Knowing Your Status

Moonlight Voluntary Counselling and Testing Centre

Embu, Kenya

On October 9th, our friends Patrick Maina and Henry Mwangi from the African Christian Church & Schools (ACC&S), participated in a moonlight VCT clinic with the Embu Guardians of Hope. We are excited to share part of their brief report!

Greetings!

I am writing to update you on the progress of Embu GOH project on their moonlight VCT. I and Henry paid a visit to Embu on 9th October to witness the event.

The event was so well organized as the local Chief together with the local OCS (Police) were in attendance. The level of stigma have gone down so much that the people are so much willing to know their status. Those in the waiting were so many such that the counselors could not handle all of them. Again from their report they were able to test about 100 people both male and female.

The importance of one knowing his/her status was well explained by the counselors emphasizing that once a person knows his or her status it helps in planning. Again the cases of discordant couples is in the increase among the married people. Once a person knows their status, it helps to prevent reinfection, and helps to prevent a mother from infecting their new born babies. Prevention of Mother To Child (PMTC) is being emphasized.

Why is it important for people to know their HIV status?

• It helps those who are not infected not to become infected

• It helps those who are infected not to infect their uninfected partners or reinfecting one another among the infected once.

• It helps those who are infected to receive support, early treatment, care and help from the community and family members.

God bless you and your family.

Patrick

Pastor Mbau taking the test

to lead others by example

Thank you for praying for the ministry of the Guardians of Hope and work of the African Christian Church & Schools in Kenya. Coming up this December 1st is World AIDS Day*. This years theme is "Getting to Zero". Canadian Baptist Ministries is currently preparing materials for churches, individuals and organizations interested in participating in the 2011 day. We will be posting links for these resources on the blog once they are ready.

WORLD AIDS DAY*

AIDS is a condition resulting from damage done to the human immune system by HIV. It affects tens of millions of people around the world. The United Nations' (UN) World AIDS Day is held on December 1 each year to honor the victims of the AIDS pandemic and focus attention on the prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS related conditions.

Moonlight VCT

Moonlight VCT

in Embu

The ACC&S Guardians of Hope in Embu, are working in partnership with the Kenyan government to help their community know their HIV status. While the church has been promoting voluntary counselling and testing for several years, they have recently discovered a strategy for overcoming the fear and stigma attached to attending a counselling and testing centre -- hold them at night!

"We want people to know their status," shares ACC&S GOH project officer Patrick Maina. "Church members and the community have long associated HIV and AIDS with immorality, but we are helping the community understand that there are other avenues that people contract the disease. Knowing your status is key if we are to stop the spread. But more than this, we need people to access counselling and testing in time rather than waiting until they are so far gone."

Embu's next moonlight VCT visit will be on October 9th. They are anticipating 360 people over the night long event, to come and receive counselling and testing. Counselling is important, as people need to be prepared to hear their results and know what options they have. Please be praying for this vital ministry of the church as they follow Jesus' example of being available to their community, even in the dark of the night.

To learn more about the Guardians of Hope program check out the Canadian Baptist Ministries webpage at www.cbmin.org