It is a long-lost tradition whereby people in the past would retreat to holy places for fasting and prayers. On Mageta Island, kilometers into Lake Victoria sits one diverse and beautiful community, where its people still hold on to this major tradition: a visit to the hill that sits near the island to pray.
Unknown to a majority of the community, during such crowding for a noble course, infectious diseases can easily spread. Daniel Okoth, a 32-year-old man and father of five children, planned to spend a week up the hill for the special purpose of conducting prayers.
Some day he just woke up with a terrible cough that would come out with blood. “After my return from the hill, I started coughing. I did not realize what it was as I stayed with it for some time.”
Normally, the visit to the hill is a group activity whereby four to seven people go together for a week to strengthen their faith.
He finally decided to visit several health facilities, but unfortunately, the health officials never realised his problem. It was not until one outreach visit to the island by teams from CHS that he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and put on treatment.
“I took all the medicines religiously and got cured,” says Daniel.
Unfortunately, his wife got the disease and was immediately started on treatment. “CHS has helped and saved my life. I was coughing terribly, and all that was coming out of my mouth, even with a slight cough, was blood.
Daniel is a fisherman on the island, and he says now is a fair season for fishing as the daily catch is enough for him and his family. “I have a child in Form 2 studying in Nairobi, so some part of the income from fishing caters for school fees and the rest on house maintenance.”
Center for Health Solutions, under the Shinda Tena program, has been carrying out extensive outreach programs at Mageta Island. The island hosts about 8,000 people, among them the fisherfolk and the key populations.
Through funding from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through CDC Kenya, CHS is implementing and expanding HIV prevention and treatment programs in collaboration with Siaya County.
