ORGANIZATION'S ACTIVITIES.

WAHAP divides its activities into three main categories:

1. Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC)
2. Prevention of new infections  
3. HOME BASED CARE (HBC)

ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN (OVCs).

 There have been many deaths since the virus came calling. The number of orphans has risen. In Watamu area alone, it is estimated that there are more than 5000 orphans whose parents died due to AIDS. Adds the number of those whose parents died from other causes and you have a huge challenge. Rember this is on top of the runaway poverty. If we said we would build homes for all these children, there would be no space left for other development issues. The best policy is to have the children remain with their relatives and take children's home only those who have no place to call home. Another category is that of children who, due to their parents' poor health and financial conditions, they are in danger of giving in to behaviours that coild expose them to HIV infection. We call these the Vulnerable children. The OVCs are targets of paedophiles and child labor exploiters. In a recent survey on sexual exploitation of children by tourists and their local collaborators,conducted by UNICEF and in which WAHAP participated, it was discovered that more than 3000 OVCs in Watamu and Malindi are sexually exploited. WAHAP intervenes by taking them back to school or finding a better way of life for them other than child labor or having sex with tourists for money. We believe that these interventions help stop the virus before it reaches these children. Currently, WAHAP is running a nursery shool for OVCs in conjunction with Watamu Women Group where 56 OVCs are getting free nursery school education. The significance of this school is that the government gives free education only in primary sachool. While it is mandatory to graduate from nursery school to primary school. So these little ones are getting free education right from the lowest level of education.

PREVENTION OF NEW INFECTION.

The spread of AIDS depends on how informed people are. All myths and misconceptions sorrounding the virus must be addressed. WAHAP does this by holding public meetings in conjunction with the government officials. We also teach in the church about AIDS and how it can be eradicated. The best prevention method is empowering people by exposing them to truth and distigmatizing those who must live with the virus for the rest of their life.

HOME BASED CARE.

Due to the high number of people who are infected and succumbing to full blown AIDS, and given the high cost involved in care and treatment of various oppotunistic infections, it became impossible to admit every seriously sick person in hospital for proper nursing and clinical care. At some point, more than 60% of hospital beds were occupied by people in various stages of AIDS infection. The government of Kenya appealed to its citizens to volunteer to help ease the burden carried by the health institutions by offering to care for the people in their homes, taking them back to the hospital only when very necessary and where the services required were not available at home. The terem Home Based Care became the dearest in the country both to the government and civil society. Curriculum for the training of Community Health Workers (CHWs) was formulated and an official government policy created to give guidance and leadership as to how HBC was to be implemented.
When the work started there were 15 CHWs trained for WAHAP in a partnership deal with Pathfinder international. 5 of those have sice dropped out and gone on to seek better paying jobs. No one can blame them, WAHAP has no resources with which to pay a salary. The CHWs are payed a monthly stipend of ksh2000 (about us$25. This is hardly attractive enough to persuade a young person to remain if there is an offer of a better paying job. In addtion to the 10 CHWs still working, there are 10 paralegals (trained to help peopel in the village to deal with legal matters especially those who face legal problems due to their HIV status. It has been common for some people to lose their jobs or property directly because of their status. Children of parents who have AIDS or have died of the disease sometimes find themselves deprived of their rights by surviving relatives. There are 5 counsellors whose job is to give psycho-social support. These selfless workers are currently caring for 150 people who are in various stages of HIV infection. Apart from the CHWs who get a monthly stipend albeit a small one, the rest of the workers are 100% volunteers.

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