PCEA ELDER TRAINING
KENYA

More than two decades since the first AIDS case was identified in Kenya, HIV/AIDS remains a huge problem for the country in its efforts for social and economic development.  Responses to the pandemic have evolved over time as people became aware of this new disease and as they experienced illness and death among family members.  Initially, many segments of the society expressed denial of the disease.  Early in the epidemic in Kenya, political commitment was limited. 

About 1.3 million people live with HIV/AIDS in Kenya. While AIDS awareness has been nearly universal for more than a decade, misconceptions still abound and many still have not dealt with the disease at a personal or community level.  The death rate in Kenya continues to rise.

The Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) has about 4 million members spread all over the Eastern part of Africa.  It has about 3,000 congregations, over 300 parishes, 44 presbyteries and is divided into five regions.  The smallest unit of administration is the District, where each elder has pastoral and administrative oversight of 10-20 families.  They meet once a week for prayer and Bible studies.

The goal is to train 5,000 elders to be HIV/AIDS peer educators to go into Kenyan households over a four-year period, teaching people to change their behavior, and encouraging those infected and affected to live positively.  The 5,000 elders will be divided into groups of 1,000 each.  Each group will undergo a two-day intensive training seminar using the curriculum developed for a recent HIV/AIDS seminar for PCEA clergy at the Presbyterian College in Kikuyu.