WiRED International Education Program Helps Kenyan Man Beat Alcohol Abuse
BY ALLISON KOZICHAROW; EDITED BY BERNICE BORN
A man we’ll call George lives in Kisumu, a poverty-stricken area in western Kenya. Now age 30, he developed a drinking problem when just a teenager. His alcohol abuse led to unemployment and unprotected sex with prostitutes. He even drank so much he set his grandfather’s house on fire.
George turned to the Kisumu Urban Apostolic Programme (KUAP), which uses WiRED medical and health education modules to teach the surrounding community members about disease and healthy practices. He credited WiRED’s “free computer learning” and counseling for the strength to quit alcohol.
George reported that he learned about alcohol abuse and gained self-confidence through the WiRED program. He took many WiRED courses, including modules on HIV AIDS, malaria, prostate cancer and cervical cancer. He got tested and found out that he was HIV negative—unlike many of his friends whose alcohol abuse contributed to their having unprotected sex.
George said, “Now I am free [from] alcohol addict[ion] and I will also be in a position to help those who are still having problem[s] in drinking alcohol.”
WiRED offers—and is in the process of updating and adding—modules on alcohol and substance abuse. All WiRED materials are free and easily downloaded to computers or flash drives.