Jane Achieng lives in a small village in Kisumu County with her husband and three children. In 2019, GLOBCOM’s mobile HIV testing outreach reached her community for the first time.

“I had always been afraid to get tested,” Jane recalls. “But the GLOBCOM health workers came right to our village. They were kind. They explained everything without judgment.”

Jane and her husband were both tested. Her husband was found to be HIV-positive. Rather than despair, GLOBCOM’s counseling team walked them through next steps — connecting him to ART (antiretroviral therapy) support at the local health facility and enrolling Jane in regular testing and psychosocial support.

Today, her husband is on treatment with an undetectable viral load. Their children were tested and are all negative. Jane now volunteers with GLOBCOM, helping to bring other families in her community forward for testing.

“GLOBCOM gave us knowledge, and knowledge gave us life. I will never forget what they did for my family,” she says.

Jane’s story is one of over 3,000 individuals GLOBCOM reached through HIV outreach in 2022 alone.

Mary Otieno is a mother of four in Siaya County. After losing her husband in 2018, she struggled to provide education and healthcare for her children. That is when GLOBCOM’s Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) support program stepped in.

“I did not know where to turn,” Mary says. “I had no income, my children were missing school, and the youngest had a persistent cough. A neighbor told me about GLOBCOM.”

GLOBCOM’s case workers conducted a home visit within two weeks. They enrolled Mary’s children in the OVC program, which provided school fee support, health insurance linkage, and monthly family strengthening sessions.

Her youngest son, who had the persistent cough, was found to have tuberculosis. GLOBCOM linked the family to the nearest TB clinic where he received free treatment and fully recovered.

“All four of my children are in school now. The eldest is in Form Three. Before GLOBCOM, I thought she would drop out,” Mary said, her eyes bright.

GLOBCOM’s OVC program currently supports over 1,200 households in Siaya, Kisumu, and Kilifi counties.

Kevin Otieno was 17 and out of school when GLOBCOM’s youth sports and behavior change program launched in his neighborhood in Kisumu’s Manyatta estate.

“I was idle. My friends and I had started making choices that were dangerous — alcohol, sometimes worse,” Kevin admits openly. “The football tournament GLOBCOM organized was the first time I felt part of something positive.”

GLOBCOM’s youth empowerment program uses sports as an entry point to reach at-risk youth with life skills training, sexual reproductive health education, and economic empowerment workshops. Kevin joined the weekly sessions and eventually became a peer educator.

Two years later, Kevin is now a paid GLOBCOM youth ambassador. He leads awareness sessions at three secondary schools, teaching younger teens about HIV prevention, consent, and healthy relationships.

“I go back to my old neighborhood and speak to street boys my former age. I tell them: GLOBCOM doesn’t judge you. They just want to help you grow,” Kevin says.

GLOBCOM’s youth program has reached over 10,000 young people across Siaya, Kisumu, and Nairobi counties since 2016.