Kawempe slum, in Uganda’s capital Kampala, is home to 300,000 people, many of whom have escaped the conflict in northern areas of the country. The slum is situated on poorly drained land, which in combination with poor sanitary conditions and overcrowding, make its inhabitants highly vulnerable to diseases such as malaria, cholera and diarrhoea.
Few people living in the slum have jobs with a decent salary. Women often resort to sex work to supplement their earnings. The result is a higher than national average rate of HIV and STI infection.
AIMS
- Provide vocational training in either hairdressing and tailoring and business skills to help sex workers find alternative means of earning a living
- To educate sex workers on HIV/AIDS prevention and testing and teach them about their value to society
- To provide support and counselling to those working in the sex industry. Women are encouraged to participate in this and other self help courses
- To provide free family planning, testing for STIs and free treatment.
ACHIEVEMENTS
- Over 500 sex workers have been registered and supported in the region
- 390 sex workers have received and completed vocational training and have been given a hairdryer or sewing machine to help set up small businesses. A significant number are now working in their trades and a third have left the sex industry
- Four women are working as peer trainers on vocational courses and others are helping to educate the community
- The project has been expanded and will now lobby the Ugandan government to support efforts to reduce HIV/AIDS amongst these communities.
