Towards Effective Support Communication Strategies for Socially Marginalized Groups: A Study of HIV/AIDS Orphan Caregivers in Nairobi

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the perceptions caregivers have of HIV/AIDS orphans in Nairobi, identify the communication strategies the caregivers use and investigate the relationship, if any, between caregivers percep- tions and communication strategies they use. A questionnaire with 45 questions was designed to identify attitudes, percep- tions and communication strategies that the HIV/AIDS orphan caregivers used. This method was deemed appropriate in providing the means for acquiring the data. A total of 89 questionnaires were distributed among 12 childcare centers in Nairobi. There was a 94.3% return rate. The questions were coded, and using the SPSS 10.0 for windows, the data were keyed in a computer, analyzed and inter- preted. Six people were interviewed for triangulation purposes. Among the key findings of the study were: A caregiver was mostly a Kenyan, Christian, aged between 18 and 35 years, with secondary or college education, preferring to use English for daily communication, and most likely, female. Caregivers in Nairobi childcare centers hold certain perceptions of HIV/ AIDS orphans, and these include: HIV/AIDS orphans are not dirty, they are not cursed by God, and they are loved and given good care. With regard to communication strategies such as verbal, non-verbal, and interpersonal, most caregivers of HIV/AIDS orphans in Nairobi agreed that they spoke to HIV/AIDS orphans with a soft tone of voice, and that they got very close to the HIV/AIDS orphans while offering care. From the findings of the research, the future of the care giving is bright. Caregivers of HIV/AIDS orphans in Nairobi expressed positive attitudes toward the orphans. The enthusiasm to offer care to HIV/AIDS orphans is articulate. This implies that caregivers are making the best possible attempts to ensure that HIV/AIDS orphans are cared for well, using the relevant communication strategies because they have positive perceptions regarding HIV/AIDS orphans.