HISTORY OF KNUT/HIV & AIDS PROGRAMME

In the late 80’s and early 90’s, the Union begun to express a new scenario in terms of:-
•    Visible reduction of membership of about 10% in a period of about ten years.
•    Major financial constraints resulting to collapse or near collapse of Burial & Benevolent Schemes at the branch level.
•    Increased cases of sickness amongst the teachers.
•    Lots of funeral related occasions among the members.
•    Reports of teacher absenteeism and increased work loads amongst the teachers

In November 30th 1999, HIV and AIDS was declared a national disaster by His Excellency the President.  By then, the HIV prevalence rate was approximately 14% and by implication teachers being members of the wider society were certainly affected and infected.  Its on this note that the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) in collaboration with American Federation of Teachers (AFT) carried out a Needs Assessment in seven districts namely:  Busia, Kakamega, Kisumu, Nakuru, Meru Central, Nairobi, and Mombasa with the following findings:-

•    There was visible silence in institutions of learning on matters concerning HIV and AIDS.

•    Teachers were aware that they were losing their colleagues, learners and parents to certain “mysterious” sickness but were unwilling to openly talk about it.

•    There were a lot of myths pertaining to HIV and AIDS.  Teachers lacked correct information pertaining to the pandemic.

•    Level of stigma and discrimination by parents and learners, teachers for those teachers coveted to be suffering from HIV & AIDS.

•    Teachers were having increased workload as they silently stepped in for their sick colleagues.

•    Absenteeism by both the teachers and the learners to seek medical attention.

•    The orphan situation in most of the schools was worsening day by day.

Based on this background, KNUT launched a national wide campaign to create HIV and AIDS awareness amongst the teachers and a pilot HIV and AIDS Education programme in the seven districts where the Needs Assessment was carried out.

The immediate concern was to break the silence concerning HIV and AIDS and create awareness of the fact that HIV was a reality that needed to be accepted and dealt with accordingly.

THE KNUT HIV AND AIDS Prevention Treatment Access (PTA) PROGRAMME:

In 2005, the National Executive Council (NEC) of Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) drew guidelines for the management of HIV & AIDS.  Over the same period, the KNUT/AFT Prevention Treatment Access (PTA) program was launched by the Minister for Health Hon. Charity Ngilu.

The goal of the programme was to build the capacity of KNUT to effectively mitigate the impact of HIV and AIDS among the teaching fraternity.

The goals of the project were:-

•    To reduce vulnerability of HIV & AIDS infection and transmission among teachers.
•    To improve access to counselling and testing and community support services for teachers and students affected by HIV & AIDS.
•    To increase the capacity for teachers and union managers to develop, disseminate and implement HIV & AIDS sensitive and school workplace policies for stigma reduction.
•    To improve through bargains and negotiations terms and conditions of service and health benefits for teachers living with HIV or AIDS.

Target Group

The target population were the school based teachers.  It was hoped that once teachers were equipped with life skills and correct information, they would pass the same to their colleagues, learners and the community members at large.

(i)  Programme Activities:

•    HIV & AIDS education. This captured prevention, VCT and positive living for both infected ad affected.

•    Development of EIC materials.

•    Advocating for development, dissemination and implementation of user friendly policies at the workplace.

•    Creation of networks and referrals for provision of HIV services to the members.

•    Establishment of frontline counselling at the school level.

•    Encouraging formation of HIV & AIDS support groups amongst the HIV positive teachers.

(ii)  Partnership:

The programme established partnerships with:-
AFT, USAID, EI, UNESCO, TSC and KENEPOTE

ACHIEVEMENTS

By the end of 2005, the union leadership had completed an intensive HIV & AIDS awareness campaign in all 70 districts reaching about 180,000 members during the branch meetings

I.    National level

Through the PTA program, all the members of the NEC and all the Branch Executive Secretaries were trained on lobbying advocacy of HIV & AIDS friendly policies.

Through the PTA programme, the union trained twenty eight Training of Trainers who in turn trained 636 headteachers on the Ministry of Education HIV & AIDS policy.  In addition, 646 school based teachers (Convenors) were trained on A – Z of HIV & AIDS.  In return, the teachers trained 10,000 Study Circle participants. The teachers in turn reached approximately 417,026 school children. Through the teacher’s innovative outreach programmes, a total of 433,975 members of the community were reached.

The KNUT/PTA HIV and AIDS programme officially ended in March 2007 with a School Based Competition and a programme evaluation (see report on the website).

II.    KNUT Branches (Districts) commence their HIV & AIDS Education Programme

As a response to the call to branch leaders to address HIV & AIDS issues at the branch level with good collaboration and support among partners and networks at district level, several branches have started organising their own branch HIV & AIDS programmes e.g. KNUT Thika and KNUT Bomet Branches amongst others.

KNUT Thika Branch in collaboration with the constituency AIDS Control Unit held trainings for teachers in Kakuzi and Katanga Divisions.

KNUT Bomet Branch in partnership with ACTION AID held trainings for 380 women teachers selected one per school (380 Head teachers both primary and secondary; and 380 School Representatives).

III.    Establishment of AIDS Control Units at Branch level:

In 2006, the NEC recommended that, to effectively address HIV & AIDS issues in the workplace, branches were encouraged to establish Branch Aids Control Units (BACU).    KNUT Nyando Branch launched its BACU on 27/07/07 which was witnessed by partners such as Ministry of Health, Office of the President, Ministry of Education, Constituency AIDS Control Committee, Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association, Kenya Primary Schools Heads Association and KNUT Head Office.

KNUT Kisumu Branch also launched her BACU on 21/11/07.  Other branches are encouraged to follow the same trend; link up with other HIV & AIDS service providers and work together in devising ways of having sustainable HIV and AIDS intervention at the grassroots.

IV.    Working with HIV & AIDS positive teachers:

KNUT recognises the importance of working with teachers positively living with HIV & AIDS in line with GIPA principles.  KNUT has as a result sort the services of HIV positive teachers during training sessions.  In close consultation with Kenya Network of HIV Positive Teachers (KENEPOTE), KNUT maintains a confidential data base for all HIV positive teachers willing to participate in HIV & AIDS programmes.

Through the KENEPOTE Board members, there have been concerted efforts to bring the members of KENEPOTE together.  The process is still underway and it is hoped that members of KENEPOTE will work in giving psychosocial support to each other while encouraging other teachers to seek VCT services.

KENEPOTE Mombasa and Coast Region:

KENEPOTE Mombasa Branch stood out as a good example of the good working relationship between members of KENEPOTE and the Union.

The patron of KENEPOTE Mombasa and Coast region in general is the Executive Secretary, KNUT Mombasa Branch.

Our recommendation is that each branch establishes an ACU and tries to work hand in hand with HIV positive teachers in their respective branches.

V.    Fruits at the institutional level/school level.

Commendably in the 639 institutions where there was KNUT PTA program, there are visible efforts to mainstream HIV and AIDS activities at the school level.  We recognize the efforts of the following institutions:-

1.    Egoji Teachers Training College:  Following the Prevention Treatment Access (PTA) program, the college sort further collaboration with ACTION AID and trained 12 Lecturers on HIV & AIDS counselling.  The college linked up with VCT providers in the area resulting to overwhelming request for testing by students, teachers and other support groups.  This led to a recommendation to establish a permanent VCT at the college which in close collaboration with MOH was opened on 29th September, 2007 in an auspicious occasion witnessed by TSC, MOE, MOH and KNUT.

2.    Angira Primary School in Kisumu which was one of the project schools, in collaboration with the community established a home for OVCs within the school.  The study circle participants provided food and a classroom for shelter while the community provided blankets and mattresses.

3.    Mikindani Primary School in Mombasa which was the winning school in the School Based Competition in several walls in theschool were talking about the HIV & AIDS messages from prevention to care and support.  The community around the school was highly sensitised and fully involved in school activities.  The common talk in the school was HIV & AIDS.  The MOE Policy was being implemented to the letter.

4.    Lake primary school in Kisumu produced a KNUT/Lake/AFT Logo to show unity and support for one another.  The school also appeared  on radio “Nam Lolwe”

a local media to talk about HIV & AIDS.  The school has introduced the HIV & AIDS campaign to the “boda boda” operators.

5.    Choose Life Youth Group, formed by a convenor in Meru communicates HIV & AIDS messages through drama in school and the communities around Nkubu market.

6.    Gikomene Primary School is reported to having plans to convert the school’s  flower gardens to vegetable gardens to encourage health eating habits amongst the parents and learners.

There are certainly many other efforts to fight HIV and AIDS at the institution level in our project schools but we have only captured a few as examples.

Conclusion:

It is important to note that in the course of the project, we partnered in one way or the other with the following organisations: MOE, AFT, USAID, EI, UNESCO, TSC, and KENEPOTE

From the above PTA project, it is evident that teachers have the potential to influence behaviour change in the societies.  The fact that they are the role models looked upon by the parents, learners and community at large to provide guidance means that their capacities should be enhanced to establish sustainable interventions at the school level which by and large will spill over to the community.

KNUT welcomes organizations/individuals willing to partner with her in HIV and AIDS for further discussions.