Horizons Projects | School as a Workplace: Addressing the HIV Prevention and Care Needs of Teachers in Kenya

HORIZONS PROJECT
School as a Workplace: Addressing the HIV Prevention and Care Needs of Teachers in Kenya

Most school-based HIV interventions in sub-Saharan Africa rely on teachers as behavior-formation and behavior-change agents to deliver prevention messages to children. Few target teachers as the direct beneficiaries, even though teachers themselves are at risk of HIV infection.

The Horizons program, in partnership with UNICEF and the Ministry of Education, conducted an operations research project to test a model of HIV prevention and care activities directed at teachers in schools. Specifically, researchers will assess changes in teachers’ knowledge of HIV and AIDS, risk behaviors, and utilization of voluntary counseling and testing (VCT). The workplace model also aimed to assist teachers who are infected and affected by the disease by helping them to identify and access available treatment, care, and support resources in the community.

A quasi-experimental design was employed to assess the impact of the intervention. Quantitative data were collected from 120 schools in two intervention sites (60 schools) and two comparison sites (60 schools) in Central and Coast provinces. The baseline survey was conducted in October 2004, and the follow-up in March 2007. Data were gathered using an anonymous, pre-tested, self-administered questionnaire. The sample comprised 1,237 teachers at baseline and 1,307 teachers at follow-up. Qualitative data were also collected through a total of 16 focus group discussions with teachers and peer educators.

Program partners included the Ministry of Education, the Teachers Service Commission, and the Kenya Institute of Education. The intervention was called Teachers Matter and was a peer-led education program that included distribution of a series of educational materials and training of peer educators in each school.

Key findings include:

Teachers were greatly interested in the intervention and found it beneficial.
The intervention was well implemented and provided useful lessons for the future.
Awareness of the Education Sector Policy on HIV and AIDS increased among participating teachers.
Participants perceived improvement in their schools’ and fellow teachers’ abilities to cope with HIV issues.
There was a decline in perceived risk of HIV.
There was an improvement in the awareness of postexposure prophylaxis.
There were improvements in awareness and attitudes toward male and female condoms.
There was an increase in HIV testing, but the majority of teachers still did not know their HIV status or that of their partners.
Most teachers with multiple partners were not protecting themselves from HIV.
Nearly 40 percent of teachers have experienced an AIDS-related death in their families.
The intervention was associated with improvements in HIV knowledge, but reduction of stigma occurred in both the intervention and comparison groups.
Concerns remained about HIV-related confidentiality at work.

Locations

Thika, Kwale, Kiambu, and Kilifi districts, Kenya

Duration

September 2004–July 2007

Horizons and Population Council researchers

Caroline Mackenzie, Karusa Kiragu

(For more information about this study, please contact horizons@popcouncil.org.)

Non-Council collaborators

Murungaru Kimani (University of Nairobi/Population Studies and Research Institute)

Roselyn Mutemi (UNICEF/Eastern and Southern African Regional Office)

Kenya Institute of Education

Kenya Ministry of Education

Teachers Service Commission

Donors

US Agency for International Development

UNICEF

Publications/Resources
Horizons and Population Council researchers' names appear in boldface type.

2008
Kiragu, Karusa, Caroline Mackenzie, Jennifer Weiss, Murungaru Kimani, and Debbie Gachuhi. “School as a workplace in Kenya: Evaluation of the Teachers Matter HIV/AIDS project,” Horizons Final Report. Washington, DC: Population Council. (PDF)

2006
Khan, Hena and Ellen Weiss. "Promoting VCT at the workplace," Horizons Report, December. Washington, DC: Population Council. (full text)

Kiragu, Karusa, Murungaru Kimani, Changu Manathoko, and Caroline Mackenzie. “Teachers matter: Baseline findings on the HIV-related needs of Kenyan teachers,” Horizons Research Update. Washington, DC: Population Council. (PDF)