In a county with high HIV and poverty indexes, a group of women health volunteers is making a difference, one sweet potato at a time. Ayila Moyie is a group of 25 women who have been serving as community health volunteers in Siaya county since 2013. The CHVs say they are using one stone to kill two birds—they are using sweet potato farming to fight poverty and malnutrition among people living with HIV. Armed with training on sweet potato farming from the Department of Agriculture and non-state partners such as the German agency GIZ, the group has not only been able to achieve its goal but is also changing perception of the locals on sweet potato farming from a mere subsistence plant to a cash crop. Ndire says the introduction of sweet potato farming has been a game-changer in HIV management for those OVCs on ARTs.

Source: The Star May 09, 2021 01:52 UTC