MMM Riara Health Project

MMM Riara Health Project is a project working with people living with HIV/AIDS both infected and affected in Kibera – Nairobi, Kenya. The project is run by the Medical Missionaries of Mary (MMM) sisters congregation. It is an integrated project which works in four villages in Kibera namely Makina, Kianda, Gatwikira and Kambi-muru. The following services are provided freely to the community by the project.
* Home Based Care for Management of opportunistic infections.
* Coping and adherence counselling for people living with HIV/AIDS and their families.
* Social support for people living with HIV/AIDS and their families.
* HIV/AIDS prevention and behaviour change through Education for Life.
* Extended orphans and vulnerable children care and support programme.
* Voluntary counselling & testing for HIV.

The HIV/AIDS prevention unit of Riara Health Project has been working since 2004 and has the goal of decreasing HIV/AIDS prevalence within the project’s geographical area and the larger Kibera Community. This is done through Education For Life programme which mainly focuses on community education on HIV/AIDS, behaviour and attitude change. The unit’s staff work together with the entire project staff and reach the community through seminars, workshops, role plays, video shows, skits e.t.c. The target groups include Small Christian Communities, Churches, Mosques, pupils, students, teachers, support groups for PLWHAs, orphans and vulnerable children, community health workers, youth outside schools, community based organizations and other organized community groups.

The unit strives to enhance participation of the community members themselves in HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support for those living with HIV/AIDS in the community and orphans & vulnerable children. Another area of commitment is the community’s understanding and challenging HIV/AIDS related stigma and discrimination as well as behaviour formation programme for children between 8 – 12 years for values promotion and character building. The team believes that these can only be achieved through community understanding & participation through committed leaderships at all levels from the family to the policy making tables as well as state house.

Kibera as one of the biggest slums in the world is still coupled with a lot of challenges housed under poverty, these challenges makes behaviour change difficult as residents are left to sometimes decide between the torn life of easily available drugs, sex and reasonable living. This makes control of HIV infection challenging and the team always strive to ensure that another new infection is not recorded as the dusk turns to another dusk. Life is challenging, basic needs not easily found but it is encouraging that people are still able to face the difficulties and make behaviour change possible and an on-going process.

For more information contact
The Co-ordinator
MMM Riara Health Project
P. O. Box 14754 – 00800 Nairobi
Tel: 254 20 3871408
Email: riarahealthproj@wananchi.com