MEN find strength when the women aren’t present. That’s what Christopher feels anyway – and he seems to be right.

A few years ago, the local HIV support group in Mathare, Nairobi, was overwhelmingly female, with men accounting for only five per cent of the total. Now, they are meeting en masse – but without the women.

Christopher, 47, struggles to explain why, but says men have repeatedly been more receptive to the single-sex meetings.

“We found there was a gap between what men knew and what women knew and we thought that since men had not been coming out to join the fight against HIV and Aids, our focal point should be men.

“Since the establishment of this support group, we have seen a great decline in stigma and discrimination. More men are coming out in disclosure and we have seen a reduction in risky behaviour.”

It was not, he says, just a matter of getting men to be tested for HIV. The reassurance of the group and the collective support has been essential.

Many of the men were divorcees or had lost their jobs. Self-esteem was low, and had to be treated carefully, “Now, after we have established this support group, we have been able to bridge some of the gaps. Men have cooperated with women from the other support group and brought up children who are HIV negative, even though they, the parents, are positive. This is one of the best achievements of the support groups.

“Through this group, we have encouraged men to disclose, especially to one’s relatives. Before, they used just to continue with their risky behaviours. They were practising casual sex. Through here and group counselling, they have been able to reduce risky behaviour positively, including adherence to their drugs.

“That’s why you can see their faces are shining – because they are just as okay as anyone else.”

Gavin Aitchison travelled to Kenya with Christian Aid, to witness the charity's work with HIV victims and to meet those on the front-line in the fight against the virus.

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• Christian Aid’s Christmas appeal this year is focused on HIV, marking the 30th anniversary of the discovery of the virus.

If you would like to donate to Christian Aid’s Christmas Appeal, or would like to find out more about its work on health and HIV, visit christianaid.org.uk/christmas or call 0845 7000 300.