According to a recent demographic survey, The Lake Victoria region of Kenya has some of the highest prevalence rates of HIV/AIDS in the country.
AMREF believes that in order to reduce the number of infections and to effectively control HIV/AIDS, people have to be an active part of any health intervention targeting them. The name Maanisha, derived from the Kiswahili phrase ‘to give meaning to,’ here refers to the programme’s aim to add value to the communities’ own efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
The activities are managed by community members who have come together to form Community-Based Organisations (CBOs). Their activities include educating young people about prevention of HIV/AIDS and influencing their attitudes and behaviour. Some groups provide counselling and home-based care for people living with HIV/AIDS. Others aim to encourage more people to know their HIV status by going for a test and changing people’s perceptions of the negative cultural beliefs and practices such as wife inheritance, which increase the risk of infection.
The Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) solely supported the programme from July 2004 through October 2007. The programme is now jointly supported by SIDA and DFID. The project will be implemented for a five year term ending September 2012.
Maanisha programme aims at contributing to a sustained reduction in the incidence of STIs and HIV & AIDS in Kenya. Initially, the programme was implemented in Nyanza and Western provinces. However, the successful implementation has seen the programme scale up to parts of the Rift Valley and the whole of Eastern province.
Programme Objectives
- To build the capacity and capabilities of CSOs and private sector organisations (PSOs) to design and implement quality HIV and AIDS interventions in Nyanza and Western provinces;
- To promote safer sexual behaviour and practices among “at risk” and vulnerable groups;
- To strengthen facilitation and coordination mechanisms between CSOs and Government of Kenya (GoK) structures; and
- To support CSOs to increase access to and improve quality of healthcare and referral services for PLHIV through increased linkages with the MOH.
- To develop & strengthen knowledge base for influencing policy & adoption of best practices
Achievements
By December 2007, Maanisha programme had: -
- Disbursed grants to about 350 community service organisations (CSOs) in Western and Nyanza province
- Supported 29,039 orphans and vulnerable children
- Reached 52,438 People Living With HIV and AIDS (PLWHAs)
- Trained 3,000 home based care givers and 250 peer counselors
- Had reached almost 300,000 people with social and behaviour change messages