INERELA+ KENYA Turning The Tide: Overcoming Stigma and Discrimination through HIV Positive Religious Leaders; Lessons from Kenya INERELA+ KENYA Turning The Tide: Overcoming Stigma and Discrimination through HIV Positive Religious Leaders; Lessons from Kenya Jane M. Ng'ang'a National Coordinator Jane M. Ng'ang'a National Coordinator

OverviewOverview OverviewOverview  Share with you what INERELA+ Kenya is about  Highlight the challenge of stigma and discrimination in the response to HIV and AIDS  Describe what we are doing to overcome S&D working with religious leaders  Key lessons and challenges we have faced  Share with you what INERELA+ Kenya is about  Highlight the challenge of stigma and discrimination in the response to HIV and AIDS  Describe what we are doing to overcome S&D working with religious leaders  Key lessons and challenges we have faced

INERELA+ Kenya International NEtwork of REligious Leaders living with or personally affected by HIV and AIDS

INERELA+ Chapters – Kenya – Uganda – Malawi – Tanzania – Zambia – DRC – Nigeria – Madagascar – Mozambique – Kenya – Uganda – Malawi – Tanzania – Zambia – DRC – Nigeria – Madagascar – Mozambique – South Africa – Rwanda – Zimbabwe – Lesotho – Swaziland – Namibia – Ethiopia – Botswana – Sierra Leon

The Challenge of Stigma and Discrimination  Moralization  Denial  Inaction  Misaction  Moralization  Denial  Inaction  Misaction

Mis-Action Posters opposing reproductive health education in schools. opposing reproductive health education in schools. 'It is immoral to teach family life education in schools’. Sex education is not the cure for AIDS, Abstinence and fidelity are!’

Mis-Action Posters Source: English-Health Science 'No legalization of abortion, it is murder'; 'More contraceptives, more abortions' and 'Trust condoms, trust death'.

INERELA+ Kenya Implementation cycle Encourage, Support faith leaders to know their HIV status Encourage, support to Disclose – gradual personal voluntary disclosure, e.g. C tthrough Call Service Live openly and use self and voice for change Engage /develop faith community responses Mutual Support – through Support Groups Advocate at regional and national level Mobilise for Capacity Building

Approach by INERELA+ Kenya  Multiplying SAVE S afer Practices A ccess to treatment and nutrition V oluntary Counseling & Testing E mpowerment  Partnerships  Multiplying SAVE S afer Practices A ccess to treatment and nutrition V oluntary Counseling & Testing E mpowerment  Partnerships

Turning the Tide 1) Reduced SSDDIM Archbishop Emeritus B. Nzimbi, during INERELA+ meetings in Kenya “We want to apologize for not doing what we should have done and for doing what we should not have done. We need to wake up to meet the needs and challenges of the pandemic”

Lessons Learnt  Training enables disclosure  Creation of Agents of change and supporting them brings about the Environment of trust  SAVE model of prevention  Partnership and networking  Training enables disclosure  Creation of Agents of change and supporting them brings about the Environment of trust  SAVE model of prevention  Partnership and networking

Challenges and Next StepsChallenges and Next Steps Challenges and Next StepsChallenges and Next Steps  Capacity at grassroots  Increasing the number of Agents of change  National debates and advocacy  Capacity at grassroots  Increasing the number of Agents of change  National debates and advocacy

 HIV is a virus Not a moral Issue  HIV is a virus Not a moral Issue

 Thank You for Your Time!  Questions…  Thank You for Your Time!  Questions…