Creating Awareness on the HIV/AIDS Pandemic on Worlds Aids Day in Mukuru

December 1st is marked as the annual World Aids Day. During this year’s awareness day Ruben Health Centre and Youth Ventures Initiative engaged the residents of Mukuru kwa Ruben in an awareness campaign against HIV/AIDs. During the campaign, the health and community workers administered HIV tests and offered preventive measures such as condoms to the residents.

According to the World Health Organization, there were an estimated 38 million people living with HIV at the end of 2019 globally. Due to gaps in HIV services, around 690, 000 people died from HIV-related causes in 2019 and 1.7 million people were newly infected.

Residents of the Mukuru settlement comprise the population of 25.7 million people in the African region who are part of the key populations registering over 95 per cent of new HIV infections. Therefore, the contraction of the HIV remains an issue of concern particularly in informal urban settlements such as Mukuru.

This is due to the lack of access to preventive measures such as the different forms of contraceptives which include condoms, family planning pills and the intrauterine device (IUD). The lack of access to these crucial services is promoted by the few economic opportunities in the settlements where most residents live on less than US $1 (Kshs 100) a day. 

Nonetheless, the Ruben Health Centre has continued to show support for persons living with HIV by providing counselling services and anti-retro viral drugs as mitigation efforts in curbing the further spread of the virus. More so, the primary responsibility of living a HIV-negative life lies with the residents from the Mukuru settlement.

In the same vein, the Ruben Centre continues to create awareness on the HIV/AIDs pandemic by instilling resilience in the residents through art and other social services such as advocacy. Partnerships with organizations such as Lea Toto that seek to help children with HIV also helps the members of the kwa Reuben community. An empowered and just Mukuru community is impossible when a large number of the population is reeling from the negative impacts of the HIV/AIDs pandemic.

Therefore, more support from donors and other well-wishers through education and awareness campaigns alongside economic empowerment will go a long way in attaining the healthy lifestyles of the Mukuru residents.

By: Stephen Tengo

Edits: GB