Alice Opiyo was born in Nairobi but grew up in Nakuru, Kenya. After studying counselling, she started her career as a social worker with a special focus on HIV. Alice returned to school again where she’s currently pursuing a degree in development studies. She is now doing a marvellous job in her outreach worker position at one of our most populated Blue Boxes in Salgaa, Kenya.
Before working for North Star, Alice was working for another organisation. She made the switch when North Star and her former company worked together on an outreach project related to sex work. The Salgaa Blue Box is opened from 12pm to 8pm for 6 days a week, and Alice always comes to work a bit early to go around the clinic and reach out to clients before the clinic opens. Her current focus is on keeping up with the quality of services given and on using her outreach skills with truck drivers and female sex workers in nearby HIV hotspots.
At the top of her daily tasks, Alice is she’s often involved in workshops organised by her colleagues at Salgaa and other Eastern Blue Boxes. The most recent workshop was about Gender Based Violence (GBV), where several stakeholders gathered to discuss and find concrete solutions to decrease violence towards female sex workers. Even though she is sometimes overwhelmed by her patients’ requests, Alice enjoys her daily interactions with her clients and is always delighted when a client’s need has been successfully met.
Always keen on keeping a positive state of mind, Alice is described by her friends as cheerful, focused and hardworking. When she is not doing outreach for North Star, Alice leads tuberculosis support groups, supporting people affected by the disease, increasing understanding of TB and helping victims to overcome it.
Alice wishes that people knew more about how much positive change North Star’s work can bring to people and about the range of services offered– from primary health care to HIV testing and counselling. Alice also emphasizes that her colleagues at North Star are truly concerned and committed to bringing the best services possible to our patients.
Which of North Star’s PIQuE core values (People, Integrity, Quality, Entrepreneurial Spirit) do you most identify with, and why?
Entrepreneurial Spirit. l picked it because l believe for an organization to grow, its very important for me as an individual to come up with idea or even tips that can enhance growth in the organization, and also being that I am the one implementing the projects on the ground, I am suited to identify the strengths and the weaknesses in various areas of implementation.
