"I thought I was alone but we are many": Thika Sexual Health Workshop, Official Report
On the 26 August 2005, 25 participants from 3 GLBTI groups met in Hotel --- for three days towards addressing the sexual health needs for men who have sexs with men (MSM).The major purpose of the workshop was to exiting gaps in provision of health services for (MSM) and establish strategies and way forwards in Kenya.
The workshop come handy following the need to address sexual health needs for men who have sexs with men (msm). The workshop was set to establish what information gaps and services are present in the provision of health services to the msm. Galebitra and Gay Kenya conducted the survey. The participants filled in the in-depth questionnaire, in which various issues were captured herein, social demographic, social aspects sexual history, knowledge and access to services offered, interpersonal communication, sexual practices, relationship with both men and women and STI/HIV/AIDS.
This workshop was the first of it’s kind to be conducted in Kenya where twenty-five participants from different corners of the country come and shared their needs and concerns. During the workshop where the survey was conducted, different participants addressed their needs quantitatively and through plenary interactions in which issues within the questionnaire were captured. The three-day intensitive workshop defined the need for urgent interventions in reaching msm and re-defining the approaches of sexual health needs.
The workshop established a strong movement and established existing mechanisms towards building activism and addressing health related policy. The data was collated together with arising issues on the plenary sessions and discussions.
The key objective of the workshop was to create a forum for sharing and interactions where participants felt togetherness and addressed their sexual health concerns among other challenges facing gay people. Beyond the horizon the workshop had a forum of discussion on political visibilities and work plan for activism and way forward.
Number of efforts have been made over the years to encourage Kenyan GLBTI groups to cooperate and network, the and push the GLBTI agenda. Until very recently, the African Region has not managed to put in place sustainable regional structures to fulfil any major objectives.
There have been very many reasons why, in the past Kenyan GLBTI communities have failed to cooperate the most obvious being the open hostility to GLBTI organizing in Kenya and strong social disapproval of homosexuality. At the local level, GLBTI organizing has often been weak or simply non-existent and seriously under-resource. GLBTI communities get no access to what limited state resources are available for social development and, in fact, these are more likely to be committed to the oppression of GLBTI and discrimination in access to sexual health services.
After the success of the workshop in Thika, and subsequent plan of action on the way forward, gay people defined and developed activism in strategic manner towards conceptualizing the sexual health needs and policy development. These gathering of gay men in Thika led to the above overall needs:-
• Development of capacities amongst GLBTI groups in Kenya
• Trained participants on the methodologies of approaches to activism and human rights
• Operationalization of Kenyan groups and directive approaches to care and prevention on HIV/AIDS and other sexual health needs including strategic STI care amongst GLBTI people.
• To help GLBTI groups in Kenya to organize, particularly to fight HIV/AIDS and to raise the profile of GLBTI in Kenya;
• Strengthen networking by getting to know each other better and sharing information and experiences; and
• Develop Kenyan Campaign strategies to eliminate HIV and get better access to care, treatment and prevention to eliminate homophobia in Kenya and amongst the service provider.
The workshop in Thika for gay men soughted to do these by:
• Providing an opportunity for GLBTI in Kenya to meet and explore issues and challenges facing them especially sexual health issues
• Providing a forum for sharing experiences and identifying each other
• Identifying the needs of GLBTI in Kenya
• Defining the vision and priorities for GLBT in Kenya
• Planning to organize by establishing what to do, and identifying what skills and support mechanism their need in relation to, objectives, activists, networks among others
• Development of structures, techniques and tools to mobilize more effectively
• Identifying capacities needs for GLBTI groups
• Electing a committee for follow-up on issues and the plan of action that was developed in the workshop
The mark of this workshop facilitated education and socializing amongst GLBTI people in Kenya. Due to limited funds and limitation of participants to these noble initiative and workshop, there were limitations of key gay activist. On these objective grounds, the participant’s expresed the need of hosting a national GLBTI Conference that will seek to facilitate: -
• Education and socializing amongst Kenyan GLBTI groups
• Strategic planning on activism in a more organized manner
• To facilitate networking and collaboration towards activism and human rights
• To further education and capacities in addressing sexual health needs and HIV/AIDS
We view that, the organizing a National Strategic Planning Workshop in Kenya for all GLBT groups and individuals will further the needs that raised in the three day Thika workshop. The participants expressed the need to invite 60 GLBTI participants representing groups, and seek to further the success of GLBT rights and access to sexual health needs.
WORKSHOP PROGRAMMES AND RECOMMENDATIONS
DAY ONE:
TOPICAL DISCCUSIONS:
Sexuality and Health (Group Discussions)
The participants discussed issues and challenges in seek of sexual health services, in which majority indicated to have a history of STI infections.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
The participants addressed the following interventions:
• To host capacity building workshops that will seek to source professionals in area or reproductive health to train GLBT on sexual health and diseases.
• To have an on-going information network on sexual health within GLBT groups
• The need to develop an IEC material that targets men who have sex with men and to be popularized within the civil society.
• To build strong institutional strength for GLBT groups to effectively implement sexual health programmes that target GLBT. And entirerly venture on men sexual health policy that relate men needs and concerns
Organizing rights Campaigns:
Communication:- what we can do to increase communication among gay people.
The participants organized groups discussions, that seeked to define how well should GLBT groups advance their communication towards building a strong information circulation amongst GLBT. The following were some of the key recommendations:_
To need to support Gay Kenya website so that every member can join and get up-date information on issues and developments on GLBT matters, i.e constitution, activism and public education.
The participant’s expressed the need to have a newsletter that will be circulated to all GLBT members and groups, the newsletter will cover, information on HIV/AIDS, gay rights and information on groups developments and initiatives.
The participants highlighted that most of them have never attended GLBT workshop/conferences or met other groups; due to information gaps hence the participants aired the need for Galebitra and other groups to fetch many members who are marginalized.
Membership: Advancing gay membership and rights visibilities
This was a critical agenda that most participants aired the need to translate the membership into effective right based activism, this are some of the recommendations that were highlighted:-
RECOMENDATIONS
• Raising public awareness on GLBT rights through strategic media campaigns that promote human values
• Promote exchange of technical knowledge and professional expertise through the association
• Promote understanding of issues through the media as they affect GLBT
• Provide forum for members to meet and exchange ideas that affect them and advancing acceptance and visibility
• Collaborate with GLBT friendly associations and organizations that will seek to further awareness
• Fundraising for programmes i.e. advocacy, lobbying etc in order to sustain members and to actively involve members on key policy reforms and public debates on sexuality and health policy.
Plan of Action and Way Forward
The participants had the opportunity to sit as groups and designed a plan of action and follo-up mechanism. A team of four was elected to further the agenda’s that were discussed and communicate them effectively to members towards sustaining activims.
CONCLUSSION
Financial and Institutional Sustainability
The participants from different groups highlighted the needs of donors to support GLBT groups in order to sustain members, through active programmes and events. Most of the groups suggested that, since most GLBT groups are not well set up their was need to support their capacity through identifying independent financial institutions that will channel funds to GLBT groups. And hand over after effective structures are in place most members highlighted that it was becoming increasingly difficult to further GLBT rights and recognition in Kenya, due to limited and at times no funds to work on.
Mens Sexual Health and Policy Advocacy
The participants aired the need to tie sexual health needs for men within government health policy, to achieve this the participants pointed out that the committee should meet all the stakeholders and make arrangements to invite them for dissemination workshop. Most importantly it was agreed that GLBT groups should initiate strong campaign on sexual health needs for men through strategic projects that will influence the government and other stakeholders that gay men need policy reflection on government health plan of action. Most importantly empowering GLBT groups to directly implement sexual health programmes, that target men on areas related to education and dissemination.
Networking
The participants GLBT viewed that there is need to network more amongst groups and individuals, so that that can increase the impact. It was agreed that GLBT groups should have a clear networking objectives and indicate inputs and benefits of the members. Most importantly allocating time, money and people to the network. Existing networks were to be considered in order to tap experience. Mostly Glbt groups should network more effectively amongst themselves in order to sustain directive advocacy
National and International policies should focus not only on building partnership, but also learning from, building and supporting existing strengths amongst GLBT groups. The participants highlighted the need to organize national capacity building conference on activism and sexual health for GLBT groups and individuals that will call upon a larger number of people, and further the Thika workshop in doer to develop institutional strength and capacity to implement long term programmes.
Sustaining Activism and Activist
It was agreed that most GLBT activist ends up loosing the fight due to lack of resources and victimization. It was agreed that there was dire need to set enough resource so that GLBT activist can tap, in cases where GLBT people are bashed. The participants challenged the GLBT groups for not having an effective organizational structure where members can tap their key role and directive activism. However it was agreed that organizational structures are hard to maintain without funds, especially where most GLBT activist work without any income but self-funding. Participants agreed on hosting effective and on-going campaigns that promote recognition and legal visibilities at this time of constitutional review process.
