![[DRC] Two prisoners in Osio prison wait behind bars for a second chance of freedom by the court of appeals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, May 2006. After years of civil war and decades of unrest, the country’s infrastructure has almost complet](https://assets.thenewhumanitarian.org/s3fs-public/styles/responsive_large_2x/public/images/200662819.jpg.webp?itok=OfMZXVwn "Two prisoners in Osio prison wait behind bars for a second chance of freedom by the court of appeals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, May 2006.")
On a sweltering afternoon in the crowded courtyard of Lodwar Prison, in northern Kenya's remote Turkana district, inmates jostle for positions on the floor, enraptured by rare entertainment - a short film to educate them about HIV/AIDS.
"The [AIDS] education is very important for our prisoners. Everyone needs to know what it is, and every human being has to know and be enlightened," said Julius Krapus, the officer in charge of Lodwar Prison.
Most awareness campaigns consist of posters, leaflets or other written material, but the literacy rate in Turkana is among the lowest in Kenya and many prisoners can neither read nor write, restricting their ability to fully understand the threat of the disease.
To counter this, the prison has resorted to showing a film about two colleagues who choose different paths in life: one takes the AIDS message to heart and stops his womanising ways; the other continues having risky sexual encounters, becomes HIV-positive and subsequently infects his wife, who passes the virus on to their child.
The few who understand English translate the dated film's dialogue for their fellow inmates, and the message of the powerful drama causes many to reflect on their own lives.
"I knew there was such a thing [as HIV/AIDS] but did not know that it acted like that," said Benjamin Akwono. "I will have to think more about my behaviour when I leave here and return to my family."
But Joseph Abong is sceptical about what impact, if any, the film will have. "Although we have seen this video, some will not change their attitudes. People don't want to wear condoms and only have one partner - it is not our way."
Ruth Eripete, a counsellor with a mobile voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) unit run by Merlin, a UK-based healthcare nongovernmental organisation, said one of the benefits of educating prisoners was that after their release they would carry the message to people in remote areas of northern Kenya, which government and relief agencies often could not reach because of poor roads and sporadic ethnic clashes.
The prison, built to hold 112 inmates, now regularly accommodates more than 300 prisoners accused of crimes ranging from murder to cattle rustling and petty theft. Merlin has visited the prison twice to conduct HIV/AIDS education and provide VCT.
According to government statistics, Turkana's HIV prevalence is 11.4 percent, twice the national average.
Wife inheritance, in which a widow is expected to marry a male relative of her deceased husband, is a tradition conducive to the spread of HIV/AIDS and still widely practised. Many people in the predominantly pastoralist communities of Turkana also believed AIDS only existed in urban areas and could not affect them, Eripete told IRIN PlusNews.
"We have tried as many times as possible to sensitise people to this disease, but people don't change their attitude," Krapus commented. "So we stress to them that this disease is there and it's real and it is killing people. Still, though, most here are adamant - they don't believe it will happen here, and it won't happen to them."
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"The [AIDS] education is very important for our prisoners. Everyone needs to know what it is, and every human being has to know and be enlightened," said Julius Krapus, the officer in charge of Lodwar Prison.
Most awareness campaigns consist of posters, leaflets or other written material, but the literacy rate in Turkana is among the lowest in Kenya and many prisoners can neither read nor write, restricting their ability to fully understand the threat of the disease.
To counter this, the prison has resorted to showing a film about two colleagues who choose different paths in life: one takes the AIDS message to heart and stops his womanising ways; the other continues having risky sexual encounters, becomes HIV-positive and subsequently infects his wife, who passes the virus on to their child.
The few who understand English translate the dated film's dialogue for their fellow inmates, and the message of the powerful drama causes many to reflect on their own lives.
"I knew there was such a thing [as HIV/AIDS] but did not know that it acted like that," said Benjamin Akwono. "I will have to think more about my behaviour when I leave here and return to my family."
But Joseph Abong is sceptical about what impact, if any, the film will have. "Although we have seen this video, some will not change their attitudes. People don't want to wear condoms and only have one partner - it is not our way."
Ruth Eripete, a counsellor with a mobile voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) unit run by Merlin, a UK-based healthcare nongovernmental organisation, said one of the benefits of educating prisoners was that after their release they would carry the message to people in remote areas of northern Kenya, which government and relief agencies often could not reach because of poor roads and sporadic ethnic clashes.
The prison, built to hold 112 inmates, now regularly accommodates more than 300 prisoners accused of crimes ranging from murder to cattle rustling and petty theft. Merlin has visited the prison twice to conduct HIV/AIDS education and provide VCT.
According to government statistics, Turkana's HIV prevalence is 11.4 percent, twice the national average.
Wife inheritance, in which a widow is expected to marry a male relative of her deceased husband, is a tradition conducive to the spread of HIV/AIDS and still widely practised. Many people in the predominantly pastoralist communities of Turkana also believed AIDS only existed in urban areas and could not affect them, Eripete told IRIN PlusNews.
"We have tried as many times as possible to sensitise people to this disease, but people don't change their attitude," Krapus commented. "So we stress to them that this disease is there and it's real and it is killing people. Still, though, most here are adamant - they don't believe it will happen here, and it won't happen to them."
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This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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