Onyango J; International Conference on AIDS.
Int Conf AIDS. 2002 Jul 7-12; 14: abstract no. B10519.
NGO, Mumias/Kakamega, Kenya
ISSUES: The Kenya AIDS Intervention/Prevention Project Group (KAIPPG) is a local NGO that works with the disadvantaged people of rural areas in W. Kenya. KAIPPG has developed an innovative nutrition program, entitled "Community-Based Dietary Intervention Project ", to deal with the malnutrition that is a major factor in the early deterioration and ultimate death of thousand of HIV/AIDS patients in Kenya. Dietary deficiencies compromise the body's ability to fight off disease or cope with its effects, and also make it harder to cope with the strong medicines used to treat opportunistic infections. Because of their precarious health, PLWHAS need dietary supplements which can be easily absorbed (such as fruits and vegetables) without burdening their bodies further. Because AIDS drugs and other advanced HIV/AIDS treatments available in developed countries are not available to most communities in Africa and the developing world, we need to find a way to maintain and improve health using more readily-available means, and better nutrition is one of the primary methods to do so. DESCRIPTION: KAIPPG's program selected 180 vulnerable women from its regional units. Nutrition schools were formed, members were educated and trained in the entire process of crop husbandry and food production, and locally-adaptable technologies and hygienic practices were stressed. Each group was encouraged to provide basic care to its sick members, and community sharing of nutritional benefits and proceeds was stressed, so that everyone would benefit and no-one feel excluded. LESSONS LEARNED: The health and welfare of PLWHAS can be greatly improved with a serious focus on nutrition, and it is both possible and necessary to solve nutrition problems locally, using culture-specific means. RECOMMENDATIONS: We strongly recommend that nutrition programs become a regular aspect of every effort to address HIV/AIDS, and we plan to develop our own program to all of the communities we serve.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- Africa
- Culture
- Demography
- Family
- Female
- HIV Infections
- HIV Seropositivity
- Health
- Health Planning
- Health Services Needs and Demand
- Humans
- Kenya
- Residence Characteristics
- education
- organization & administration
Other ID:
UI: 102254201
From Meeting Abstracts