The Daystar Compassion and Care Centre (DCCC) Health Awareness week which took place this October as from 7th to the 10th saw many students and staff show up to get tested for free.
The Health Awareness week is a norm that takes place every once a semester for a week at Athi River and Nairobi campus. They take place around the same time in both campuses.
For the Athi River campus, DCCC outsourced health practitioners from The Nairobi Women’s Hospital, Kitengela branch. Students showed up in numbers to get tested and know their health status.
There were different stalls for different health departments including; optical, dental, general physician, height and weight, BMI, pressure and sugar/ diabetes. HIV/AIDS testing and counseling was also available for students.
A law in Kenya was passed to make testing and counselling for HIV a private matter and a personal decision. Therefore the stall for HIV testing had to be secluded in a private space where nobody could eavesdrop or see the counselor or the patient. It took place in the DCCC offices.
Students turned up in large numbers to test for HIV after the seclusion on the testing center. This is due to the fact that the testing center was secluded and therefore the privacy encouraged students to get tested.
This was a strategic move by DCCC since over the years the HIV testing has always been done in the open and most of the time students did not show up due to fear and embarrassment.
Click here to find photos from the health awareness week and DC3 chapel
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