Namakula takes sex workers off the streets, fights HIV stigma
TWENTY-TWO-YEAR-OLD Sylvia Sebyala, a former prostitute and now peer educator with Women at work International, was a commercial sex worker for five years.
By Christine Onzia
TWENTY-TWO-YEAR-OLD Sylvia Sebyala, a former prostitute and now peer educator with Women at work International, was a commercial sex worker for five years.
Life on the streets was unbearable; some clients would not pay the agreed fee, while others beat her up. As if that was not enough, there was the risk of getting infected with sexually transmitted diseases.
Sylvia became a prostitute after O’level. She was naïve about using condoms and slept with any man without protection. All she could think about was the money. She only had protected sex if a client chose to wear a condom. As a result, she had multiple abortions.
She was first approached by Halima Namakula and advised on how to use condoms and about the stigma and prevention of HIV/AIDS.
Sebyala says Namakula helped her to know that she was risking her life and convinced her to abandon prostitution by teaching her how to make necklaces, envelops and candles. She even gave Sebyala capital to start a business.
Now a born-again Christian, Sebyala has completely abandoned prostitution and she is able to take care of her five-year-old son, pay her rent and feed him through the income she earns from beads sales.
Sebyala says her son is a miracle child because she had attempted to abort him, but Namakula promised to take care of him after citing the dangers of abortion. Sebyala says she is content with her life.
Thirty-year-old Aisha Kyazze has a similar story. She lost her parents and most of her relatives in the village. With no one to help her and her siblings, she ended up on the streets as a commercial sex worker.
She is a single mother of three. In 2006, after she conceived her third child, she did not know she had contracted HIV. After giving birth, she and the baby fell very sick and almost died.
But through a friend whom Women at work International had approached, she was told about the projects and how some HIV-positive women and girls were benefiting. Kyazze was also counselled.
In the beginning, she could not come to terms with the fact that she was positive, but through counselling, she did. Kyazze and her two-year-old baby are now able to access ARVs through Women at work International.
Her health is improving, and she also received training on how to make candles and envelopes.
Women at work International gave her capital to start her business. Kyazze says she will abandon prostitution when her business picks up. Currently, she uses condoms.
How the project started
Back in 1983, Namakula thought of starting a project to help street children and give them a normal life. She told her husband that she wanted to start a humanitarian organisation, but he was thinking about a profit-making organisation.
When her husband passed on, Namakula returned to Uganda to pursue her dream. She started by singing inspirational songs about HIV/AIDS and children who are suffering, to create awareness.
Namakula also worked with other humanitarian organisations like Maglus Foundation and in 2003, she was started Women at Work International.
The main objective was to help women to have healthy families.
Currently, the organisation works with commercial sex workers, educating them on proper condoms use, voluntary counselling and testing, referrals and prevention of mother-to-child transmition of HIV/AIDS.
Over 700 commercial sex workers benefit from the project in Kampala alone. The project has also extended to Kasese and Hoima districts.
Namakula has also worked with Population Services International under the health ministry, The United Nations Children’s Fund, Ugandan Health Marketing Group, ActionAid and British Council.
Challenges and plans
Namakula says working with commercial sex workers is not easy. Many of them do not open up, especially when it comes to voluntary counselling and testing.
Plans are underway to expand the project, especially in Hoima and Kasese by opening up schools and health centres. Many children of commercial sex workers do not go to school, and many of them are living with HIV.
Namakula’s dream is to always be remembered as someone who helped children and women.
She says her role model is Mrs. Wapakhabulo, who has helped many market vendors access voluntary counselling and testing.
Do you know any woman who has made a difference in her community through innovation, value addition in medicine, research, science and technology? Send your nominations to features@newvision.co.ug, or write to the Features editor, The New Vision, P.O.Box 9815, Kampala
TWENTY-TWO-YEAR-OLD Sylvia Sebyala, a former prostitute and now peer educator with Women at work International, was a commercial sex worker for five years.
Life on the streets was unbearable; some clients would not pay the agreed fee, while others beat her up. As if that was not enough, there was the risk of getting infected with sexually transmitted diseases.
Sylvia became a prostitute after O’level. She was naïve about using condoms and slept with any man without protection. All she could think about was the money. She only had protected sex if a client chose to wear a condom. As a result, she had multiple abortions.
She was first approached by Halima Namakula and advised on how to use condoms and about the stigma and prevention of HIV/AIDS.
Sebyala says Namakula helped her to know that she was risking her life and convinced her to abandon prostitution by teaching her how to make necklaces, envelops and candles. She even gave Sebyala capital to start a business.
Now a born-again Christian, Sebyala has completely abandoned prostitution and she is able to take care of her five-year-old son, pay her rent and feed him through the income she earns from beads sales.
Sebyala says her son is a miracle child because she had attempted to abort him, but Namakula promised to take care of him after citing the dangers of abortion. Sebyala says she is content with her life.
Thirty-year-old Aisha Kyazze has a similar story. She lost her parents and most of her relatives in the village. With no one to help her and her siblings, she ended up on the streets as a commercial sex worker.
She is a single mother of three. In 2006, after she conceived her third child, she did not know she had contracted HIV. After giving birth, she and the baby fell very sick and almost died.
But through a friend whom Women at work International had approached, she was told about the projects and how some HIV-positive women and girls were benefiting. Kyazze was also counselled.
In the beginning, she could not come to terms with the fact that she was positive, but through counselling, she did. Kyazze and her two-year-old baby are now able to access ARVs through Women at work International.
Her health is improving, and she also received training on how to make candles and envelopes.
Women at work International gave her capital to start her business. Kyazze says she will abandon prostitution when her business picks up. Currently, she uses condoms.
How the project started
Back in 1983, Namakula thought of starting a project to help street children and give them a normal life. She told her husband that she wanted to start a humanitarian organisation, but he was thinking about a profit-making organisation.
When her husband passed on, Namakula returned to Uganda to pursue her dream. She started by singing inspirational songs about HIV/AIDS and children who are suffering, to create awareness.
Namakula also worked with other humanitarian organisations like Maglus Foundation and in 2003, she was started Women at Work International.
The main objective was to help women to have healthy families.
Currently, the organisation works with commercial sex workers, educating them on proper condoms use, voluntary counselling and testing, referrals and prevention of mother-to-child transmition of HIV/AIDS.
Over 700 commercial sex workers benefit from the project in Kampala alone. The project has also extended to Kasese and Hoima districts.
Namakula has also worked with Population Services International under the health ministry, The United Nations Children’s Fund, Ugandan Health Marketing Group, ActionAid and British Council.
Challenges and plans
Namakula says working with commercial sex workers is not easy. Many of them do not open up, especially when it comes to voluntary counselling and testing.
Plans are underway to expand the project, especially in Hoima and Kasese by opening up schools and health centres. Many children of commercial sex workers do not go to school, and many of them are living with HIV.
Namakula’s dream is to always be remembered as someone who helped children and women.
She says her role model is Mrs. Wapakhabulo, who has helped many market vendors access voluntary counselling and testing.
Do you know any woman who has made a difference in her community through innovation, value addition in medicine, research, science and technology? Send your nominations to features@newvision.co.ug, or write to the Features editor, The New Vision, P.O.Box 9815, Kampala