Success Stories from Our Members in the field

Building Self Sufficiency in people with HIV/AIDS, from Pathfinder International
May 22, 2002

In many parts of Africa, official healthcare facilities are not large enough or well-funded enough to cope with the AIDS crisis, so most people with AIDS are cared for at home by relatives. Pathfinder International has created an innovative program in Kenya to teach health care skills to family members so AIDS patients can get the best care possible given limited resources.

The essence of Pathfinder's approach is training people, who can then train other people, to maximize the long-term impact of care.

The staff of the American nongovernmental organization train potential trainers from community-based organizations, who in turn train community health workers to provide care and support services for people living with HIV/AIDS. Household members are taught how to care for sick relatives. Training includes identification of conditions requiring medical attention, so that clients can get palliative care and treatment for opportunistic infections.

At-risk household members are referred for voluntary counseling and testing. Community health workers offer supportive services in many areas, including; material, emotional and spiritual services to HIV-positive clients.

As of May 2002, the Pathfinder program in Kenya, which was launched in 1999, has trained 54 trainers, 316 community health workers and 21,508 primary caregivers. At-home health services have benefited 7,398 people living with AIDS.