Mfangano Microclinic Pilot Program

The "OHR-GMCP Initiative for HIV/AIDS" represents a unique south-north partnership between Organic Health Response (OHR) and Microclinic International (MCI) (www.microclinics.org) to address the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS in one of the poorest and most isolated populations in sub-Saharan Africa. Through this partnership OHR and GMCP will implement the world's first "Micro-Clinic" pilot for HIV/AIDS, a novel social networking model designed to facilitate integrated HIV/AIDS care and prevention for rural communities on Mfangano Island. A micro-clinic represents on organic therapy management collective comprised of neighbors, relatives, and friends who come together to provide psycho-social, nutritional, and treatment adherence support for people living with HIV/AIDS.

This pilot will  be coordinated through OHR's Ekialo Kiona Center at Kitawi beach. The Ekialo Kiona Center features a large classroom with computers and internet connectivity that will provide space for educational workshops designed to empower communities with practical tools to address HIV/AIDS. These 5-week workshops will provide comprehensive training for self-chosen groups of residents in the pathology of HIV and opportunistic infections, the pharmacology of anti-retroviral treatment and common side-effects, importance of ARV adherence, appropriate nutrition for PLWHA, organic agriculture techniques, environmental sustainability, ways of reducing HIV stigma, and psycho-social support techniques.

Following these workshops, participants will be incorported into official micro-clinic teams of roughly 5-25 people who will provide ongoing support for family members and friends. This micro-clinic network will serve as the social infrastructure to implement future pilot initiatives for these geographically isolated villages such as community owned organic farm plots, composting bio-gas latrines, solar cooking ovens, and many other health and environmental sustainability project.

The Mfangano Microclinic Pilot Program has been funded by a $100,000 catalyst grant from the Google Corporate Giving Council under the endorsement of Shona Brown, SVP of Google.org. In collaboration with international and in-country partners, including the Kenyan Medical Research Institute, Kenyan Ministry of Healthy, and the University of California, San Francisco, this initiative represents a best-practices pilot with a focus on sustainability, biometric and ethnographic evaluation, and scalability for rural populations throughout sub-Saharan Africa.