Despite some initial barriers like challenging visa process and long distance 16 representatives from Kenya Red Cross Society and their partner organisations visited Alliance for Public Health (Alliance) to study experience of addressing HIV and Hepatitis C epidemic among key populations. On 12 December, 2016 our guests from sunny Kenya reached cold and snowy Kyiv and were welcomed by staff of Alliance.
During the visit to Alliance office participants of the site visit learnt about key interventions, implemented by Alliance for Public Health and its partners and recent programme innovations, policy and advocacy work. During 5 days of the visit they had a chance to visit healthcare settings providing integrated services to people who use drugs (PWUD), drop-in centres, secondary exchange site, learnt about the work of mobile ambulance observing services provided to sex workers, visited community centre for men who have sex with men.
Alliance for Public Health has long-term collaboration with Kenya colleagues bringing harm reduction to Kenya and building capacity of local experts. As a result, needle and syringe exchange was launched and extended in the country under Community Action on Harm Reduction project www.cahrproject.org supported by the Dutch government and run by International HIV/AIDS Alliance together with their partner Kenya AIDS NGOs Consortium.
As a result of the visit representatives from Kenya delegation already started discussing the possibility of piloting new innovative approaches they saw in Ukraine in their home country. Some interventions like pharmacy-based intervention, peer driven intervention, using SyrEx cloud in HIV prevention programmes can be adapted taking into consideration Kenya context and piloted in the country.
Cosmus Maina from Teens Watch reflected on his experience: “I visited the needle and syringe exchange programme, opioid substitution therapy and sex workers programme. I have learnt very outstanding points. For example, the programme used very sustainable number of working staff and social workers, the sites were very friendly at the methadone clinic, the nursing were very welcoming to patienrs. All patients, all social workers are very friendly and outgoing. When I go back I will try to motivate my staff more and share what I have learnt during this site visit.”