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Kaya

Kaya was active in prevention of HIV and stigmatisation, GLEN programme, August-October 2013.

Kaya

  1. Age
    29 years
  2. Profession
    Pediatric nurse, BSc International Development Studies, MSc Tropical diseases
  3. For how long did you volunteer in Shianda?
    3 months
  4. Why did you decide to go to Kenya?
    I got selected for the program of GLEN (Global Education Network) for the project of “Fighting the HIV/AIDS stigma in Shianda, Kenya”. The selection was done by the German organization of ASA, a learning program for young people for global education, sustainable thinking and development.
  5. Why did you decide to volunteer with WEFOCO?
    WEFOCO is one of the many organizations, which applied for the GLEN program, to welcome two volunteers from Europe to help with their project in Shianda. To me the project of WEFOCO about fighting the HIV stigma sounded very interesting yet challenging. I wanted to work closely together with the local people on the ground and see how my knowledge as a pediatric nurse might have some benefits for the rural community.
  6. What do you think about the work that is being done by WEFOCO?
    WEFOCO is working hard to have a positive influence on the people living in the community of Shianda, in terms of economic, social and health related issues and problems. They provide education on HIV and AIDS, general or alternative income generating activities, emotional support and practical advice on finance and agricultural topics.
  7. What kind of tasks did you have?
    Annmari, an Estonian volunteer with who I worked together with during these 3 months, and I visited the various women groups which are part of the WEFOCO organization. We talked to the chairladies and members of each group to assess their problems in terms of HIV/AIDS and stigmatization. We learned a lot from the women´s experience with their HIV infections and about the widespread stigmatization from other community members and even their own families. Education on HIV about its modes of transmissions and dangers are only partly known and therefore we tried to further educate the women on these aspects. However an HIV infection is often closely related to other problems like lack of income or the ability to work physically, for example on the fields. Many women therefore also sought our advice for solutions to their social, financial and agricultural questions and issues.
  8. What did you like most about volunteering?
    Volunteering opens up a way to communicate with the local people in a foreign country and can create meaningful relationships between the volunteer and the people. Furthermore volunteering establishes a communal exchange between two sometimes very different cultures, in which both sides gain a lot of knowledge and understanding towards the other.
  9. What was surprising?
    Many things came as a surprise during these three months. One of them was by far the warm welcome of the women groups towards us when we first met in their villages. The women were singing and clapping when we arrived, as if we were old friends returning after a long time. Furthermore they cooked us delicious and plenty of food during the few hours we stayed at their houses and grounds, though they sometimes hardly have enough food to feed themselves. However there are also negative things who were surprising to us, including the gender inequalities between men and women, the widespread polygamy of men, poverty, stigma of HIV and AIDS infected people and the many widows and orphans due to the HIV pandemic.
  10. What kind of additional information would you have liked to know before going to Kenya?
    Afterwards there would have been a lot of things I would have liked to know before having gone to Kenya, however I might have not have had the experiences I had with all the ups and downs during my stay. I could have read and listen to many stories about Kenya and Africa beforehand, but I think nothing can ever prepare you for what you actually experience, the reality.
  11. For what kind of difficulties the new volunteers should prepare themselves for?
    The main difficulties might be in terms of language and culture. Many women in the groups we have visited only spoke Swahili or their tribal language, but hardly English. Often we needed someone from the WEFOCO board or someone from the community who was able to translate. However a real conversation or discussion was never achieved due to these reasons. The cultural differences between our Western culture and the Kenyan and African culture and traditions can be seen in many different aspects of the daily life. Future volunteers should try to understand these differences, when communicating and working together with the local people. Feelings of frustration and anger has sometimes developed when we were working with the various women groups, however some things cannot be changed by us.
  12. Tell about your favorite experience from Kenya.
    My favorite experience from Kenya includes all the travelling we have done in order to get to know not only Western Kenya but also the center and the coastline. We have climbed the 2nd highest mountain in Africa, the Mount Kenya, an experience I will not forget as we reached our physical and psychical limits during these four days. However these travels showed us the many different faces of Kenya and helped us to better understand the country and the people living in it.
  13. Do you miss something from Kenya/Shianda?
    I miss the people and often their positive attitude. In Kenya and especially Shianda many people have suffered a lot, especially in terms of health related issues like HIV, however many people do not or never even lose their hope and their positive spirit. This is an attitude which I often miss in our Western world, in which small problems appear to be huge, but are actually ridiculous compared to the problems many people and families face in Kenya.