The Financial & Cultural Impact of HIV/AIDS and How WOPLAH is Helping Those Impacted

What is HIV/AIDS?

HIV and AIDS remain major global health issues that have far reaching implications throughout society. According to the World Health Organization, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is an infection that attacks the body’s immune system and if left untreated can lead to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) which is the most advanced form of HIV. HIV specifically targets white blood cells. White blood cells are a key part of the immune system so when HIV attacks these cells, people are prone to getting sick with other diseases including cancer, tuberculosis and other infections (World Health Organization). HIV is a preventable disease and is transmitted through some bodily fluids. Some preventative measures include PrEP which stands for Pre Exposure Prophylaxis which “can help reduce a person's chance of getting HIV from sex or injection drug use” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). There is also a post exposure prophylactic medication called PEP to help people within 72 hours of exposure (CDC). The use of these preventative drugs is becoming more widespread but cost and accessibility act as major barriers to use. If no preventative measures are available people can contract the virus. While HIV is not curable, there are antiretroviral treatments that help stop the HIV from replicating in the body and help prevent the spread of HIV from person to person. These medications are also called antiretroviral therapies (ARTs). According to the National Institute of Health, ARTs help reduce the viral load or amount of HIV in a person’s body. Without these life saving medications, there are very few effective treatments once HIV progresses into AIDS. Providing education and resources surrounding prevention, transmission and treatment are of vital importance to help globally decrease the spread of HIV.

Stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS

Outside of the physical health complications that often arise from living with HIV/ AIDS, people with the condition often deal with stigma from their community, which also affects their mental health. Kenya is no exception to this. HIV-infected individuals often deal with social rejection, discrimination, and physical violence, which in turn increases their risk of experiencing depression, anxiety, and hopelessness (McHenry et al., 2016). Living with HIV in itself can be a struggle; it is quite unfortunate that HIV-infected individuals also have to face discrimination, while managing their condition. By providing access to support groups, community dialogues, among other communal activities, WOPLAH aims to help reduce stigma for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Financial impact: who's at risk & what does a diagnosis mean?

The transmission and acquisition of HIV/AIDS can depend on risk factors on an individual level such as participating in condomless sex or sharing injection needles. However, it is also important to address the risk factors on a community level in both preventing cases of HIV/AIDS and improving the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS. For example, there is an association between poverty rate and the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in a community, which interrelates with several other factors. Lack of access to education, community stigmatization, and lack of access to healthcare can all play roles in putting a community at risk. Importantly, these risk factors vary from region to region, so multifaceted approaches must include programs tailored to individual communities.

An HIV/AIDS diagnosis can greatly impact the finances of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWA). PLWA are much more susceptible to contracting illnesses and diseases which affect their ability to work. A lack of consistent income can lead to food insecurity and an inability to afford life-saving HIV/AIDS treatments such as antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART is a medication used to treat HIV by reducing the amount of the virus in the bloodstream to an undetectable level. In order for the treatment to be effective, the medication must be taken daily as missing doses can lead to a rise of the HIV virus in the bloodstream and resistance to treatment (National Institute of Health). However, ART is expensive: for the average Kenyan household, the cost of HIV treatment is between 7% and 28% of their monthly income which puts a large strain on their finances.

HIV/AIDS greatly affects the financial stability of PLWA because it can impact their ability to work if they contract an illness and HIV treatment is costly.

Importance of reproductive health

A study in Kenya examined the nature of reproductive health and HIV awareness among adolescent girls and young women engaged in sexual relationships and sex work (Wilson et al., 2020). 38% of the respondents reported a history of pregnancy while 27% of the respondents who indicated that they wanted to prevent pregnancy were not using any form of contraception (Wilson et al., 2020). For women involved in sex work, increased STI testing was associated with knowledge of HIV prevention programs (Wilson et al., 2020). However, only 26% of these women were aware of local HIV prevention programs. These findings suggest that many young women are not aware of HIV prevention programs in their community. Additionally, a majority of young women with an active sex life do not engage in STD testing. Therefore, proper advertisement of local HIV prevention organizations will help establish the importance of reproductive health among adolescent girls and young women.

WOPLAH's mission

The viruses HIV and AIDS clearly have huge cultural and economic implications. The Western Organization for People Living with HIV and AIDS (WOPLAH) tries to address disparities in health care specifically for people with HIV and AIDS in Kenya. WOPLAH was founded in 2008 and since its founding the leaders “recognized a need within their community for equitable access to HIV/AIDS counseling and testing, health education, and economic empowerment.” Their ambassadors also work to educate people about these diseases and decrease the stigma surrounding living with the virus.

To help educate and engage with their community, WOPLAH hosts community health dialogues once a month. Facilitators meet with community health workers in the Mumias area. There are 12 different community health units that WOPLAH meets with on a monthly basis. At these meetings the community gets to discuss the triumphs and challenges that they have faced recently. These discussions are an important foundation for developing action plans for addressing health issues in the region.

In addition, WOPLAH also runs Children’s Clubs. These clubs are specifically designed for orphans and other vulnerable youth. These programs provide important discussion and counseling for children around their HIV positive diagnosis. Children in these programs learn about having HIV and how to tell their loved ones about having HIV. In addition, these programs decrease stigma by building a bridge and connecting HIV positive children with HIV negative children and families within the community. On average, WOPLAH meets with 75 children a month through these clubs and have had positive impacts on hundreds of children throughout the years that the programs have been running. WOPLAH also has the Early Childhood Development Program which is a preschool daycare program. This program has helped many children progress into primary school programs.

WOPLAH also addresses major economic disparities of living with HIV or AIDS. WOPLAH started a village banking program. WOPLAH has a community money pot that they lend out to support groups. The support groups are able to allocate this money. Sometimes it is used for small low interest loans or other group projects. When a support group receives a Village Banking Loan there is also a key component of education. WOPLAH hosts training which “cover topics such as savings, investment, group management, record keeping and entrepreneurship with the intention of ensuring responsibility and honest and productive use of funds.” Down the road, WOPLAH hopes to establish their own community bank.

While WOPLAH strives to make large-scale change with major economic and educational programs, they also support the basic needs of people living with HIV and AIDS through their kitchen gardens and goat rearing program. For many people living with HIV or AIDS it is hard to find a steady source of income and many struggle with food insecurity. These kitchen garden programs help more than 200 families and 1400 individuals get the nutrition they need (WOPLAH). In addition to providing nutritious food, the community kitchens strive to provide education on sustainable water usage. In the gardens they intentionally plant fruits and vegetables that support the immune system. For example, right now they are growing pumpkins and orange pigment sweet potatoes in addition to many other vegetables. Pumpkins are thought to help support the immune system which is especially important for those with HIV. WOPLAH also has a goat rearing program. WOPLAH has given goats to more than 64 families. WOPLAH hopes that over the years they will be able to buy young offspring from the families they initially gave goats to. This would make it a more sustainable and circular process.

WOPLAH is dedicated to helping people living with HIV/AIDS achieve financial security so they can lead full & successful lives while helping educate the community about HIV/AIDS with the goal of destigmatizing and preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS.