by Robert Manyara
NAKURU, Kenya, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- For a Kenyan man to make public his HIV positive status is a call of defiance to the cultural order which considers such kind of act a sign of weakness and shame to the community.
This is the kind of stigma the 30 members of the Men Pillars Support Group, based in Nakuru town in the Rift Valley region, had to deal with, having broken from the norm. They declared their HIV positive status in 2009, the year in which they formed the group.
"People castigated us a lot. Many told us it was a taboo for a man to say he is HIV positive. They actually wondered whether we were in the right minds. But we actually were," Phap Shikokoti, group's chairperson told Xinhua with a laughter during a recent interview.
Shikokoti explained that they decided to identify their group as "men pillars" because men are both the backbone to the spread and prevention of HIV.
All through the years since their testimonies, the male members drawn from different parts of Nakuru County have learnt to ignore the stigma.
Their work now is going around the county to sensitize men, women, boys and girls on the importance of knowing their status, how to overcome social exclusion and take care of themselves. Also, enlightening them on ways to avoid infecting others.
They reach them through churches, organized meetings and social gatherings. They collaborate with other like minded organisations and associations to reach out to the communities.
But convincing men to even go for testing is such a big challenge, said Jared Kira, a member of the group.
"Men have that self-stigma. They greatly fear going for a test. They even ask how I do take myself to my clinic? How do I start explaining myself that I have come for testing?" stated Kira.
It has been a tough task to educate people in some communities where existing traditions and customs consider discussions on HIV, sex and contraceptives an abomination, Kira says.
"We have been to meetings where you see people practically cringe when we talk about sex or contraceptives or HIV. And then you see them escaping one by one," said Kira.
"Culture is a problem in its own nature in this drive to prevent spread of HIV," he added. The group targets spouses with family life education in which they are emphasizing open communication within the family structure.
The mechanism is working as feedback from the spouses has been encouraging, said Shikokoti.
"We feel very great when a couple calls to inform us that they have decided to go together for a test. A couple is able to make healthy life choices when they know each other's status," he said.
In 2015, there were 1.5 million people living with the HIV in Kenya, a decline from the 1.6 million reported in 2013 by the National Aids Control Council (NACC), the state entity responsible for implementing HIV/Aids action plans.
Further, the HIV prevalence among women is higher than men's, NACC reports in the 2016 Kenya Aids Response Progress Report.
Men have a 5.5 percent prevalence against 6.3 percent for women, a direct linkage to the higher new infections recorded on the latter.
Out of the total 77,647 new infections recorded in the country in 2015; 39,868 were of female aged above 15 years. On the other hand, male were 31,167.
Shikokoti said it is important to change men's perception towards knowing their status as it is crucial to preventing infections.
"You know we tell men that being HIV positive doesn't stop them from having sex because that is one of their fears. We make them understand that they can use a condom to prevent them from passing on the infection," said Shikokoti, who has eight children all clean from the virus.
One of their worries is the rate at which the adolescents in the country are getting infected.
Boaz Onyango, the group's secretary attributes this to the irresponsible manner in which they are having sex.
"When we are educating them on sex and HIV, you see them shying away. They don't want to hear some words but sad reality is that they are terribly messing around," said Onyango.
From NACC's report, young people aged between 15 and 24 years contributed 51 percent of adult new HIV infections in 2015, showing rapid rise from 29 percent in 2013.
"A number of factors have advanced this alarming rate of infection such as incorrect perception of their risks on HIV; limited knowledge on sexual behaviour that exposes them to HIV such as failure to use condoms during the first sexual intercourse; failure to resist forced sex from partner; having sexual intercourse under influence of alcohol or drugs among others," reads a section of the report succeeding the assertion.
For the Men Pillars Support Group, the struggle continues as they strive to prevent new infections and promote healthy living among the infected.
