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| A man transporting fish from the lake |
The government is on the verge of
carrying out 2012 AIDS indicator Survey in the country to establish the
prevalence rate. Health officials and other stakeholders will be keen on the
latest prevalence rates to evaluate the effectiveness of the various AIDS
programs aimed at reducing infections. Last year, the HIV/AIDS prevalence in
Kenya reduced to 6% up from 12% according to National AIDS Control Council.
This is a remarkable effort put forth by the Ministry of Health in its spirited
campaigns against the dreaded virus. Although a reduction has been recorded,
Nyanza province still has the highest prevalence in the country. The situation
is dire especially along the shores of Lake Victoria.
Fish
for sex
Fishermen and Fishmongers alike are
seen to be thwarting the vicious war against the HIV/AIDS epidemic because of
their unorthodox behavior. The fishermen/fishmongers have established some sort
of ritual that has fuelled the spread of the virus. The fishmongers consist of
women in most cases. The unwritten rule that applies here is that, the woman
will buy fish from the fisherman and when darkness covers the land, she must
sleep with this particular fisherman. As oblivious as it may sound, the
intercourse must be unprotected claiming that condoms reduce pleasure. The
fisherman also has similar arrangements with other women who are also his
customers. Similarly, the woman would have the same arrangements with other
fishermen to source for more fish. The rule bends for no one so if you can’t
fit in you can as well ship out. This means that you will be locked out of the
business hence loss of source of livelihood. Some of the fishermen and
fishmongers are married and consequently their partners are at great risk of
being infected. It therefore creates a network which eventually ends up
reaching out the entire population. Recently an NGO came up and bought 6
fishing boats for a group woman in a bid to stop the dependency of women on men
for fish. It plans to continue with this initiative in an attempt to completely
stamp out this awful practice along the long the lake. Another obsolete custom
that is responsible for the high prevalence is the practice of wife
inheritance. This retrogressive practice has also led to the spread of the
virus. The practice is still widespread despite the campaigns.
Drop
outs
The fish business is a booming
venture associated with high profits however the families of the fishermen
continue to languish in poverty. It has also had far reaching effects on
education of the children along the lake. Children especially young boys are dropping
out of school to pursue the lucrative business. NASCOP and other
Non-Governmental Organizations have focused their campaigns along the beaches
in a bid to facilitate behavior change. Little has been achieved up to this
point in time. Those that take part in this trade are oblivious of the lurking
dangers.
Educational
Campaigns
The above two practices are the
main sponsors of spread of HIV/AIDS along the shores of Lake Victoria. Of
course there is the problem of multiple sexual partners which is a predicament
world over. This combined with the two practices conspire to infect people in
this region. The residents should be subjected to educational campaigns more
frequently although they are responding slowly to the message probably because
of high illiteracy levels. They should also take advantage of the loan
facilities provided by the government through the Women Development Enterprise
Fund and Youth Development Fund to start their own businesses where they cannot
be held hostage and thus cease being dependent on fishing. This will also help
in conservation of fish stocks in the lake which is dwindling at a very high
rate.
