Over the past year and a half, KIDS had been working with Kieni Fighters of HIV/AIDS (KFHA) to develop a Resource Centre for women and girls. This project aimed to reduce the rate of HIV/AIDS infection and increase health-care access for individuals with HIV/AIDS in Kieni by targeting the underlying drivers of HIV risk and vulnerability for women and girls in Kenya. As our involvement with the project comes to an end, we will be working to develop a thorough report on the overall successes of the project and will be so excited to share this with you in the new year. However, as we wrap up the 2021 year, we want to highlight some of the successes we have already seen come from this program!
At the midst of the COVID 19 pandemic, KIDS helped provide over 200kg (450 lbs) of food and supplies, enough to feed over 150 people. KFHA helped distribute these supplies to women in the community who had lost their income due to the pandemic. See photos and videos here.
In preparation for the launch of the new Kieni Fighters of HIV/AIDS Resource Centre for Women & Girls, KIDS also funded much needed renovations to ensure that the centre was equipped with the necessary partitioning, windows, paint, and access to water within the centre. To top this up, the centre was branded with the new name outside of the centre for all to see!
In October of 2020, the KFHA Resource Centre staff connected to WI-FI for the first time. To celebrate connecting their community to all of the resources that the internet provides, they held a Zoom call with members of KIDS, and others.
Also in October of last year, the KFHA staff completed a training that would allow them to identify and register women and girls who would go on to participate in the project. This program addressed the structural barriers that increase HIV/AIDS risks for women and girls through workshops on sexual and reproductive health, gender equality, and entrepreneurship, as well as access to HIV/AIDS testing and treatments, and more. Read more about the importance of HIV/AIDS resource programs are so important, especially in Kenya.
More recently this past summer, we were able to share some wonderful stories of the KFHA staff coming together to support their community, in both surprising and meaningful ways! Find out more here.
We hope that you will stay tuned for our thorough report on the successes of the KFHA project in the new year, and we thank you again for your continued support and dedication to KIDS, we could not achieve the successes within programs like KFHA without you.
Happy Holidays!
