ENGAGEMENT WITH PUBLIC FORUM TO PROMOTE PEER EDUCATION. AND INCOME GENERATING ACTIVITIES AMONG OLDER PEOPLE

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ENGAGEMENT WITH PUBLIC FORUM TO PROMOTE PEER
EDUCATION. AND INCOME GENERATING ACTIVITIES AMONG
OLDER PEOPLE

• 1st IAGG Africa Region Conference Cape Town,
  South Africa
• Presented by Michael Kanyingi Kimuhu
  Programme Officer
• CCS/HELPAGE BLF Project

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Key words

• Multigenerational household
• Household headed by an older person and having
  children of the third or fourth affected by HIV
  and AIDS
• IGA Income generating activities
• OPLHIV Older people living with HIV

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Project outcome

• Older people are able to more effectively protect
  themselves and their dependents from HIV/AIDS
  transmission.
• To alleviate the impact of HIV/AIDS and reduce
  the risk of infection within MGH.

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Background

• This is a project funded by HelpAge
  International, overseen by HelpAge Kenya an
  affiliate of HelpAge International and
  implemented on the ground by ACK Christian
  Community Services.
• The assumption is that when peers model or give
  information to others, there is a certain degree
  of vicarious learning that is transferred.
• Given a little support, older people can make a
  great difference.

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Process

• Peer educators and beneficiaries recruitment
• We start by communicating with the community
  through the area assistant chiefs. A public forum
  is called for the community to select the older
  persons who they think would be good peer
  educators and also forward names of the older
  persons heading household that have been affected
  by HIV . This is done with the supervision of the
  project staff and following the laid done
  criteria.
• After the identification and community
  acceptance, the selected older persons meet with
  the project staff for the briefing about the role
  and tasks of the peer educators.

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Process

• The training units include Facts about HIV and
  AIDS, Issues of older persons, interpersonal
  communication, foster parenting, and basics of
  community home based care.
• Training in IGAs financial and marketing
  management for 136 people per year 680 people
  in five years
• The beneficiaries form groups and start saving
  within their groups. After which some seed money
  is added to their savings in order to carry out
  loaning activities.

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What worked well

• Selection of the peer educators through community
  forums
• Diversity of the religious background covered by
  Peer Educators
• Increased acceptance of HIV information by the
  older persons.
• Older Peer educators learned leadership,
  team-building, and communication skills.
• All the 160 older people peer educators trained
  have been voluntarily tested for HIV
• Due to the influence by the peer educators, 1265
  older people have been tested for HIV.
• 159 (62male and 97 female) tested in one day.
• 18 older people Self Help Groups formed and
  practicing micro credit and welfare activities.
• So far 293 multigenerational households are proud
  owners of small businesses
• Total of Kshs 1.2 million (USD14500) saved by the
  293 older people.

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Challenges

• The role of stigma and discrimination in reaching
  key audiences
• Difficult knowing exactly what information is
  being disseminated by the peer educators.
• Some businesses collapsed
• Low loan repayment rates among the beneficiaries
  during the first year of the project.

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OPLHIV IGA
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OLDER CAREGIVER IN SHOE BUSINESS
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TRAINING SESSION
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Older people display certificate of registration
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OLDER PEOPLE QUEUE FOR VCT
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OP TAKES A HIV TEST
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INVOLVEMENT OF OLDER PEOPLE ACHIEVEMENT OF MDGs

• OLDER PEOPLE ARE RESOURCEFUL
• PROTECT, INVOLVE AND CONSULT THEM
• THANK YOU - ASANTE