HIV/AIDS:

In Kenya approximately 1,2 million people are infected with HIV/AIDS. There are 720,000 women 15-49 living with HIV. 300,000 Kenyans became infected with HIV in 2000. This is equivalent to 800 new infected every day. The number of AIDS orphans has probably reached over one million today. According to KANCO (Kenya AIDS NGO's Consortium) the number of deaths has increased to 700 every day. The number of hospital beds occupied by AIDS patients today is approximately 50%. The number of secondary school students infected is 20 % according to some estimates.

The current data shows that the virus is still spreading and that women are infected at a younger age than men. Women are more vulnerable in relation to HIV/AIDS than men because of gender inequalities like: Nutrition, education, economic, earlier infection, STD's, care issues, treatment access. They also lack the power to determine where, when and how sex takes place. Men have more sex partners than women, including more extramarital partners, thereby increasing their own and their primary partners' risk of contracting HIV.

The youths are exposed to HIV due to their biological, socio-cultural and economic factor. The high level of teenage pregnancy, abortions, school dropouts and sexual transmitted infections, confirms that they are engaged in early sexual activities and are increasingly predisposed to HIV/AIDS. Many youth are still ignorant about HIV and many myths and misconceptions prevail among them.

While this is known all over the world our country has so many people infected/affected by it. Young and the old are at home and some of the community members have come together and have informed some centers for those infected to be taken care of. VICDA supports those centers with any kind of support received from any world organization. Volunteer services are much needed in these regions.

Volunteers that work in this project are placed in Voluntary Testing and Councelling Centres commonly knowns as VCTs. Work for such volunteers would be visiting patients in their homes which are mostly in the slums, testing and councelling, creating AIDS awareness and advising on issues like safe sex and other methods of prevention of HIV.