Email this page
Print Friendly
|
Nairobi, Kenya—When Pamela Odhiambo Omondi first joined International Medical Corps’ income-generation project, she was gaunt and weak, with a patchy rash on her face and a persistent cough. A 30-year-old widow and mother of three, her husband died of AIDS in 2000; she was diagnosed with HIV one year earlier, in 1999. For six years, Pamela had been trying to scrape together a living on the meager wages she was able to earn washing clothes. But the money—about $22.00 a month—was barely enough to buy food for her children or keep the household running. And with her fragile immune system, the constant contact with cold water caused her to fall sick frequently.
Pamela first joined IMC in 2003 as a peer mother: her duty was to encourage pregnant women living in Kibera, the largest slum in Nairobi, to seek HIV testing and antenatal care. In May, 2006 Pamela joined IMC’s income-generation project, which trains HIV-positive women to make a variety of handicrafts, provides them with materials, and pays them $45.00 a month for their labor. Additionally, they earn a small profit for the goods that they sell. The products have in the past been sold through IMC’s head office in Washington, and IMC is now negotiating with one of Kenya’s major supermarkets to have the products sold through their outlets.
“Working with IMC has made a big difference in my life,” says Pamela. “I make twice as much as I made washing clothes, so I am now able to pay my rent, I am able to provide food for my family, and I can afford my children’s books and school fees.” Her health has improved, too; she feels stronger and less susceptible to bouts of illness.
|
Kenya has been particularly hard-hit by the AIDS pandemic. Of a population of 32.4 million, 2.5 million are HIV-positive, and approximately 150,000 Kenyans die each year due to AIDS. The income-generation program is just one of several IMC programs that attempt to bring healing and hope to people living with HIV/AIDS in Kibera. Among those programs: a mobile clinic which provides primary health care services, including home-based care; and an education campaign to combat the stigma associated with the disease.
Every weekday morning around 9 am, approximately 21 women gather in a concrete-floored church hall in the middle of Kibera to string beads, weave rugs, and swap stories. Some days they make long, glittering necklaces. Other days they make leather thong sandals or small camel-colored rugs emblazoned with the words, “Stop AIDS”. Always, they use the opportunity to open up to each other about the hardships of living with HIV: the difficulty of raising children when you don’t have the energy to get out of bed. The anxiety of disclosing your status. The pain of being stigmatized by your community.
Although the group is now led by IMC staff members, the women in the community are being trained to supervise their fellow participants so that they can carry on the project themselves, even after funding has ended.
“I have seen a transformation in the lives of these women,” says Grace Muthumbi, IMC assistant HIV/TB coordinator. “Sharing experiences reduces their stress levels. It is very healing for them.”
