George's story
George Olali is HIV positive and one of 23 AMREF-trained community health workers in Nairobi’s Kibera slum trained to recruit locals for HIV testing, offer counseling, and enforce adherence to treatment routines.
AMREF trained George as both a counselor and peer educator. At the Kibera Clinic, he comforts patients awaiting and following both HIV/AIDS testing and treatment, conducts individual and group therapy sessions, and supports the Treatment Literacy Program run by AMREF which addresses proper ARV use, side-effects, nutrition, and basic homecare skills.
His most meaningful work, though, is his pavement-stomping outreach to those community members lacking the initiative, awareness, or healthiness to seek out the clinic’s services. George and his team penetrate the community to “educate…and encourage people to come and seek voluntary counseling and testing services, which are offered free of charge at the center."
George also makes house calls to those too sick to travel – he checks up on patients, discusses side-effects of treatment, answers patient questions, trains friends and family in proper homecare practices, and, "[most] importantly, we ensure that everyone takes their medicine on time."
