The 2nd National Bar Hostess Conference on HIV/AIDS in Nairobi, Kenya

[Guest guest]

October 8, 2008 Dear Partner, RE:

THE 2ND NATIONAL CONFERENCE TO PROMOTE THE REDUCTION OF HIV/AIDS AND

GENDER BASED VIOLENCE PROMOTED BY VULNERABILITY AND STIGMA AMONG FEMALE

BAR WORKERS IN KENYA .

Greetings from Purple Images Productions.

Purple

Images is in the process of organizing the 2nd National Bar Hostess

AIDS Conference slated for October 27th – 28th. The 1st conference was

first organized in 2006 and was very success with kind support from Ministry of Health, Hivos Netherlands, East African Breweries Ltd, National Aids Control Council , Kenya AIDS NGOS Consortium , and the World Health Organization, which attracted international publicity

with the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC (www.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4783631.stm). The upcoming conference is already gathering support from the media, Communication Initiative Network and other partners(www.comminit.com/en/node/273507). The main agenda of the conference is to reach a high risk group to promote behavior change communication

to reduce the incidence and the impact of HIV/AIDS and sexual

violence among bar maids while bringing into the public lime light

and policy issues that affect bar maids such as employment conditions.

In

Kenya today, there are currently over 40,000 bars employing an average

of 5 bar hostesses. This makes a total of over 200,000 bar hostesses

countrywide. A simple survey conducted in Nairobi by Kenya Bar Hostess

Aids Programme showed that about 90% of the bar hostesses are sexually

active with multiple sexual partners. The

rate of infection and exposure to sexually transmitted infections

including HIV/AIDS is therefore higher than the national average. Assuming of the 90% of the 200,000 Bar Hostesses

nationwide, 80% of them are exposed to the virus, this translates to

5.2% of national average of people living with HIV/AIDS being bar

hostess. This is a very high percentage considering that bar hostesses

are just 0.5 % of the total national population. The

Kenya Bar Hostess Aids Programme and Purple Images Productions consider

this a big risk to the bar hostesses and believe that the only way to

combat this is through targeted behavior change communication and

economic empowerment to reduce the need for commercial sex. With

regard to sexual violence, bar hostesses are socially stigmatized and

discriminated. Most bar patrons regard bar hostesses as third rate

citizens and often as mere sex objects to be abused. The bar hostess

profession is socially stigmatized by health officials and the police

in particular are known to harass bar hostesses as either “disease

carriers or criminals.’ A majority bar hostesses have found

themselves exposed to all forms of Sexual Violence including forced and

unprotected sex and physical Sexual Violence from their supervisors,

employers, the police and even their clients and partners. Apart from

the forced sex, some bar hostesses are daily physically assaulted and

raped while others voluntarily have one or more sexual partners in one

day. In

this regard, The Kenya Bar Hostess Aids Programme and Purple Images

Productions have organized the second two–day national conference on

Bar Hostess and HIV/AIDS and Sexual Violence. The theme of the

conference is “Towards Empowering Bar Hostesses to Fight HIV/AIDS and

Sexual Violence.” The conference will be held on 27th and 28th October 2008 at City Hall,Nairobi The overall objective of the conference is to promote behavior change communication among bar hostesses through personal skills building as well as Strengthening of individual and group capacities to improve collaboration and networking to identify alternatives to reduce the incidence and impact of HIV/AIDS among bar hostesses. Key Conference Objectives: To

provide a forum for Bar Hostesses to share experiences, challenges and

lessons learnt on HIV/AIDS prevention and management and Sexual

Violence against women. To impart life skills among bar hostesses to enable them address issues that promote the spread of HIV in the context of their high risk environment. To address social stigma

and discrimination among bar hostesses affected and infected with

HIV/AIDS and to promote care and support for bar hostesses living

with HIV at the community level and to promote their participation

in the care and support activities for their colleagues and AIDS

orphans in the targeted communities. To

promote the creation of alternative economic empowerment

opportunities such as income generating activities to mitigate the

spread of HIV/AIDS among bar hostesses To

draw recommendations and the way forward for strengthening and

expanding the role of bar hostesses in the prevention of gender Sexual

Violence and HIV/AIDS Conference Presentation Topics: Stigma and Discrimination Behavior Change Communication Bar Hostesses and Sexual Violence Reproductive Health and Reproductive Health Rights Women’s health and safe motherhood Drug abuse and Bar Hostesses The social economic impact of AIDS among Bar Hostesses Commercial sex and HIV Infection Income generation projects as an alternative to poor employment

terms and commercial sex We take this opportunity to invite you to participate in the conference as a Sponsor, delegates, speakers or Exhibitors. Looking forward to your partnership in the fight against HIV/Aids and sexual violence among bar hostesses in Kenya . Yours Sincerely Sylvia Micho Conference Coordinator The 2nd National Bar Hostess Conference on HIV/AIDS in Kenya Purple Images Productions Mbuchia House, 3rd Flr, West Wing, Westlands, Nairobi , Kenya P.O BOX 58182 - 00200 Nairobi Telephone: 254-20-4450937/ 4452674 Cell: 254-722 940081/ 722 634947/ 722 493060 Email: info@... Website: www.purpleimages.com

[Guest guest]

October 8, 2008 Dear Partner, RE:

THE 2ND NATIONAL CONFERENCE TO PROMOTE THE REDUCTION OF HIV/AIDS AND

GENDER BASED VIOLENCE PROMOTED BY VULNERABILITY AND STIGMA AMONG FEMALE

BAR WORKERS IN KENYA .

Greetings from Purple Images Productions.

Purple

Images is in the process of organizing the 2nd National Bar Hostess

AIDS Conference slated for October 27th – 28th. The 1st conference was

first organized in 2006 and was very success with kind support from Ministry of Health, Hivos Netherlands, East African Breweries Ltd, National Aids Control Council , Kenya AIDS NGOS Consortium , and the World Health Organization, which attracted international publicity

with the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC (www.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4783631.stm). The upcoming conference is already gathering support from the media, Communication Initiative Network and other partners(www.comminit.com/en/node/273507). The main agenda of the conference is to reach a high risk group to promote behavior change communication

to reduce the incidence and the impact of HIV/AIDS and sexual

violence among bar maids while bringing into the public lime light

and policy issues that affect bar maids such as employment conditions.

In

Kenya today, there are currently over 40,000 bars employing an average

of 5 bar hostesses. This makes a total of over 200,000 bar hostesses

countrywide. A simple survey conducted in Nairobi by Kenya Bar Hostess

Aids Programme showed that about 90% of the bar hostesses are sexually

active with multiple sexual partners. The

rate of infection and exposure to sexually transmitted infections

including HIV/AIDS is therefore higher than the national average. Assuming of the 90% of the 200,000 Bar Hostesses

nationwide, 80% of them are exposed to the virus, this translates to

5.2% of national average of people living with HIV/AIDS being bar

hostess. This is a very high percentage considering that bar hostesses

are just 0.5 % of the total national population. The

Kenya Bar Hostess Aids Programme and Purple Images Productions consider

this a big risk to the bar hostesses and believe that the only way to

combat this is through targeted behavior change communication and

economic empowerment to reduce the need for commercial sex. With

regard to sexual violence, bar hostesses are socially stigmatized and

discriminated. Most bar patrons regard bar hostesses as third rate

citizens and often as mere sex objects to be abused. The bar hostess

profession is socially stigmatized by health officials and the police

in particular are known to harass bar hostesses as either “disease

carriers or criminals.’ A majority bar hostesses have found

themselves exposed to all forms of Sexual Violence including forced and

unprotected sex and physical Sexual Violence from their supervisors,

employers, the police and even their clients and partners. Apart from

the forced sex, some bar hostesses are daily physically assaulted and

raped while others voluntarily have one or more sexual partners in one

day. In

this regard, The Kenya Bar Hostess Aids Programme and Purple Images

Productions have organized the second two–day national conference on

Bar Hostess and HIV/AIDS and Sexual Violence. The theme of the

conference is “Towards Empowering Bar Hostesses to Fight HIV/AIDS and

Sexual Violence.” The conference will be held on 27th and 28th October 2008 at City Hall,Nairobi The overall objective of the conference is to promote behavior change communication among bar hostesses through personal skills building as well as Strengthening of individual and group capacities to improve collaboration and networking to identify alternatives to reduce the incidence and impact of HIV/AIDS among bar hostesses. Key Conference Objectives: To

provide a forum for Bar Hostesses to share experiences, challenges and

lessons learnt on HIV/AIDS prevention and management and Sexual

Violence against women. To impart life skills among bar hostesses to enable them address issues that promote the spread of HIV in the context of their high risk environment. To address social stigma

and discrimination among bar hostesses affected and infected with

HIV/AIDS and to promote care and support for bar hostesses living

with HIV at the community level and to promote their participation

in the care and support activities for their colleagues and AIDS

orphans in the targeted communities. To

promote the creation of alternative economic empowerment

opportunities such as income generating activities to mitigate the

spread of HIV/AIDS among bar hostesses To

draw recommendations and the way forward for strengthening and

expanding the role of bar hostesses in the prevention of gender Sexual

Violence and HIV/AIDS Conference Presentation Topics: Stigma and Discrimination Behavior Change Communication Bar Hostesses and Sexual Violence Reproductive Health and Reproductive Health Rights Women’s health and safe motherhood Drug abuse and Bar Hostesses The social economic impact of AIDS among Bar Hostesses Commercial sex and HIV Infection Income generation projects as an alternative to poor employment

terms and commercial sex We take this opportunity to invite you to participate in the conference as a Sponsor, delegates, speakers or Exhibitors. Looking forward to your partnership in the fight against HIV/Aids and sexual violence among bar hostesses in Kenya . Yours Sincerely Sylvia Micho Conference Coordinator The 2nd National Bar Hostess Conference on HIV/AIDS in Kenya Purple Images Productions Mbuchia House, 3rd Flr, West Wing, Westlands, Nairobi , Kenya P.O BOX 58182 - 00200 Nairobi Telephone: 254-20-4450937/ 4452674 Cell: 254-722 940081/ 722 634947/ 722 493060 Email: info@... Website: www.purpleimages.com