My name is Dickson Juma. I am a trained counsellor psychologist working with Ace Africa. The day in a counsellor’s life has a lot of activities to be undertaken which require diligence and resilience.
Counselling at resource centres
At Ace Africa resource centres we reach out to three core vulnerable groups: people living with HIV/AIDS, caregivers and orphans and vulnerable children. We also reach out to community support groups and people living with disabilities.
It is 9.00 am; this is the time that I leave the Ace Africa County office to Bukembe (one of our Resource centres). It’s going to be a tough day due to the schedule I have planned.
I arrive at the resource centre at 9.30am and meet the community resource person who introduces me to beneficiaries for one-on-one counselling sessions. Today I am meeting 7 clients who made early bookings in advance. After checking the office is on order and that condoms and HIV testing kits are available I am set to meet the first client of the day. I handle each case according to the needs presented and refer cases through appropriate channels such as the Ministry of Health e.g. those that need screening for STI (Sexual Transmitted Infections), cervical cancer and family planning. I refer a patient with TB who has not adhered to treatment and needs to be enrolled on the DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course) programme. My final client of the day is requested to come back the following day for an escorted referral because it is a case that needs rehabilitation for drug/alcohol use.
HIV Education with a community support group
It’s around noon and I need to travel to Hututu to meet a support group which is 2 kilometres away. I reach the group at 12.30 and engage the group in discussions meant to reduce new HIV infections. Among the issues we discuss are: disclosure, care and treatment and adherence for those on antiretroviral therapy, follow up visits, social cohesion, the important of good nutrition in managing HIV/AIDS and stigma management. We discuss on these issues and are through by 2.00pm.
I have to leave the venue to facilitate an in-school guidance and counselling forum in one of our Child-to-Child (CtC) schools which is about 14 km away.
In-school guidance and counselling services
Guidance and counselling plays a crucial role in the growth of school pupils in that it equips them with the knowledge and techniques which develop their self-identity and enhances their self esteem. The youth who are faced with challenges such as family breakdown, orphan hood and academic challenges are empowered to identify their own strengths and weaknesses in subject areas and future career choices.
It is 3.00 pm and today we have organised a forum at Sikata primary school where I will be talking with school pupils and their teachers on personal hygiene. The CtC club members mobilise other pupils from the upper classes to the venue. With the help of the CtC teachers and the head teacher we engage the pupils for 45 minutes of their break time in highlighting the importance of personal and environmental hygiene and the impact on their education. We also share on the diseases that might come about as a result of untidiness and morbidities that arise out of an unclean environment. Together we set out the action plans to be implemented by the school pupils and those that will be implemented as a result of the school administration’s input and support.
I leave the school at 3.50 pm and head towards the wellness centre to monitor referrals I made the previous day; to find out if they were completed with service uptake.
Counselling and testing at the wellness centre
Counselling and testing enables community members to know their status, which forms the basis of care and treatment. I arrive at the wellness centre at 4.30 pm and meet the service provider, together we talk about how to engage the community to action in terms of enhancing responsibility to facilitate positive lifestyles. It is at this moment that I bring out a list of the key populations reached and engaged with peer education and referred for service uptake at the wellness centre. This regular checking of the register enables me to know those who accessed referral services and those to be followed up by the peer educators. It also helps me know the key populations who need further intervention or medical attention e.g. those to be referred for STI, cervical cancer screening, those who defaulted drugs and who need to be re-enrolled on antiretroviral therapy and those to be enrolled at a Comprehensive Care Centre (CCC).
I spend the whole of the evening at the wellness centre solving the issues arising from peer education and encouraging the new peer educators to take up the job with confidence. It is around 7.00 pm that I decide to visit Drips, a pub which is one of the key population hotspots.
Working with key populations
Key populations have a high prevalence of HIV. Ace Africa works with commercial sex workers, both male and female, to address this issue. Our hotspots include the stop over hubs, pubs, hotels, street corners, brothels and massage parlours. I arrive at Drips around 7.20pm and support the peer educator held session with the female sex workers only. I distribute condoms and lubricants to ensure safe sexual practices. Our model of intervention for the day is sister-to-sister where we are discussing on issues that affect the women within the hotspots. We are looking at what they should be carrying in their bags on daily basis to make themselves comfortable and to reduce new STI/HIV infections. I also participate in condom demonstration and the importance of using them for dual protection. The day is over and looking at my watch, it is 10.30 pm whereby I decide to leave for home.
Working as a counsellor with Ace Africa has given me so much experience and challenges me on a daily basis. I have had to build up lots of resilience to face the issues that I come across in the communities. I feel inspired to help mentor others including community members, at risk groups including commercial sex workers, volunteers and other staff members to deliver effective counselling services.