Former U.S. Secretary of State Meets
PSI Peer Educators

NAIROBI, Kenya, January 14, 2005 — Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell met with youth peer educators from PSI and other programs this week while in town to attend the signing of the Sudan Peace Accord.

Reached by foot at home in slums or tracked by a verbal network of friends and family on very short notice, 10 of PSI/Kenya's youth peer educators were assembled to meet Powell on Saturday morning. Several had come in the night before from as far as 90 miles away to attend this event. The former Secretary had requested the meeting to hear how young Kenyans were coping with the AIDS epidemic.

Ten participants came from PSI/Kenya's abstinence program and from their advocacy program for young people living with HIV/AIDS. Others came from faith-based university program "I Choose Life," the Kenya Girl Guides and the National Organization of Peer Educators. They all gave accounts of the work they were doing, how they promoted abstinence and being faithful, and condom use when other interventions were not possible, and the success they were having. They told of their experiences looking after people with AIDS and of adopting orphans into their families. Many asked the former Secretary to continue providing assistance to Kenya to combat AIDS.

Boniface Mwendwa, a participant in PSI Rangers Youth Group, told Mr. Powell about PSI outreach programs in the Mathari slums, schools, community churches and a new initiative to work within mosques. In addition to quoting the PSI/Kenya abstinence slogan, "Nime Chill", he told the former Secretary, "We are talking about cross-generational sex…because we have found that most of the young people…are not being affected by their peers. They are being affected by a person older than them." He referenced a survey that showed the most vulnerable group in Kenya to be 9- to 16-year-old girls. Boniface conversed with Powell about older men preying on younger girls and how his work with PSI encourages younger girls to abstain from sex and not be tempted by offers of money from adults. Powell cited his wife's similar work in the United States where she encourages young girls to delay sexual debut through community support and group activities.

Helen Odhiambo, another vocal PSI participant, introduced herself to Mr. Powell and explained her work within the Kibera slums to address HIV/AIDS stigma. "We found out that people who are infected, they can still live long…but people are discriminating against them and that is making other friends of ours to die early. So, we do that through drama, which PSI is funding us to do." In addition, she described in detail that various ways she encourages youth to stay busy and avoid activities that could lead to AIDS. She told him, "We are becoming entrepreneurs at Kibera." She gave the example of mini-hair salons: "You braid hair and get money, instead of going to boys, who give you money and then you get HIV infection."

Many of the youth wanted to know what the American youth do for HIV/AIDS prevention. The former Secretary responded with "…everything you've been talking about-use of condoms, faithfulness, abstinence at an early age, programs like the one I described earlier, the one my wife is involved with." He cited the importance of recognizing problems, speaking out about them, and strategizing to deal with the problem.

The event was scheduled for 20 minutes, but Powell continued for a total of 38 minutes, nearly twice as long. He later expressed specific appreciation to Ambassador Bellamy for the event and how well it went.

 

Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell met with youth peer educators from PSI to hear how young Kenyans were coping with the AIDS epidemic.