Wednesday, August 24, 2011

The male champs of Gem


By Mangoa Mosota


He lifts the male condom and methodically illustrates its proper use to an attentive audience. Some listeners flinch while others bashfully follow what the middle-aged man with curiosity.
For the last three months, Polycarp Okoth and 32 other men have been demonstrating proper condom use to residents of Gem District and have become so passionate about their work that they don’t think twice about their words or actions.
This group of educators spend most of their afternoons teaching local people on two crucial uses of condoms — family planning and preventing HIV/Aids. 
Because of their commitment, residents have nicknamed them ‘Male Champs’.
Polycarp Okoth demonstrating proper condom use to residents of Gem District. Photo: Mangoa Mosota/Standard
“We set out to talk about family planning and hold demonstrations on how to use the condom properly. We also encourage men to accompany their wives to health facilities,” says Okoth, adding that most of the members of Male Champs are living positively with HIV/Aids.
Five other men have joined them in the last month, increasing the group’s membership to 38. The youngest is 21, while the oldest is 53.

Reaching out

In their campaigns, the members started by reaching out to their wives first before moving to village elders and assistant chiefs before approaching the DC.
USAids trained the Male Champs in Yala town three months ago. The health facilitator at the training, Sam K’Omollo, says men are effective in passing reproductive messages.
“Reproductive health has often faced problems due to lack of involvement of men. This is why we decided to have men volunteers in this programme,” says K’Omollo.
He says to change the mindset of majority men and  myths on the subject, the intervention must come from the men themselves.

Living positively

Okoth, who has been living positively with HIV/Aids for seven years, is the chairperson of the group. They have been moving from one village to another, educating men on various family planning methods that include condom use and vasectomy.
They encourage them to seek vasectomy services at the Nyanza Provincial Hospital in Kisumu.
“We move from house to house, visit markets and other meetings to educate men and women, advising them on where to access family planning services,” he says.
Male Champs has already reached close to 500 men in their campaign, and supplied about 1000 condoms, within the last three months. Okoth says he is also a peer educator and HIV/Aids counsellor at nearby Nyawara Health Centre.
He says: “I have decided to volunteer and serve the community. All members of my group are farmers, and undertake the campaigns after farm work.”

Conquering myths

K’Omollo says the programme is also aimed at conquering myths that men must be detached from matters to do with reproductive health.
“The health personnel have been educated to give priority to women accompanied by their spouses. We believe this will encourage more men to accompany their wives and also go for HIV/Aids tests,” he explains.
Nyanza Provincial Director of Medical Services, Lusi Ojwang’, says men have been reluctant to be involved in reproductive health but has noted that men’s education level determines their involvement.
“The higher the education, the more involved a man is in his wife’s health,” says Dr Ojwang.
Although they have been riding high in their campaigns, Male Champs have not always found it smoothsailing. Initially, they faced resistance from their fellow men, who were unwilling to talk about family planning issues.
Sometimes, they are also unable to meet expectations of their trainees. For example, when women ask for female condoms, which are not readily available, it is hard to give a plausible explanation. Why is it that male condoms are readily available at health facilities and not female condoms, which are even more expensive?
K’Omollo says the available female condoms are often only for demonstration purposes, but the male condoms are distribution at health facilities free.

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