Leonie Walker

Written By Dr Leonie Walker who visited the project to assist Frank with the AMREF project which required a base line survey to find out the level of knowledge and need of the community related to HIV/ Aids.

I am sharing some thoughts about my recent trip to Ndhiwa – an opportunity which arose as a result of a secondment from my post as R&D manager for North Tyneside primary care trust. I applied as I hoped it would give me the chance to bring 3 areas of my life together:

Rather than present a technical description of the work I got up to (which is available by request), I have chosen instead to record some personal reflections on what was a memorable & intense visit.

The trip reminded me why, love it or hate it, East Africa gets under your skin and into your heart, and provided a snap shot of all that make Africa the very best and worst of continents.

The delights are of an area with vast potential resources – minerals, energy, fertility and people, the resourcefulness and resilience of Africans, and many reminders of what I am sure the developed world could learn about relationships, family structures & ability to bounce back & get on with life.

These contrast with utter frustration about the factors (some a colonial legacy, some caused by geography, climate and politics), which combine to condemn people to continued poverty, ill health, and inequalities of opportunity.

15 years experience in Britain of working in the field of HIV, including extensive direct and voluntary work with people living with HIV, did not prepare me emotionally for realisation of the scale of the problem. Bare statistics such as 95,000 people needing antiretroviral treatment in Western Kenya alone, could not convey the impact - once I had made the connections between the physical signs of AIDS - and the people I walked and talked with.

The pandemic is utterly devastating the social and economic fabric of every aspect African life – setting back any progress made by at least 30 years.

The global inequality of people’s access to knowledge of how to protect themselves and to effective treatment is striking and inexcusable.

The complexity of the challenge of HIV prevention: the religious and cultural sensitivities, gender issues, the links with poverty, and the scale of fundamental human behaviour change required is daunting here with all our resources, let alone in Africa.

For me personally, importantly, I was reminded of the political complexities and emotional legacy I carry about my childhood in East Africa – and of how little, in many was has really changed for ordinary Africans in nearly 50 years.

It was important for me to realise (before I signed up for 2 years!) that I am no where near as tough or self-sufficient as I had thought. In fact without Helen Boon’s calm and sensible perspectives, there were a couple of times I was in danger if losing it – so thanks Helen!

It was good to find that I do have some useful skills, and that I can work fast, flexibly and ethically!

Finally, I would like to thank the project for a fantastic experience, and to encourage Acorn to carry on with its excellent work by ending with this quote from Margaret Mead, which I am sure will be familiar: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has“