV and their families.
Foreword
Kenya, as a country, has made significant progress in response to HIV and AIDS with civil society organisations taking the lead in the implementation of HIV programmes. However new HIV infections remain unacceptably high. Annually, an estimated 166,000 Kenyans acquire HIV, according to the NACC. In line with the Kenya National Strategic Plan (KNASP III), AMREF continues to support community initiatives aimed at reversing the HIV and AIDS trend.
Despite global evidence showing that most successful responses to HIV begin at the community level, an urgent gap persists for large scale capacity building of Community Based Organisations (CBOs) to enable delivery of effective interventions against HIV and AIDS. AMREF recognizes that for CBOs to provide HIV interventions able to bring the desired preventative behaviour, they need technical knowledge on HIV, as well as skills of creating an enabling environment for desired behaviour.
Based on experiences and lessons learnt in the implementation of a community focussed capacity building initiative programme, AMREF developed this HIV and AIDS BCC toolkit to guide community HIV and AIDS response. The main thrust of this BCC toolkit, which comprises of a strategy document, Facilitator’s and Participants’ Manuals, is to equip CBOs with knowledge and skills to mobilise and facilitate communities to analyze and respond to HIV and AIDS crosscutting issues. The toolkit is designed to help users develop, implement and evaluate communication programmes for HIV and AIDS behaviour change tailored to communities in which they live or work.
Dr. Festus Ilako
Ag. Country Director
AMREF in Kenya
AMREF is a transparent organisation distributing funds of up to $85 million per year.
