Akado Women’s Group

Mbita, Suba District, Kenya
Project Manager: Joyce Ouma

The Akado Women’s Group was founded in 1986 by Margaret Odindo, a sociologist visiting Mbita, and Inga, a German volunteer. Akado focuses on women’s and children’s health and on the economic position of women. Akado believes that empowering women can have a significant impact on the problems associated with HIV/AIDS. It also believes that a holistic response to HIV/AIDS is needed. Today the Akado Women's Group is a model for comprehensive community-based responses to the AIDS epidemic in a rural setting in Africa.

The Suba district, along the banks of Lake Victoria that border Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania is one of the most beautiful in all of Africa. With HIV infections topping 37% of the overall population and over 65% of the adult population, this region is now the epicenter of the disease in Kenya. With the working-age adult population sick, infected, or dying, the economy, education and agriculture of the region are approaching devastation. The Akado Women's Group and the Akado Integrated Health Program target all members of the community, including men, women, children, elders and visitors. Preventive education, economic development programs, awareness-building, counseling, HIV pre-and-post testing are only a few of the approaches used by this dedicated group.

Partnership with POL

Power of Love has been partnering with Akado to make health care accessible to more people and to educate the community on the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS as well as communicable diseases like malaria and TB; these three diseases are the leading cause of death in the Suba district. In addition, POL and Akado are working together to reduce stigma associated with HIV/AIDS by supporting members of the Post-Test Club formed in October 2005.

Programs

The programs developed by the Akado Women's Group are unique as they were developed through input from local residents.

AKADO MEDICAL CLINIC (AMC)
AMC focuses on educating residents to prevent HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Community members and young people are counseled and educated about prevention, treatment and care of infectious diseases. Free condoms are distributed to help safeguard against HIV/AIDS.

AMC provides Family Planning Services and Pre/Antenatal care. It provides medical testing of women and children, prenatal care and counseling, overall healthcare counseling and provision of dietary supplements.
AMC also runs a home-based care program for families to care for those suffering from symptomatic AIDS in their homes supported with regular visits from traveling volunteer community health workers. These health workers care for the sick in the community and educate the families to take care for their family members.

HEALTH EDUCATION CAMPS
A 2005 health survey in the Mbita, Kenya concluded that Malaria was the leading cause of death of children in this region and that children between six months and five years old were at the greatest risk for contracting the disease. The survey concluded that providing mosquito nets would have a significant impact on reducing the spread of malaria in the region and on the overall health of the children in the community.

This program outreaches to the local community to raise awareness about the major diseases killing in the Mbita area of Kenya and how the public can protect itself against them. The message from the clinic is reinforced by local government officials who have shown great support for this event. Mosquito nets are passed out to children and pregnant mothers who are at high risk for contracting malaria. These nets have already been effective in reducing the number of cases of malaria in the region.

Read more about the Health Education Camps >

WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT
Akado is also building women's cooperative programs to train women in income generating activities. With an ability to earn money, resulting in greater respect at home, women are able to afford and enforce decisions that can counter the spread of infectious diseases.

In addition, Akado is targeting cultural practices like widow-inheritance that makes women vulnerable to sickness and poverty.

ORPHAN EDUCATION AND FEEDING PROGRAM
One of the most successful programs of AMC has been the School Health and Feeding Program. This program takes care of the nutritional and health care needs of 105 Orphans and Vulnerable Children in five different primary schools in Suba District. Food is prepared and packed at AMC and delivered at different schools by AMC Staff. In addition, AMC staff monitor the health status and growth patterns of the OVC’s on a monthly basis with a view to preventing and treating severe malnutrition before it becomes chronic.

ELDERLY SUPPORT PROGRAM
In Mbita alone, over 57 elderly women aged over seventy years are forced to look after a large number of their grandchildren orphaned due to AIDS. Most of the elderly care providers are themselves vulnerable due to poverty and sickness, and are not able to provide for their families.
A total of ten bags of grains were distributed to the Elderly care providers of orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) and 79 Elderly families supported. In addition, AMC has started a program to train elderly care providers on sustainable farming methods for traditional staple crops that will protect the elderly from famine and starvation in the longer term.

REDUCTION OF STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH HIV/AIDS
The Post Test Club was formed by Akado in October 2005 as a support group for people living with HIV/AIDS. Currently, the club has 37 members (36 female and 1 male).

At the World AIDS Day celebrations, members of the Post Test Club spoke openly to the community about their positive status. Community members learned that being positive did not mean “immediate death” and were encouraged to get tested so that they could start medication and lead a more normal life.

Voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) for HIV is critical in controlling the spread of HIV as currently less than 5% of the people who are positive know their status. VCT is a cost effective means for HIV prevention: pregnant women can take steps to prevent mother-to-child transmission, HIV positive people can prevent transmission of the HIV virus by changes in behavior and by following a regular regimen of diet and visits to the local clinic. The Akado Medical Clinic offers HIV testing, and pre and post-test counseling.

As HIV positive people learn that they are not alone, they have formed support groups with other people living with HIV/AIDS and have also started educating others on the prevention and care of HIV/AIDS. The Ministry of Health has commended Akado for the formation of the Post Test Club, remarking it would significantly reduce the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS and increase the number of people who volunteer for HIV testing.