Voluntary Counseling and Testing by Caitlin

The prick of the needle, the drop of blood, the ten minute wait that feels like an eternity...

My time spent working at the VCT (Voluntary Counseling and Testing) center at Egerton University has been both challenging and rewarding. I’ve been tested daily by questions posed to me by students and other local community members that come to the VCT seeking to gain knowledge about HIV and their statuses as well. Many clients have asked about the reliability of condoms and I was surprised to hear students talk of rumors of condoms being laced with HIV and containing pores for the virus to travel through. Other students have asked me if the United States manufactured AIDS to suppress Africans. While I had heard this rumor in the United States, I didn’t actually think that anyone believed it to be true. As a VCT counselor, it is my job to dispel such myths and encourage clients to protect themselves from the disease by using condoms or practicing abstinence. However, I often find myself wondering if the students I talk to trust my advice. After all, I am younger than most of them and I am white; I come from the country where they believe AIDS was created. The hardest part of my job has to be revealing to a person that he or she is HIV-positive. The number of HIV-positive cases I have dealt with have been very few, but I was quickly introduced to the reality of HIV in Kenya during my first week on the job. The young student who found out she was positive sat quietly with her head down as I showed her the results of her test and talked about her future. I was expecting her to cry, but she did not. I tried to tell her that she could continue with school and lead a normal life, but it is hard to tell that to someone who has been diagnosed with an incurable disease. Despite the challenges, however, my work has been just as rewarding. Every time a client gets an HIV-negative result, I breathe a sigh of relief along with the patient. Being able to answer questions and provide support for people leaves me with a feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day.