Nairobi has a population of 4.5 million of which about 2.2 million live in the slums - although these only make up five percent of the city area. In the shanty towns about ten percent of the adult population is infected by the HI virus. Thus, the slums belong to the most affected areas.

Poor living conditions, extreme poverty as well as the lack of education are main reasons for the spread of HIV/AIDS in the slums of Kenyas capital.

Many of the people infected with HIV also suffer from tuberculosis (TB) as the virus makes people more vulnerable to the tuberculosis agent. Hygienic conditions are very poor due to overcrowded living so that diseases such as TB spread rapidly. TB is curable with a combination of three to five antibiotics and the treatment takes about six to eight months. The continuous medical care of the patients is of utmost importance.

Since August 2001, Malteser International has been fighting against AIDS and TB in eight slums of Nairobi with a catchment area of 600,000 people. The diagnosis and treatment, the training of local staff in the health centres, the set up of laboratories and the education of slum residents are essential parts of the programme. In March 2004, the organisation handed over a modern cell-counter for the treatment of HIV to St. Marys Hospital in Nairobi.

This special device measures the number of white blood vessels and is therefore vital to make a decision concerning the treatment with antiretroviral medication. The work of Malteser International in Nairobi has already been awarded several times by the Kenyan government.

The employment and further training of local specialised staff is the key to success of the work in Nairobi. For an effective treatment of AIDS, qualified and sufficient personnel for the intensive care of the patients and the regular control of their blood and organs are indispensable. Only in 2008, Malteser International provided counselling for over 24,000 persons and tested their blood on HIV/AIDS.


Measures

  • Set up of eight laboratories in Nairobis slums. These laboratories enable the on-site examination of patients.
  • Treatment and sustainable medical care for TB patients following the Directly Observed Treatment Short Course (DOTS) Strategy
  • Employment of additional nurses in existing health centres: they take care of patients that no longer come to the health care centres at home and educate slum residents about prevention and treatment of diseases
  • Training of slum residents as health care helpers: It is a credit to these lay helpers that the number of people in the slums willing to be tested for HIV and tuberculosis is on the rise.


Goals

  •     On-site examination, diagnosis and treatment
  • Support of patients through personal care, advice and nursing tips for relatives
  • Rise in the number of HIV and TB testing and concomitant increase in timely treatment
  • Treatment of HIV-affected persons with modern, life-prolonging AIDS medicines (antiretroviral therapy


Project data:
  
Duration: Since August 2001
    
Financing: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Austrian Development Agency (ADA), Pathfinder International, Global Fund, private donations
    
Partner: Nairobi Health Medical Board (NHMB), Nairobi City, African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF), Pathfinder International
    
Contact:
Malteser: Katja Linnartz
Tel: +49-(0)221/ 9822-155

Additional information: Malteser International

Donation examples:

  • Testing of a patient on HIV/AIDS: 5 Euro
  • Treatment of tuberculosis: 16 Euro/month