Community treatment of 77 addicted Kenyan Clients

Activities
Since our October 2022 report, KAP Staffs and 5 Community Recovery Coaches continued assisting about 40 clients with alcohol and substance abuse problems. They mainly live in the Kitale shanty areas of Matisi: Soko Moko, Folkland and Mitume. 
Most have been beneficiaries of our community-based treatment activities for more than a year now, but some were new - often abusing people invited by their recovering friends. 
There have been once monthly continuous education sessions with KAP, and regular home-visits by the Recovery Coaches, some family therapy sessions, and several professional counselling sessions. Others were assisted in finding health care at the hospital. 
The Recovery Coaches also continued their monthly supervision sessions with KAP's professional counsellors. 

Challenges
Four Clients have been very sick; One of them unfortunately passed away. Despite their often young age, the chequered history of our recovering friends often also reflects in their many physical health challenges. This is further complicated by poverty. Thus two clients nearly defaulted (again) on their AntiRetroviral (ARVs: for HIV infection) and Tuberculosis treatments: These medications on an empty stomach is unbearable. Thanks to the alertness and care of our Community Recovery Coaches and some kind donations of a few local and external well-wishers we were able to provide some temporary assistance, until their health recovered and our clients could return to their small income generating activities.  

Real Hope and New Life
Several Clients are doing very well and have managed to maintain their sobriety for quite a long time now. Four Clients want to stop but are hindered by their work: They are brewers themselves and lack startup capital for alternative ventures. 

All are very grateful for the attention and friendship they receive, and for our helping talks and counselling when adddresing their often enormous family issues and pressures of society. We are often amazed by the resilience our Clients are able to build up with the relatively little attention and care from us. Several have made new and genuine friends. An example is the neighbour who cared for more than a week with our Client in the hospital, when she was on oxygen and semi-conscious. 
Many have seen from experience that also for them there is hope, and have come to believe that "you never fail as long as you keep trying". 

THANK YOU!
We most sincerely thank our few faithful and wonderful donors!!
Without you the support for our Clients would not have been possible.
However, the implementation of our GlobalGiving plan has been limited due to less than planned support. We have not yet been able to start a new group, even though several new candidates have already been identified. For many crucial activities we have had to use our limited emergency (spare) funds: Stopping these activities too early has the real risk of relapse into addiction of our friends. 

A kind but urgent invitation...
We therefore kindly and urgently invite everyone to help us heal and bring life to the many forgotten members of our society!
 

• KAP Financial Report 01.05.2022 - 31.12.2022 (PDF)
  

WITH YOUR SUPPORT KAP KEEPS GOING!
We are most grateful to have so far received $667 out of our goal of $29,185. An additional $580 was provided for this project through other sources. Thus in the past four months, even though with reduced intensity, we were able to continue with the care and treatment of 46 of our Clients already under KAP’s community-based treatment.
For this we thank you wholeheartedly!
Whereas this has been a great relief, our current balance of funds is approaching nil, which is a cause of sincere worry. Stopping our activities too early greatly risks relapse of our Clients. This would be the scenario when KAP's funds would run out. Considering the heartwarming good impact we see, we very much wish to prevent this at all cost! As soon as sufficient more donations come in, we will be able to also start the treatment our new group of Clients.
We kindly but urgently invite everyone to support our life-saving activities, and to learn that addiction is a chronic disorder, not a personal failure. There is a human face and story behind every example, and there is real hope and evidence that addiction recovery is possible and can change one’s life.

IMPACT 1
William is a young man in his early twenties who lost his parents when he was still young. After his parents’ death, life became very difficult because he went to live with relatives who were socioeconomically poor and couldn’t sufficiently provide for all his basic needs prompting him to leave school at an early age to fend for himself.

          Despite the many challenges, William mentored himself and began practicing painting through the help of friends. He went on and sharpened his skills and at times would earn some cash through arts and painting houses. William seemed to be doing well until peer pressure and other life’s frustrations came knocking and he started using drugs and alcohol as a way of coping and passing time.
          A few years later, he sank deeper into the alcohol and addiction world to an extent of using all the money he earned in his painting and other casual work to satisfy his drugs and alcohol thirst. Things went out of hand and he could at times end up spending nights at police custody over drunkenness and disorderly charges.
          Fortunately, William found help when he was invited to attend KAP’s Steps to Healthy Living training in the Matisi area and after successfully completing both phase one and two sessions, he decided to commit himself to the recovery program. He is nowadays a sober person and takes care of his younger brothers through his painting work. The area chief Janet one time testified that she knew William’s family and the struggles they had faced since the death of his parents and she was delighted that he is now a changed and focused person. 

ACTIVITIES AND PEOPLE REACHED
From May through September 2022 five of KAP's Recovery Coaches (also called 'Steps TOTs': 2 women & 3 men) made (minimal, repeated) 87 HOME-VISITS  to minimal 44 Clients. Out of these 21 were female and 23 male. Out of this group 19 were youths, with 9 female and 10 male. 

The groups assisted were IN THE KITALE SHANTY-TOWN AREAS of Matisi/Tiwani (the 'Nyota Group'), Folkland (group), Soko Moko (group) and the Matisi Community of Hope group.

There also were 11 REFRESHER WORKSHOPS/MEETINGS with the Soko Moko and Folkland groups and for the Community of Hope Group. We much appreciate the continued free provision of venues for these sessions by the Abundant Life Church and the Covenant of Grace Church.

There also were several ONE-ON-ONE COUNSELLING- AND FAMILY THERAPY SESSIONS by KAP Staffs.

Three COUNSELLING SUPERVISION SESSIONS with KAP’s Recovery Coaches and 1 KAP professional Counsellor were held at the KAP Offices in May 2022, June, July and September 2022. Our Recovery Coaches go many extra miles to help their neighbors, sometimes at great personal cost. For this the supervision sessions provide debriefing, relief and guidance.

There also was PROVISION OF SURGICAL FACE MASKS for Corona prevention, when needed.

Altogether, the above mentioned KAP's 'Steps Groups' consist of 66 members/Clients.

During July and August 2022 several clients were not available due to their attendance of political rallies with monetary hand-outs. By September all had returned.

During the period most sadly two clients died, mainly due to their long-term abuse/addiction-related health problems. The medical problems of Clients required some additional funding as, despite intensive efforts to involve family members and waiving of treatment fees, the Clients are often not able to pay themselves. 

At the end of September 2022 KAP moved to its new offices on Laini Member, in Kitale. This beautiful new location is a great opportunity for further strengthening our activities!

ADDITIONAL POSITIVE OUTCOMES
Besides more than half of our clients regaining sobriety, other notable positive changes are the improvement of their general health and tidiness. Five Clients who had defaulted on their ARV (HIV/AIDS Anti Retroviral) (and TB) treatment are now faithful users. Most clients are also looking for positively supportive groups and turning away from destructive ‘friends’. Several have found creative alternative means of income: Making and selling bracelets, toys, soap, soup, vegetables and fruits or farming. It is touching to see how the clients care for and help each other. 

CHALLENGES & KAP’s COUNTER MEASURES
Of course relapse is always threatening in the abusive living environment of our Clients, especially due to continued stress, anxiety, and old friends trying to tempt with old ways. Most clients also need much support in addressing feelings of shame and trauma, to re-establish purpose in life and adopt new lifestyles, repair old relationships and build new, constructive ones. Fortunately all of these issues get intensive attention in KAP’s training/treatment.

This is done through treatment sessions for KAP’s Clients, but also by involving family and significant others, assessing progress through use of the CAGE and AUDIT tools, engaging Clients in useful activities, and by providing intensive monitoring and follow-up visits. 

IMPACT - 2
Julias – in his mid-thirties - has been in recovery for almost two years now. From being a feared and most unhealthy, severely abusing man, he is now sober, with his wife returned and respected by his neighbors. He has built his own small mud house, and is proud of making beautiful toys for a living. Even though these have not made him a wealthy man, he has made sure to also involve others in his new happiness, even turning his small business into a group venture for those with similar problems.
          Some months ago Julias took home a youngster whom he found sleeping at a nearby drinking den – overwhelmed by alcohol abuse, sick and hungry and said: “Even though I only have very little to share, I do have a roof for over your head”. His new young friend has since joined KAP’s treatment group and has made a promising start with his journey towards healthy living. 

WITH HOPE AND DETERMINATION IN OUR EFFORTS TOWARDS HELPING OUR CLIENTS REGAIN THEIR HEALTH, DIGNITY AND LIFE, WE WARMLY INVITE YOU TO JOIN OUR FIGHT.

YOUR DONATIONS REMAIN MOST AND URGENTLY WELCOME!

• GlobalGiving.2 KAP Financial Report for Oct 2022 (DOCX)