AEGiS-15IAC: Involving men in HIV prevention, care and support in Kenya - the Movement of Men against AIDS in Kenya

AEGiS-15IAC: Involving men in HIV prevention, care and support in Kenya - the Movement of Men against AIDS in Kenya - MMAAK.

15th International AIDS Conference

Bangkok, Thailand - July 11-16, 2004

Involving men in HIV prevention, care and support in Kenya - the Movement of Men against AIDS in Kenya - MMAAK.

Int Conf AIDS 2004 Jul 11-16; 15:(abstract no. TuOrD1115)

Onyango M, Mkala Z, Purdon S
Movement of Men Against AIDS in Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya

In Kenya, traditionally, men are not empowered or given skills to deal with HIV/AIDS or with being HIV positive, yet they make most of the decisions at home, in the workplace, in parliament and in religious institutions. Men have not been actively involved in HIV prevention, care or support. Men with HIV/AIDS have suffered in silence to protect their masculinity; many assume HIV/AIDS only affects those who deserve it, contributing to many new infections. Positive men do not want to disclose to their wives. They fear discrimination and stigma at work. There are no care, support or treatment programmes for men in Kenya. This motivated a group of HIV+ men to form the Movement of Men Against AIDS in Kenya: to fill the gap in care and support, and to advocate for the involvement of men in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

DESCRIPTION: This paper will examine how MMAAK has rapidly built programmes supporting men living with HIV/AIDS. Partnering hospitals, churches, associations, and employers that provide infrastructure, MMAAK creates male support services built on group therapies and one-to-one counselling. MMAAK campaigns for male involvement through these institutions and the media. MMAAK has also developed guidelines for others to achieve male involvement in support organizations in Africa.

LESSONS LEARNED: Most men attending MMAAK sessions learn to cope with their HIV status, they can hold discussions and involve their wives in the decision making at home. Effective counseling is helping more men visit VCTs. Men are willing to learn to take care of their fellow men, not to see this as a domain for women only.

RECOMMENDATIONS: The involvement of men in HIV/AIDS activities must be replicated in other parts of Kenya, and in other regions of Africa. We believe the MMAAK guidelines can help. Once the men have been empowered to act they can create a difference.

Keywords: AEGIS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV Infections, Health Services, Organizations, HIV Seropositivity, Kenya, Counseling, Africa, Humans, Male, Female, prevention & control, organization & administration

040711
TuOrD1115