Today is World AIDS day.Given the fact that I am in a small town in the south here AIDS isnt taken as seriously as it is in the bigger cities.Here in uni it is the ANGELS volunteer assoc that deals with AIDS awareness that are making an effort.There is a table on front campus where people can get pamphlets,info and badges.I got badges and gave them out during the intl students meeting yesterday.
Here in the states AIDS is still a disease for minorites and gay men.The rate of infections among minorites is 8 times that of white people.I am not going to point fingers but here unless something affects white people in large numbers the powers that be dont do too much about it.What they dont seem to know is that AIDS knows no color,nationality or boundary.
As for back in Kenya I dont know about the lates figures on the battle lines but I have always held the church in great contempt.The Catholics have been vehement in their stance against the use of condoms and birth control.Yes they say that people shouldnt be fornicating.But what should happen and what happens are two different things.They say that giving condoms would encourage people esp the youth to be promiscous, well the lack of condoms has never prevented many people from having a roll in the hay.I would rather my fall to the lust in the flesh happen when I have a condom and be a mere stumble then it to happen without a condom and result in my death.Church folk have also been known to ostracise many among their number for having the virus even though in some cases they didnt get infected due to immorality but by blood transfusions, use of unsterilised equipments or rape.It is known that there are an increasing number of men of the cloth who have the virus.Message to the churches who are doing nothing, You are so heavenly minded that you are becoming useless to the people on earth.
Another thing is that change begins with me and you.Infections are only going to go down when people change the way they behave.I am a firm believer in the ABC program Abstain, Be faithful and use condoms.But with the high rates of infection and the wanton way people act I am a firm believer in just C. Too many people think that it cant happen to me, well guess what?That is what most of the other people were thinking.It shocks me to think that there are still people who think that AIDS is not real even when they see people around them dying from it.
I used to work for an ngo that dealt with PLWAs and let me tell you that I used to hear so many different hear breaking stories that I became a stone.I had to turn to humour to deal with it most of the time.This isnt meant to be funny but I am going to say it anyway.I dont know if any of you used to play those story book games where you had to choose the route for the main character and it would shape up into a different story eg You are a young woman living in the country life is hard and you dont have much do you A) go to the city?Turn to page 4 B) stay in the country and work in your farm turn to page 8 C) stay in the country and try to find a husband?Turn to page 11.
Well if you chose to go to the city you would find that making it in the city was not as easy as you thought it was.You have the choice of going to work in a factory for minimal wage go to page 21. Or you can become a prostitute at a city bar go to page 24.If you chose to work in the factory after a few months you find that the other girls in the factory are being promoted to higher positions despite the fact that you are a harder worker.You talk to one of your colleagues and you find out it is because they are having sex with the foreman.If you choose to do so go to page 25 if you say no go to page 27.If you said yes, you go ahead do so get your promotion only to find yourself falling to mysterious maladies day affter day.You go to the clinic and find out that you have HIV.If you had chosen to be a prostitute one day a client offers you several thousand shillings for unprotected sex.You go ahead and have sex with him as you know you will not see that much money in a long time.You start getting sick some months later, go to the clinic and you know the rest.These and many other scenarios involving men and women I know are the basis for that.I met a young guy who used to take part in HIV awareness, do the test to show people how harmless it is, do peer counselling that sorta thing.This guy got a girlfriend and got infected the first time he had sex!Yes it is a sad state of affairs.These people are more then numbers at the end of the day.
I think I have derailed myself.What am I trying to say?Well when it comes to AIDS ignorance cant hurt you, it will kill you!
Well I have said enough about individuals now comes the government.I think the government is far from showing sufficient conncern in this area.Yes they have set up testing centres and doctors in public hospitals are being trained on how to treat HIV.But the health facilities in Kenya still cant meet the demand of people suffering from every day illnesses and accidents.Good healthcare is the preserve of the rich and well connected.In Kenya if you either have to die or auction off your belongings to pay your bills.It doesnt help that a large number of unregulated HMOs crashed with Kenyans money and that most of them and insurance companies are still at a loss when it comes to dealing with HIV.I think there has to be a total overhaul when it comes to dealing with HIV at higher levels.Some private sector companies ie HACO have made efforts to treat their employees which I applaud.I think the government should know that a sick company is not a productive nation and if people are not productive that means a whole lot less taxes for them to use to buy new mercedes benzes and build houses in Muthaiga for their families.As for NGOs!There are several hundred of them in Nai alone dealing with this issue yet we don't seem to be moving?You know why?Coz many of them are cash cows for some greedy individuals.There was an audit of NACC and it was found that some seats that were bought for a project were furnishing a bar owned by a committee member.I mean it is one thing to steal from healthy people but if you can steal from the sick and dying that's down right despicable!
Anyway I think I am on the verge of rambling.On a lighter note during Christmas it is good to sacrifice so that others can have, with Christmas round the corner I have decided to sacrifice strokes.Seeing as my one source of strokes has decided to go to Kenya on vacation I cant predict when the next strokes will come my way; so that is my heartfelt sacrifice for the under priviledged out there.........
Press Freedoms Under Threat In Kenya
5 years ago
10 comments:
Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
@ farmgal
Phew!!!For one moment i thot you were msanii.ps this post is not even 2 mins old.......
Lets call it luck then.
On the post.....recently someone I know came to my shop and we spent some time talking. After like 20mins she told me that she had just confirmed she was HIV+ I was so shocked! If we havent been around anyone who had full blown aids then we remain clueless to the fact that its real. I once visited a neighbour back home at kenyatta.....that guy was reduced to skin and bone. This is a wide topic!
BTW I think you are a bit harsh on the church. I know of churches that compassionately embrace people with HIV and give them support.
Nice post!
@ farmgal
I know that is sound harsh on the church that is y i said to the churches that are doing nothin coz there are some churches that are helping out.
Yes I have heard that there is a ward in Kenyatta for HIV+ to waste away in.I dunno if it is true though.
The last time I was in that ward was when I visited that neighbour. I tell you that place stunk. Yaani people were left lying on on side mpaka the get vidondaz. Woe unto to you if no one come to visit you and feed you. I dont know if thats the way it is today though but its not a place you want to be for more than necesary. The staff would serve food and just leave it there if you cant feed yourself shauri yako.
@ farmgal
That's just sad but then again Kenyatta is known for having nurses with the bedsides manners of an undertaker.I remember when someone i knew passed away of HIV the body was wrapped up in so many layers like they were scared that anyone who handled it would get infected.We still have a long way to go...
Aco - excellent post. I have to agree with you on most of your points, and especially where I being a born but not practising catholic (you surprised?) hear modern day popes telling people not to use condoms and all that and you wonder, where did they just crawl out of.They forget that just because you are faithful doesnt mean the other person is. And also, you can abstain or be a virgin then get married to someone and they are infected so you get it too! Howzat? I am shit-scared of AIDS and even though I havent a first-hand account of seeing an infected person or personally knowing one, I am still wary of how people take it like it wouldnt happen to them. Over here there are about 60,000+ people infected and they try to teach people about it, especially since most people were apparently infected by sleeping with people from Africa, or the people themselves are from Africa - and most people infected are heterosexual as opposed to what most people think that most are gay.
Good on you for raising the awareness and participating in the drives - does it scare you when you have to start a relationship with a new person?
As for your sacrificing strokes for xmas -lol - you are not sacrificing, you just dont have a choice. May the Drought be with you :) LOL
those kenyatta hospital nurses must have stones for hearts - used to volunteer at kenyatta hospital and saw how they treat all patients. cruel and unusual punishment i tell you.
sexual responsibility is what africans need. i feel you on the church-there are way too many of them who preach until they are blue in the face and don't go and do anything on the ground where the problem is. i still feel that its the responsibility of parents and immediate family members to educate children about safe sex - you can see what leaving it up to the church and government has left us.
until we stop treating sex and all the good and bad stuff that comes with it like some big secret or consider it taboo to discuss being responsible we are done for.
ati sacrifice while your stroke giver is away ... lol! i agree with guess, it's not a sacrifice at all. maybe you should deny yourself when she comes back and then for a month afterwards. now that's sacrifice!
@ guess
Lets just say after seeing ppl going down first hand coz of HIV I have never been part of risky bhaviour!Yes how we act as regards AIDS matters affects other ppl.I too was raised Catholic and their stance sickens me.As for strokes, I still insist that I am sacrificing!
@ spicebear
Yes those nurses are on a level of their own when it comes to care-giving.And I feel you as a society we need to stop hiding and talk about what is going on!Ati I go for one month,I have suffered enough!To you and Guess mpende msipende I am calling it a sacrifice!!
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