HIV Prevention and Outreach

HIV/AIDS volunteers will work with local health care workers providing free HIV testing, outreach and counselling. This work is carried out in a variety of public spaces in the local area, including market places, residential areas and cafes (“pubs” in Kenyan parlance). Home visits are also made to help families affected by HIV with business, cooking and housework. 

After being introduced to the health workers you'll be joining and discussing the work ahead of you, you will accompany them on their rounds. You will approach people with the offer of free HIV testing, and then log their personal details and test results. 

Carrying out tests requires a qualification and is usually carried out by local health workers. However, the Kenyan government runs a course which volunteers can take which qualifies them to administer HIV tests. This course lasts 2 weeks and a place can be organised for you by Agape Volunteers for £370. This fee includes funds for the HIV testing kits which Agape Volunteers buys and that you will need to work effectively as a volunteer after you complete the course, as well as outreach work with HIV positive families. Testing kits are difficult to source and official lines of provision often break down, so it is imperative that we can ensure a ready supply. 

For volunteers on placements of more than six weeks, this course is highly recommended, as it will allow you to achieve much more during your time in Kenya and be a real boon to your placement project. If you think you would be interested in taking this course, inform your trip adviser. 

Top Tips 

Take the 2 week course! If you are in Kenya long enough, completing this course is an invaluable asset for you and your placement project. Providing you with a qualification for life, it allows you to carry our HIV testing and counselling independently. As a result, your placement project will not need to hire a nurse for testing to go ahead, which over a number of weeks means savings of hundreds of pounds. The HIV/AIDS projects we work with in Nairobi tend to be non-profit organisations run by Kenyan volunteers, so this kind of saving is incredibly helpful.

Get to know your colleagues. The Kenyan health workers you will accompany are often volunteers themselves, and there is a huge amount you can learn from them. 

Hold on to your sense of humour. HIV/AIDS has gained an air of tragedy and hushed tones in western countries, but this will not help you as you offer tests. For the most part, people are very open to being tested and you'll probably see some high fives when the results come back. Maintaining a good sense of humour will help you interact with the public and families affected by HIV, put people at their ease, and deal with any awkward situations. 

All volunteers bring a variety of skills with them. As well as helping with testing and logging data, you may be able to help in other ways. HIV testing and counselling projects are usually run on a volunteer basis, and extra help with computers, data recording and other task is greatly appreciated – have a think about what you might be able to offer. 

Volunteers are generally expected to work at their placement five days a week. Weekday mornings will start with breakfast with other volunteers at our volunteer house before you head off to work. Working on our HIV program brings unique challenges every day, but you’ll often start out at a local clinic, helping to administer tests. We also run regular counselling and education projects, and you’re likely to be asked to assist with these.

You will generally finish your placement at around 5pm, though this will depend on the day. When you finish you’ll get a chance to unwind with other volunteers and local team members over dinner, and we often organise games and activities of our own in the evenings. Weekends are also your own but there are always plenty of extra Adventures to do in Kenya!