Service Learning in Eastern Africa
Think Globally and Act Locally
NSCC & Kimara Peer Educators & Health Promoters
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Kimara Peer Educators and Health Promoters (known as “Kimara”) began in 1992 when a group of friends – six women and two men – met to discuss how they could respond to the HIV epidemic that was starting to affect their community. Kimara’s objective is to reduce the incidence of HIV and STI transmission among highly sexually active population groups by providing information, counselling, care and support for people infected and affected by HIV and AIDS in Kinondoni through peer education. Kimara has evolved from an emerging, fragile community-based organization (CBO) into a dynamic one that has taken a leading role in providing much-needed HIV prevention and AIDS care and support programs, skills training for community members and advocacy activities on HIV/AIDS issues. It has mentored the transition of its community satellite centres into independent registered community-based organizations and now operates in 17 of the 27 Wards within Kinondoni District.
Kimara Peer Educators and Health Promoters (known as “Kimara”) began in 1992 when a group of friends – six women and two men – met to discuss how they could respond to the HIV epidemic that was starting to affect their community. Kimara’s objective is to reduce the incidence of HIV and STI transmission among highly sexually active population groups by providing information, counselling, care and support for people infected and affected by HIV and AIDS in Kinondoni through peer education. Kimara has evolved from an emerging, fragile community-based organization (CBO) into a dynamic one that has taken a leading role in providing much-needed HIV prevention and AIDS care and support programs, skills training for community members and advocacy activities on HIV/AIDS issues. It has mentored the transition of its community satellite centres into independent registered community-based organizations and now operates in 17 of the 27 Wards within Kinondoni District.
KPE's Mission and Vision
Kimara exists in order to sustainably reduce incidences of HIV/STIs transmission and mitigating the impact of the epidemic. Their vision is to educate local communities about HIV and AIDS, and empowering them to respond effectively to the many challenges posed by the epidemic.
KPE's Main Objectives
The main objectives of Kimara are; increased awareness of HIV/STIs transmission, sexual and reproductive health among highly sexually active groups, enhanced confidence and acceptance in the community of people infected or affected by HIV and AIDS, improved living conditions and prolonged life span of people infected or affected by HIV and AIDS, enhanced participation in voluntary counselling and testing for HIV and treatment of STIs by youth, enhanced participation in prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT), enhanced prevention of substance use and abuse among the populations in our catchments areas, disentangling HIV related Sigma and discrimination and enabling communities towards non-tolerance of such conditions at all levels, ownership of HIV and AIDS programmes facilitation at grassroots level, and collaboration and networking with other NGOs/CBOs/FBOs working on HIV and AIDS strengthened.
Another key activity of KPE is caring for those left behind by the epidemic namely their work with orphans and grandmothers. In the immediate area of Kimara, there are 1200 orphans and in the Kinondoni municipality as a whole there are over 4000 orphans who live with grandparents, extended family members and in children headed households who struggle each day to meet their basic needs.
KImara Peers Educators- Reducing- Stigma Presentation
kimara-_stigma.pdf | |
File Size: | 426 kb |
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Friends Helping Friends
T-shirt created by Courtney Miller