2015 Annual Report

‘

Sunburst Projects - Kenya
Annual Report 2015

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Table
of
Contents

Part
I:
Background
Information

Executive
summary

Vision
and
Mission

Part
II:
Peer-‐Led
Health
and
Social

Psychological
Support
Services

Health
Services:

Youth
Center

HIV/AIDS
Care
and
Integration

Community
Outreach

Social
Psychological
Support
Service:

Peer
Leader
Model

Youth
Support
Groups
and
Outcomes

Young
Mother’s
Empowerment
Program

Social
Event

Camp
Program

Part
III:
Challenges

Part
IV:
Future
Plans

Part
V:
The
People

Our
Team

Acknowledgements

Sunburst
Projects
–
Kenya

Annual
Report
2015

30
years
ago,
Sunburst
Projects
began
to
work
with
the
simple
desire
to
bring
hope
and
social-‐psychological
support

to
children
affected
by
HIV/AIDS
throughout
the
United
States.
Today,
we
are
an
international
organization
-‐
working

across
Africa
and
the
United
States
-‐
helping
thousands
of
children
in
the
developing
world
gain
access
to
quality

health
care
and
support
services.
We
have
built
a
dedicated
and
diverse
team
who
continues
to
bring
an

entreprenual
passion
to
our
scalable
programs
and
services.

The
mission
of
Sunburst
Projects-‐Kenya
is
to
address
the
needs
of
children
and
teens
living
with

HIV
in
Kenya
by
building
supportive
communities
free
from
stigma
to
ensure
youth
living
with
HIV/AIDS
reach
their

highest
potential.
Through
a
hands-‐on
localized
approach,
Sunburst
Projects
partners
with
NGOs,
government

agencies
and
Kenyan
Communities
to
serve
the
HIV
positive
community
in
Kenya
where
resources
are
constrained
or

non-‐existent.
Sunburst
relies
on
community
partnerships
to
help
us
prepare
and
empower
community
members
to

become
effective
leaders.

In
2011,
as
we
neared
completion
of
almost
3
decades
of
work
in
the
United
States,
Sunburst
Projects
partnered
with

the
University
of
California
San
Francisco
(UCSF)
and
Research
Care
&
Training
Program/Family
AIDS
Care
and

Education
Services
(RCTP/FACES)
to
further
develop
models
of
best
care
for
more
than
14,000
HIV
positive
youth

receiving
HIV/AIDS
medical
care
at
RCTP/FACES
clinics
throughout
Kenya.
Since
2011,
Sunburst
Projects
has

partnered
with
over
20
Kenyan
organizations
and
served
over
8,000
HIV
positive
youth
through
peer-‐led
health
and

social
psychological
services.
Youth
18-‐24
living
with
HIV/AIDS
are
trained
to
facilitate
and
oversee
programs
and

services.

Our
Programs
include
peer
run
support
groups,
youth
camps
and
clubs,
HIV/AIDS
prevention
and
education

outreach,
and
our
youth
friendly
center.
These
services
exemplify
our
commitment
to
catalyzing
sustainable
change.

Sunburst
Projects
is
impassioned
to
enter
our
fourth
decade
to
focus
on
youth
leadership
in
the
field
of
HIV/AIDS
in

Africa
where
the
need
to
break
through
barriers
of
medical
care,
stigma,
and
HIV
education
are
at
its
height.

Executive
Summary

Pg.
3

Sunburst
Projects
–
Kenya

Annual
Report
2015

VISION

The
international
expansion
goal
of
Sunburst
Projects
–
Kenya
to
all
corners
of
Kenya
is
where
the
global
vision
begins

for
HIV/AIDS
positive
youth
throughout
Africa
and
the
world.
Sunburst
Projects
–
Kenya
aims
to
empower
youth
to

become
the
leaders
of
future
HIV/AIDS
free
generations
and
champions
efforts
to
help
young
people
make
informed

and
responsible
decisions
about
their
reproductive
and
sexual
health.
Our
programs
give
youth
the
opportunity
to

influence
decision-‐making
processes
that
deliver
HIV/AIDS
support
services
specifically
to
youth,
and
encourages

youth
to
be
co-‐producers
of
HIV/AIDS
policies
that
play
major
roles
in
the
lives
of
their
peers.

MISSION

The
mission
of
Sunburst
Projects-‐Kenya
is
to
address
the
needs
of
children
and
teens
living
with

HIV
in
Kenya
by
building
supportive
communities
free
from
stigma
to
ensure
youth
living
with
HIV/AIDS
reach
their

highest
potential.

Sunburst
Projects
strives
is
to
keep
families
together
(family
preservation)
by
providing
services
that
strengthen
and

empower
individuals,
families,
and
communities
to
ensure
youth
living
with
HIV/AIDS
reach
their
highest
potential.

MOTO

Youth
for
Youth
Empowerment

Pg.
4

Youth
Center
Graph

Sunburst
Projects
–
Kenya

Annual
Report
2015

In this picture an adolescent and a group of younger youths are
presenting a short skit about stigma in schools and how teachers
and students can work together to break down stigma in schools.
Part II: Health Services
Youth Center
In
August
of
2013,
housing
space
was
provided
within
the
Ministry
of
Health
(MOH)
compound
at
the
Kisumu
East

District
Hospital
(KEDH)
to
create
a
safe
and
welcoming
center
for
young
adults
ages
8-‐24.
Geri
De
La
Rosa,
the

Founder
of
Sunburst
Projects,
made
renovation
on
the
existing
structure
possible
through
a
personal
donation.

Thanks
to
this
donation,
the
Youth
Center’s
doors
were
officially
opened
November
25,
2013

The
Center
is
open
five
days
a
week
with
frequent
visits
occurring
during
the
week
and
any
time
after
school
and

holidays.
One
to
two
Peer
Leaders
and
a
clinician
are
stationed
at
the
site
at
all
times
to
provide
services
to
youths

within
the
region.
Services
offered
to
young
adults
include:
Sexual
and
Reproductive
health
services
including
Family

planning,
HIV
testing,
psychosocial
support
counseling
and
linkages,
and
Health
education
amongst
others.

Through
partnership
with
Ministry
of
Health
and
Kisumu
Medical
Education
Trust,
the
peer
leaders
have
expanded

the
activities
and
doubled
the
number
of
youths
accessing
the
youth
center
through
outreach
programs
conducted

quarterly
in
schools.
The
youth
center
has
also
become
a
hub
for
holding
special
programs
for
adolescents
such
as

adolescent
support
groups,
social
events,
young
mothers
support
groups
and
acts
a
meeting
point
for
youths.

Pg.
5

Sunburst
Projects
–
Kenya

Annual
Report
2015

Youth Center 2014-2015(Graph
1)


Due
to
its
large
success
we
plan
to
utilize
it
as
a
safe
zone
for
those
who
are
vulnerable,
i.e.
young
girls
and
women,

men
who
have
sex
with
men,
and
commercial
sex
workers.
We
will
house
our
support
groups
there,
as
well
as
build

up
advocates
who
will
stand
for
change.

Peer
leaders
took
a
course
through
the
Kenya
Professional
Counseling
Association
under
the
MOH:
National
AIDS
and

STI
Control
Program
in
HIV
testing
and
counseling,
and
have
been
conducting
daily
testing
and
counseling
within
the

Youth
Center
since
the
beginning
of
2014.
Above
is
our
performance
to
date.

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

Adolescent
served

at
YFC

Adolescent
HTC

done

HIV
Positive

Linked
for
HIV

Care
and

Treatment

Condom

Distribution

Contraceptives/FP

Yr
1-‐
2014
Yr
2-‐
2015

Pg.
6

Sunburst
Projects
–
Kenya

Annual
Report
2015


HIV/AIDS Care Integration and Adolescent clinic Days
The
HIV/AIDS
treatment
and
care
program
for
adolescents
has
continued
to
improve
throughout
the
RCTP/FACES

clinics
with
the
integration
of
adolescent
focused
programs.
Intervention
is
geared
to
improve
retention
and

medication
adherence
amongst
the
HIV+
youth
population.
Programs
at
our
three
sites
include:
peer-‐to-‐peer

counseling,
disclosure
support,
and
provision
of
comprehensive
HIV
care
and
treatment
during
adolescent
only
clinic

days.
An
open
medical
records
system
at
RCTP/FACES
has
been
adopted
to
improve
home
follow-‐ups
and
tracking
of

client’s
progress.
This
has
been
beneficial
when
youth
fall
out
of
medical
treatment
and
care
services.

Adolescent
Clinic
days:
Special
days
were
put
aside
for
youth
due
to
the
large
number
of
adult
patients
lingering
after

appointments
making
youth
feel
uncomfortable
and
often
unable
to
open
up
to
the
clinicians.
Each
clinic
chose
the

best
day
for
them,
generally
a
non-‐clinic
day
that
Is
generally
used
up
for
meetings.
Instead
adolescents
are
focused

on
in
the
mornings
in
order
for
them
to
feel
more
at
ease.
Adolescents
are
able
to
relax
around
their
peers
and
are

cared
for
by
health
providers
that
understand
adolescent
medicine,
services,
and
emotional
needs.
With
this
model,

youth
are
able
to
open
up
to
their
health
care
providers
without
having
to
worry
about
who
may
be
listening
to
their

conversations.

Because
of
this,
adolescent
medical
services
at
the
RCTP/FACES
clinic
sites
have
improved
greatly.

Pg.
7

0

5

10

15

20

25

Schools
Outreach

Conducted

Targets

Yr
1-‐
2014

Yr
2-‐
2015
0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

Total
Adolescent
served

Targets

Yr
1-‐
2014

Yr
2-‐
2015

Sunburst
Projects
–
Kenya

Annual
Report
2015

Community Outreach and HIV/AIDS Prevention Education

(Table
1)

(Graph
2)
(Graph
3)

Pg.
8


In
line
with
the
mission
of
Sunburst
Projects
we
collaborate
and
partner
with
schools
and
institutions
within
the

community
to
target
youth
with
anti-‐stigma
messages,
HIV/AIDS
prevention,
sexuality
education,
and
more.
The
Peer

Leaders
organize
and
conduct
these
educational
community
outreach
programs
within
Kisumu
and
the
Nairobi
areas.

Community
Outreach
Programs
have
been
a
major
success
within
the
Kisumu
region.
Sessions
are
structured
to
be

lively
and
to
suit
a
variety
of
learning
styles
that
can
include
hands-‐on
activities,
small
group
work
-‐large
and
small,

games,
art
and
role-‐plays

In
2015
the
peer
leaders
conducted
a
total
of
23
educational/community
outreaches
within
Kisumu
County
and

reached
over
5,562
adolescents
in
and
out
of
schools
as
shown
in
the
graph.
The
team
also
surpassed
their
annual

target
as
shown
graph
2
and
3.

Events

Targets

(Yearly)

Progress

/Years

2014
2015

School
Outreach
conducted.
6
7
23

Total
Adolescent

served

1620
947
5562

Sunburst
Projects
–
Kenya

Annual
Report
2015

Pg.
9

Part II: Social Psychological Services
Peer Leader Model
Sunburst
has
been
supporting
many
families
living
with
HIV
in
the
Nyanza
and
Nairobi
Provinces
by
providing
and

conducting
a
variety
of
psychosocial
support
services
for
adolescents
living
with
HIV.
Sunburst
Projects
-‐
Kenya
Peer

Led
staff
provided
services
to
children
and
adolescents
living
with
HIV
through
structured
support
groups,
social

events,
community
outreaches,
teenage
mother
empowerment
groups,
youth
empowerment
camps,
provision
of

youth
friendly
services,
and
the
integration
of
adolescent
friendly
services
into
the
clinic
as
well
as
specialized
youth

clinic
days.

The
Sunburst
Peer
Leaders
have
been
working
with
Sunburst
Projects
for
over
four
years.
They
have
gained

experience
and
knowledge
through
mentorship
and
capacity
building
opportunities,
along
with
leadership
skills

gained
through
daily
role
modeling
for
the
children
coming
into
the
clinic.
Peer
Leaders
in
collaboration
with
Staffs
at

FACES
sites
have
been
able
to
provide
a
variety
of
adolescent
support
programs
and
follow
up
services
to
the
HIV+

youth
community
as
well
as
aid
to
caregivers
in
supporting
self
and
child
acceptance
and
assistance
in
the
disclosure

process.

Coming
to
the
end
of
the
2015
we
had
the
opportunity
to
partner
further
with
FACES
to
identify
and
begin
to
hire

and
train
24
new
peer
leaders
to
be
placed
in
12
new
clinic
sites.
These
new
peer
leaders
will
further
the
continual

streamlining
of
the
Sunburst
Peer
Led
program
model
to
the
other
FACES
sites
throughout
Kenya.
The
original
Peer

Leaders
trained
in
2011
are
transitioning
into
new
job
position
as
supervisors.
They
will
take
the
job
title
formed
by

FACES
team
members
to
allow
for
integration.

The
shared
staffing
model
at
each
new
clinic
site
however
will
look
similar
to
how
the
Sunburst/FACES
shared
staffing

model
looked
when
Sunburst
first
began
4
years
ago.
The
on
site
supervisory
team
is
employed
by
RCTP/FACES
to

oversee
each
assigned
peer
leader
under
their
charge
on
top
of
their
work
at
the
FACES
clinic
site;
they
are
the
single

point
of
contact
at
each
site.
Supervisors
are
both
dedicated
Sunburst
Projects
Kenya
–RCTP/FACES
representatives

and
are
an
extension
of
the
internal
program
operations.
Sharing
of
client
referrals,
needs,
medical
updates,
and

communication
are
handled
concurrently
between
the
Peer
Leader
Program
Coordinator
employed
by
Sunburst

Projects-‐Kenya
along
with
the
external
team
of
Peer
Leaders
employed
by
Sunburst
Projects
at
RCTP/FACES
clinic

sites.
This
staffing
model
is
a
cost
effective,
capacity
building
solution
for
serving
HIV/AIDS
youth
throughout
multiple

RCTP/FACES
clinic
sites.

Sunburst
Projects
–
Kenya

Annual
Report
2015

Pg.
10


The
capacity
building
of
the
Sunburst
Peer
Leader
Program
has
continued
to
be
successful
through
the
continuous

encouragement
and
empowerment
of
the
Sunburst
youths
in
our
programs
who
have
had
opportunities
to
gain

mentorship
and
leadership
skills.
Once
ready,
they
are
asked
to
lead
small
activity
sessions
for
younger
kids.
This

grew
their
mentoring,
facilitation
and
leadership
skills
to
become
the
Peer
Leaders
they
are
today.
This
impact
is

made
evident
through
the
family
building
of
the
Sunburst
Projects-‐
Kenya
team.

Two
of
the
newly
hired
trained
peer

leaders
for
the
recent
expansion
attended
the
first
Sunburst
Kenya
camp
originally
as
campers
two
years
ago,
and

other
new
trainees
had
been
in
attendance
at
monthly
youth
support
groups
for
over
a
year.
Today
they
have
joined

the
Sunburst/FACES
team
and
have
the
desire
to
serve
their
communities
because
their
leadership
skills
did
not
go

unnoticed.

Peer Led Health and Psychological Programs and Achievements – 2015 – Table 2

Peer
Leader
Health
Services

Totals

2014
2015

Number
of
Sites
2
2

Number
of
Peer
Leader
4
4

Adolescents
served
at
YFC
204
1457

Psychosocial
support
etc.
204
90

Adolescent
HTC
.
87
1213

Adolescent
Tested
HIV
Positive

140

Linkages
for
HIV
Care
&Treatment.

94
140

Prevention
with
positive
(PWP)
176
150

Condoms
distribution

585
1000

Family
planning/Contraceptive
s
0
164

Pg.
5

Pg.
11

Sunburst
Projects
–
Kenya

Annual
Report
2015

Youth Support Groups

HIV
positive
youth,
and
orphans
in
particular,
are
amongst
the
most
vulnerable
groups
in
Kenyan
society.
For
these

youth,
the
difficulties
associated
with
medication
adherence,
nutrition,
and
other
health
issues
are
often

compounded
by
severe
poverty.
Fear
of
rejection
and
social
stigma
related
violence,
despair
and
grief
of
lost
parents

or
family
members,
all
affect
the
child’s
ability
to
successfully
manage
their
condition.
Many
youth
tend
to
fall
out
of

care,
leading
to
illness,
drug
resistance
and
even
death.
Upon
reaching
adolescent
age,
many
begin
to
have
sexual

relationships,
potentially
transmitting
the
virus
to
others.

To
address
these
social
and
psychological
issues
the
trained
Peer
Leaders
use
their
skills
to
plan
and
run
successful
bi-‐
monthly
support
groups
at
all
three
sites,
Lumumba,
Kisumu
East
District
Hospital
(KEDH)
and
Nairobi.
Six
(6)

structured
support
group
program
sessions
were
conducted
in
the
2015
cycle.

Six
(6)
themes
were
covered
per
support
group
session
to
ensure
all
important
areas,
concerns
and
issues
affecting

adolescent
were
adequately
addressed.
Meetings
included
the
following:
feelings
and
emotions,
HIV
education,

disclosure,
adherence,
sexuality,
and
grief
&
loss.

Each
support
group
is
a
blend
of
themed
programming
and
art
therapy
sessions.
Linkage
and
referrals
are
maintained

throughout
sessions.
Monitoring
and
evaluation
are
conducted
through
pre
and
post
evaluations
to
aid
in
the

understanding
of
outcomes
and
future
planning.

Through
conducting
open
and
structured
support
group
sessions,
PL’s
were
able
to
reach
and
change
youth’s

perceptions,
knowledge,
behaviors
and
attitude
towards
care
as
well
as
the
ability
to
thrive
in
their
own

environments
and
cope
with
their
status.
This
has
lead
to
increased
self-‐esteem,
improved
adherence
and
an
overall

acceptance
of
ones
status.

Continuous
training
and
leadership
was
offered
to
PL’s
resulting
in
efficiency
in
addressing
and
serving
children
and

adolescents
attending
the
support
group.

Caregivers
were
engaged
as
well
to
further
improve
their
knowledge
and
to
educate
them
on
topics
such
as:

HIV

Disclosure,
HIV/AIDS,
addressing
adolescent
development
issues,
illicit
drug
use,
sex
education,
and
the
challenges

adolescents
encounter
as
they
cope
with
their
HIV/AIDS
status
physically,
socially
and
mentally.

Quality
of
care
and
treatment
for
HIV/AIDS
services
was
ensured
through
ongoing
peer
led
counseling
and

educational
sessions
for
clients
in
need.

Client
support
and
action
was
taken
in
good
time.
For
example,
those
with

Low
CD4,
High
Viral
Loads,
poor
adherence,
and/or
psychosocial
issues,
client
follow
up
occurred
immediately
by

personalized
treatment
advocates
within
the
team.
When
necessary,
repeat
viral
loads
were
conducted
and
clients

managed
appropriately
as
per
the
National
ART
guidelines.

(Table
3)

Sunburst
Projects
–
Kenya

Annual
Report
2015

(Graph
4)

Support Group Outcomes

The
Sunburst
Kenya
team
conducted
a
total
of

162
support
group
sessions
serving
a
total
of

459
adolescents.

Support Group feedback

The
Support
group
sessions
overall
were
well
liked
by
the
majority
of
the
participants.
Most
felt
that
their
attending

of
the
support

groups
made
a
difference
in
their
lives
in
terms
of
coping
with
their
disease,
making
new
friends
and

improving
their
overall
emotional
health
and
happiness.
Though,
a
few
concerns
were
raised
around
involving
other

people
in
the
group.
More
and
continuous
evaluations
need
to
be
done
to
determine
further
why
they
felt
this
way.

(Table
5)

Support
Group
(SP)

feedback
(N=81)

Yes

Some

times

No

1
I
like
attending
SG
75
5
0

2
SG
group
make
me
feel
better
78
3
0

3
I
enjoy
activities
and
people

in
the
group

76
2
2

4
I
would
recommend
this

project
to
my
friends

60
9
12

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

I
like
attending

support
group

Support
group

make
me
feel

better

I
enjoy
activities

and
people
in
the

group

I
would

recommend
this

project
to
my

friends

Support
Group
Feedback

Yes

sometimes

No

Pg.
12

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

I
feel
good
about

taking
my
medicine

I
take
my
medicine

even
when
I
feel

healthy

I
know
what

medicine
to
take

I
feel
Good
coming
to

my
clinic
for

appoitments

It
is
Ok
to
miss
a
pill

when
you
are

healthy

Medication

adherence
-‐
10-‐19years

Yes
Sometimes
No

Sunburst
Projects
–
Kenya

Annual
Report
2015

(Table
4)

(Graph
5)

Pg.
13

Support Group - Adherence

Generally,
the
support
group
(SG)
sessions
improved
the
adolescent
feelings
and
attitudes
towards
clinic
and

medication.
Majority
of
the
adolescent
10-‐19
years
appreciated the
peer
lead
sessions
and
the
methods
SG
were

conducted
in.

Adherence
(10-‐19
years)
(n=61)
Yes
Some

times

No

1
I
feel
good
about
taking
my
medicine

29
3
3

2
I
take
my
medicine
even
when
I
feel
healthy
32
0
3

3
I
know
what
medicine
to
take

32
2
1

4
I
feel
Good
coming
to
my
clinic
for
appointments

30
3
2

5
It
is
Ok
to
miss
a
pill
when
you
are
healthy
4
4
21

Sunburst
Projects
–
Kenya

Annual
Report
2015

(Table
5)

(Graph
6)

Pg.
14

Support Groups - Disclosure and Stigma

There
was
an
apparent
reduction

in
stigma
amongst
adolescent
who

attended
the
support
group

sessions.
Some
decided
to
take

the
next
step
to
disclosed
their

HIV
status
to
one
or
more

important
people
in
their
lives.

However
a
large
number
of
youths

still
struggle
with
stigma
and

disclosure
needing
further
support

in
how
to
find
the
courage
to

disclose
to
safe
and
important
people
in
their
lives
as
well
as
cope
and
deal
with
the
stigma
within
them

selves
as
well.

Stigma
&
Disclosure
(n
=
44)

True

False

1
I
feel
guilty
because
I
have
HIV
10
34

2
I
work
hard
to
keep
my
HIV
status
a
secret
16
18

3
Most
people
in
my
life
do
not
know
that
I
have
HIV
20
24

4
Having
HIV
in
my
body
is
disgusting
to
me

8
26

5
As
a
rule
telling
people
that
I
have
HIV
is
a
mistake

14
20

6
I
have
been
hurt
by
how
people
react
to
learning
I

have
HIV

20
24

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

I
feel
guilty

because
I
have
HIV

I
work
hard
to

keep
my
HIV
status

a
secret

Most
people
in
my

life
do
not
know

that
I
have
HIV

Having
HIV
in
my

body
is
disgusting

to
me

As
a
rule
telling

people
that
I
have

HIV
is
a
mistake

I
have
been
hurt
by

how
people
react

to
learning
I
have

HIV

True

FALSE

Sunburst
Projects
–
Kenya

Annual
Report
2015

(Graph
7)

(Table
6)

Pg.
15

HIV Education

Overall
great
improvement
in
knowledge
and
awareness
on
HIV
amongst
participants
who
attended
the

support
groups.
Table
6
and
Graph
7.

HIV
Education
(n=54)

True

False

1
I
feel
knowledgeable
about

HIV

41
13

2
There
is
a
cure
for
HIV
14
43

3
You
can
get
HIV
by
sharing
food

with
PLWA

6
53

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

I
feel

knowledgebale

about
HIV

There
is
a
cure
for

HIV

You
can
get
HIV
by

sharing
food
with

PLWA

HIV
Education

True

False

Sunburst
Projects
–
Kenya

Annual
Report
2015

Pg.
16

Teen Mother Empowerment Program
The
challenges
all
adolescents
face
as
part
of
their
development
is
easily
complicated
by
an
HIV
diagnosis,
but
being
a

young
mother
makes
it
even
more
complicated.
Many
of
these
young
mothers
live
in
high
poverty
areas,
are

stigmatized
for
having
HIV/AIDS
and
are
trying
to
support
their
HIV
impacted
children.
This
is
often
a
difficult

situation
when
most
are
unemployed,
school
dropouts,
and
unmarried
with
two
or
three
children.
With
all
of
the

challenges
they
face
everyday,
all
hope
for
a
future
can
easily
become
lost.

This
very
tough
situation
has
had
profound
consequences
on
many
young
women
with
HIV/AIDS
that
leads
to
high

mortality
rates,
along
with
many
HIV
positive
teenage
mothers
falling
out
of
HIV
treatment,
and/or
failing
to
attend

clinic
appointments.

Thus,
they
develop
resistance
to
the
drugs,
fall
ill,
or
die.

As
a
response,
Sunburst
Projects
reached
out
to
young
mothers
under
24
years
old
with
the
aim
of
helping
them

create
safe,
nurturing
and
financially
stable
environments
for
their
families.
Adolescent
mothers
are
referred
and

recruited
from
different
FACES
clinic
sites
within
Kisumu
and
meet
once
a
month
at
the
Lumumba
FACES
site
with

PL’s
and
program
team
members.
Originally
during
group
sessions
the
mothers
learned
about
economic

empowerment
through
lessons
and
conversations
based
around
entrepreneurship,
book
keeping,
and
income

generating
activities
such
as
soap
and
cream
making.

This
year
a
new
partnership
was
made
with
Willow
Tree
Roots,
a
501(c)(3)
not-‐for-‐profit
public
charity
organization

working
to
empower
vulnerable
women
in
developing
nations
to
socioeconomic
independence
through

entrepreneurship.

This
partnership
has
allowed
us
to
work
together
to
empower
the
women
both
emotionally
and
economically.

Sunburst
refers
the
women
from
our
young
mothers
group
to
Willow
Tree
Roots.
Women
to
continue
attending

monthly
support
groups
run
by
Sunburst
while
learning
economic
development,
self
economic
support
and
income-‐
generation
and
business
development
skills.

Sunburst
Projects
–
Kenya

Annual
Report
2015

Pg.
17


During
the
month
of
October,
Angelica
Gehlich,
a
volunteer
from
the
U.S
who
specializes
in
trauma
healing
as
well
as

workshop
development
and
facilitation,
developed
a
writing
workshop
for
the
young
mother’s
group.
The
workshop

took
place
over
four
(4)
Saturdays.
Topics
included
questions
like:
“when
have
you
been
most
afraid?”
“What
is
your

biggest
strength?”
and
“Talk
about
the
time
you
found
out
you
were
HIV
positive”.
Their
answers
to
these
questions

formulated
their
personal
life
stories.

Reading
their
stories
out
loud
or
having
a
peer
leader
read
their
stories
to
the
group
created
a
special
and
stronger

bond
within
the
group
itself.
Many
agreed
to
have
their
personal
stories
shared
in
a
composite
of
women’s
stories

being
put
together.
These
stores
seek
to
put
a
face
on
the
struggle
of
HIV
positive
teen
mothers
and
a
chance
to
give

others
a
more
intimate
idea
of
what
it
is
like.

These
groups
have
translated
into
better
health
care
treatment
and
retention
amongst
the
group
members.
Overall

increase
in
HIV
knowledge,
improved
adherence
to
medication,
maintaining
of
clinic
appointments,
and
positive

living
are
all
positives
outcomes
that
have
been
noted.

Sunburst
Projects
–
Kenya

Annual
Report
2015

Pg.
18

Anonymous

“I
would
like
to
encourage
those
who
are
living
with
HIV
that
they
can
live
a
long
and
positive
life,
though
for
the
first
time
of

knowing
your
status
will
be
discouraged
a
lot
into
extent
of
wanting
to
take
your
life
away.

For
instance
I
came
to
realize
that
I
am
positive
when
I
was
three
months
pregnant.
I
had
no
one
to
tell
or
to
share

with.
I
was
nervous.
I
gave
birth
while
living
with
my
parents.
I
found
it
difficult
to
cope
with
my
status
coz
I
had
to
take
drugs

at
the
right
time
and
for
the
infant
at
the
right
time.
I
use
to
live
a
life
of
darkness
because
I
had
to
hide
everything,
drugs,

when
to
take
them,
and
even
when
to
go
for
clinic
I
had
to
hide.
I
was
living
with
a
lot
of
stress.
So
it’s
good
to
open
up
and

inform
the
people
your
living
with
about
your
status,
and
if
you
can’t
just
try
and
find
somebody
close
to
your
parents
or
the

people
you
are
living
with.

It’s
good
to
open
up
about
your
status
coz
it
let
you
live
a
free
and
positive
life,
like
now,
I
am
living
freely
coz
I
passed

through
my
aunt
to
help
me
tell
my
parents.
As
soon
as
my
parents
found
out
they
were
bitter
for
the
first
time
but
they

came
to
understand
it’s
obvious
that
most
people
get
disappointed
on
hearing
negative
news
about
their
loved
one
but

they’ll
always
take
it
in.

I
am
now
living
a
free
and
a
healthy
life
since
I
don’t
have
any
stress
eating
me
up
now,
they
help
me
take
drugs
on

time
and
even
remind
when
to
go
for
my
clinics,
my
mum
helped
me
gave
my
son
the
drugs
on
time
and
know
he
is
ok
and

he
was
found
negative
and
file
was
already
closed.

On
opening
up
you
will
find
out
your
safe
than
if
you
are
afraid
and
living
with
it
alone,
you
can
affect
or
infect
the

people
you
love
out
of
ignorance
or
fear
but
by
opening
up
everybody
will
be
cautious
including
you,
they
won’t
be
harmed

since
they
know
and
you
know
your
status.

Encourage
yourself
to
live
a
positive
life.
Don’t
mind
what
people
will
say.
They
are
always
there
to
talk,
what
matters

is
that
the
people
you
love
and
love
you
have
accepted
your
status.
Many
people
are
dying
because
of
fear,
taking
step
of

going
to
the
hospital.
It’s
healthier
to
live
an
open
life
than
to
live
in
darkness.”

A
Personal
Story

Sunburst
Projects
–
Kenya

Annual
Report
2015

Pg.
19

Social Events
At
the
end
of
every
quarter,
Sunburst
conducts
family
gatherings
aimed
at
promoting
communication
and
bonding

with
the
youth’s
family.
In
Kisumu,
Kenya
Eight
(8)
social
event
sessions
serving
over
540
caregivers
and
adolescents

were
conducted.

Different
activities
such
as
sports,
games,
art
therapy,
songs,
dance
and
learning
how
to
perform
plays,
were
led
by

peer
leaders.
Parents
were
given
opportunities
to
meet
counselors
and
discuss
the
challenges
they
were
having
with

HIV
disclosure
and
how
they
have
managed
to
disclose
to
their
children
on
their
HIV
status.
Those
who
have
not

disclosed
were
encouraged
by
others
to
do
so
as
it
improves
the
children’s
health
status
and
their
wellbeing
when

they
accept
their
HIV
status.
The
group
shared
a
meal
after
the
activities.

Social
Activity
Outcome:

• Participants
formed
new
friendships,
shared
life
experiences
that
encouraged
positive
living
while
learning
coping

skills.

• Came
to
understand
that
they
as
youth,
are
not
the
only
ones
living
with
the
virus,
it
gives
them
hope
and

acceptance
and
an
excitement
for
the
future.
This
helps
change
health
care
goals
towards
one
of
making
healthy

choices
that
prolongs
life.

• Through
family
involvement
and
participation,
the
parents/caregivers
were
able
to
share
their
concerns,
fears
and

challenges
about
raising
an
HIV
positive
child.
Over
time,
from
learning
more
about
how
other
caregivers
and

parents
deal
with
HIV/AIDS
in
the
home,
they
felt
less
isolated
and
saw
the
benefit
from
family-‐focused
social

psychological
services,
particularly
those
that
reduce
isolation,
promote
family
functioning
and
provide
support.

• The
Social
event
has
contributed
to
stigma
and
discrimination
reduction.
The
adolescents
now
have
a
choice
of

friends
to
be
with
incase
their
feel
stigmatized
by
those
not
living
with
the
virus.
They
can
always
count
on
group

members
for
any
support
they
may
need.

• Disclosure
group
discussions
for
parents
and
adolescents
have
helped
to
improve
drug
adherence.

Sunburst
Projects
–
Kenya

Annual
Report
2015

Pg.
20

Camp Program
In
December
2015,
Sunburst
Projects
–
Kenya
in
partnership
with
SeriousFun
hosted
it’s
thirds
camp
impacting

another
96
children.
This
year’s
camp
lasted
two
(2)
weeks;
the
first
week
consisted
of
adolescents
10-‐14
years
of
age,

the
second
week
for
15-‐19
years
of
age.
The
camp
was
a
5
day/4
night
camp
located
at
Diakonia
Community

Ministries.
Subjects
such
as
the
importance
of
medication
adherence,
sex
education,
advantages
and
disadvantages

of
disclosure,
and
HIV/AIDS
education
were
covered
in
camp.
Sunburst
staff
and
volunteers
led
program
activities

such
as
storytelling,
memory
book
making,
teambuilding
games,
theater,
and
life
skills.

Our
Camp
empowers
youth
though
providing
social
psychological
support
to
build
positive
relationships,
improve

self-‐esteem,
and
acquire
life
skills
through
recreational
and
educational
activities.
At
the
end
of
Camp,
participants

are
invited
to
attend
post-‐Camp
social
events
and
thereafter
provide
support
to
our
Peer
Leaders
during
subsequent

clinic
days.
Involving
young
people
in
the
health
care
facility
and
communicating
with
them
the
challenges,
rather

than
reinforcing
old
existing
patterns
of
discrimination,
stigma,
and
exclusion,
instead
builds
up
youth
to
become

leaders
in
their
community.

In

2015,
Serious
Fun
Global
Camps
partnered
with
Sunburst
Projects-‐
Kenya
to
conduct
a
one-‐week
Leadership

Training
Course
and
a
one-‐week
Staff
Training
course
that
was
held
on
the
camp
site
to
ensure
staff
understood
and

were
fully
comfortable
to
implement
camp
sessions.
During
the
leadership
training
counselors
learned
the

importance
of
team
building,
leadership
roles
and
responsibilities,
camp
organization
and
structure,
plus
emergency

procedure
and
problem
solving.

Staff
training
consisted
of
similar

ideas
covered
in
leadership

training,
ideas,
but
delved
further

into:

ü Introduced
to
the
Camp
Concept
–
To
help
create
a
loving
and
safe
environment
where

community
is
like
a
circle
of
arms
around
the
campers.

ü Counselor’s
rules,
roles,
regulations
and
responsibilities.

ü Volunteer
policies
and
procedures
–
Confidentiality,
appropriate
touch
and
safety

(child
abuse)

ü Accepting
Diversity
–
Stigma
and
Discrimination

ü Non
violent
communication
and
DLP
(Describe,
Label
and
Praise)

ü Medical
and
Emergency
procedures
etc.

Sunburst
Projects
–
Kenya

Annual
Report
2015

Pg.
21


Since
it
was
Sunburst’s
first
time
working
with
Serious
Fun,
Serious
Fun
mostly
lead
the
Staff
Training
sessions,
but

once
camp
started
the
Camp
Sunburst
Leadership
team
participants
took
up
further
responsibilities
in
the
running
of

camp.
Very
strong
leaders
built
up
Sunburst’s
2015
camp
program
and
it
showed
up
in
the
activities
conducted
with

skill
and
dedicated
staff.

Within
the
two
weeks
of
camp
adolescents
participated
in
new
activities
such
as
Future
Planning,
Teambuilding

activities,
Counselor
Phobia,
Memory
Book,
Natures
Pharmacy,
Memory
Tree
and
Disclosure
Challenge,
as
well
as

enjoyed
Sunburst’s
historical
activities
such
as
Carnival,
The
Give
Away,
and
Messengers
of
the
Heart.

Overall
the
camp
program
brought
together
98
adolescents,
29
camp
staff
and
12
leadership
staff,
plus
2
volunteers.

Sunburst
Projects
–
Kenya

Annual
Report
2015

Pg.
22

Part III: Challenges
Camp Personnel Achievements

2

98

29

12

Volunteers

Campers

Staff

Leadership

Sunburst Challenges

Funding:

Sunburst
needs
more
funding
to
scale
up
our
support
to
other
FACES
sites
and
serve
more
HIV
positive

children.
The
search
to
find
funding
has
proven
difficult.
The
need
to
look
into
smaller
corporations
or
organizations

is
a
necessary
next
step.

School
schedules
are
a
major
barrier
to
support
group
attendance
and
overall
HIV
care
access
amongst
adolescents

enrolled
in
the
program.
Teachers
are
against
regular
clinic
attendance
and
lack
adequate
knowledge
on
HIV/AIDS

thus
leading
to
stigma
and
discrimination
of
children
and
adolescents
living
with
HIV.

Unfriendly
policies:
The
current
policies
hinder
provision
of
services
such
as
HIV
Testing
and
Counseling
(HTC),

Condoms,
family
planning
etc.
for
adolescents
who
are
sexuality
active
without
parental
consent.

Unstable
environment:
Most
children
and
adolescents
living
with
HIV
are
orphaned
and
stay
with
their
Grandparents,

relatives
and
step
parents
who
are
unstable
socio
economically:
majority
of
this
kids
end
up
not
taking
their

medication,
develop
resistant
leading
to
increased
mortality
and
morbidity
amongst
this
population.

Pg.
23

Part IV: Future Plans
Sunburst
Projects
–
Kenya

Annual
Report
2015

Future Plans
1. Continuation
of
the
Peer
Leadership
model
to
other
FACES
sites;

FACES
currently
supports
over
14,000
children
across
the
144
FACES
satellite
sites
in
Nyanza
and
Nairobi
province

through
provision
of
comprehensive
HIV
care
and
treatment
services.
Many
of
these
sites
lack
adolescent
tailored

services
and
they
have
continuously
expressed
a
desire
to
start
adolescents
programs.
Plans
for
Sunburst’s
Peer
Led

model
expansion
were
written
into
the
2015
MOU
with
FACES.
The
expansion
began
at
the
end
of
2015
fulfilling
the

MOU
plans.
Plans
are
underway
to
continue
the
expansion
of
the
Peer
Leader
Model.
It
is
our
hope
to
systemize
a

peer-‐to-‐peer
led
model
so
adolescents
who
are
not
currently
enrolled
in
medical
treatment
can
soon
benefit
from

the
PL
model
and
help
those
in
medical
treatment
remain
adherent
through
peer
support.

Currently
we
are
targeting

the
major
high
volume
FACES
sites:
Migori,
Rongo,
Suba,
Nyatike,
and
Mbita.

2.

Expansion
of
the
Camp
programs

We
still
have
a
large
number
of
adolescents
whom
have
never
experienced
camp.
Having
conducted
four

successful
camp
programs
over
the
past
three
years,
we
have
witnessed
a
positive
change
amongst
our
campers
and

we
strongly
feel
it’s
a
viable
initiative
that
can
be
replicated
in
other
districts
and
regions
in
order
to
improve
the

quality
of
care
amongst
children
and
adolescents
living
with
HIV.
We
have
already
piloted
a
smaller
version
of
camp

in
Nairobi
and
the
impact
was
instantly
felt.
Because
it’s
one
of
the
high
impact
interventions
that
is
currently
being

run
under
the
peer
leadership
model,
other
sites
that
run
the
peer
leadership
model
will
benefit
and
should
be

supported
to
run
and
pilot
a
camp
on
their
own.
While
that
is
happening
we
also
hope
to
continue
running
the
same

camp
model
in
Kisumu,
running
another
two
camps
in
a
month
for
2016
and
beyond.

Sunburst
Projects
–
Kenya

Annual
Report
2015

Pg.
24

Part IV: Future Plans
3.

Youth
Friendly
Centre

We
plan
to
make
the
youth
friendly
center
more
vibrant
and
appealing
to
the
targeted
population
by
incorporating

more
youth
friendly
games
and
materials,
more
services,
have
a
clinical
staff
on
duty
for
all
youth
center
hours,
and

conduct
mobilization
to
raise
awareness
on
the
services
being
offered
at
the
youth
center.

With
the
center’s
continuous
growth
and
development
we
wish
to
open
our
doors
further
to
other
vulnerable

populations.
We
wish
to
house
more
support
groups
and
build
up
advocates
for
each
population.
The
Youth
Friendly

Center
wants
to
move
it’s
focus
to
prevention
and
help
the
populations
of
comercial
sex
workers,
men
who
have
sex

with
men,
drug
users
and
young
women.
We
want
to
creae
a
safe
zone
for
all
and
are
working
on
a
plan
to
fully
make

that
dream
happen.

4.

Research
and
Studies

In
preparation
for
program
growth
and
to
improve
quality
of
care
amongst
the
children
we
serve,
it
would
be
prudent

that
we
come
up
with
a
program
training
guide
manual.
We
also
plan
to
create
better
tools
for
measuring
impact

since
more
numbers
of
children
and
adolescents
are
being
reached
through
the
recent
program
growth.
Continuation

of
research
and
studies
will
be
necessary
to
measure
the
impact
already
made
and
the
current
changes
occurring.

Kenya
Team

Operation
Managers
-‐
Nyanza

Province

Nancy
Yienya
–
Executive
Director
&

Director
of
Programs
and
Services

Bernard
Sigunga
–
Program
Assistant

Operation
Managers
–
Nairobi

Lucy
Sanguli
–
FACES
Operation

Manager

Peer
Leader
Supervisors
-‐
Nyanza

Province

Bernard
Sigunga

Angela
Ngongo

Peer
Leader
Supervisors
–
Nairobi

Paul
Ndungu

Peer
Leaders
–
Nyanza
Province

Mercy
Miriam

Joseph
Opiyo

Annabel
Kokeyo

Leonard
Omondi

Peer
Leaders
–
Nairobi

Pascaline
Okello

Francis
Kamau

United
States
Team

Operation
Managers

Geri
De
La
Rosa,
PhD

–
Executive

Director
&
Founder

Kathryn
Nevard
–
Director
of

Development

Elana
Carr-‐Vallimont
–
Global

Program
Manager

Advisory
Team

Zoe
A.
H.
Marinkovich
–
Ed.D

Koen
Van
Rompay,
D.V.M.
Ph.D.

Full
Research
Virologist

California
National
Primate
Research

Center

University
of
California-‐Davis

Neil
Flynn,
MD,
MPH

Internist,
Infectious
Disease

Specialist

(virus,
bacteria,
parasites)

HIV/AIDS
Research

UC
Davis
Med
Center

Sunburst
Projects
–
Kenya

Annual
Report
2015

Pg.
25

Our Team

Sunburst
Projects
–
Kenya

Annual
Report
2015

Pg.
26

Acknowledgements
1. Elizabeth
Anne
Bukusi

MBChB,
M.Med
(ObGyn),
MPH,
PhD,
PGD(Research
Ethics).
MBE
(Research
Ethics),
CIP

(Certified
IRB
Professional).

Chief
Research
Officer
and
Deputy
Director
(Research
and
Training)
KEMRI

Co-‐Director
Research
Care
Training
Program
(RCTP)

and
Research
Associate
Professor
of
Global
Health
and
Obstetrics
and
Gynecology,

University
of
Washington.

Honorary
Lecturer;

Department
of
Obstetrics
and
Gynecology,

University
of
Nairobi
and
Aga
Khan
University.

2. Patrick
Oyaro

MBChB,
MPH

Director
Family
AIDS
and
Educational
service

Acting
CEO
Research
Care
and
Training
Program
(RCTP-‐FACES)

3. MOH
and
FACES
Supporting
Coordinators,
staff,
Health
care
providers
and
clients.

4. Our
collaborating
partners:

2015 Annual Report

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