Gender Equality Kenya Project #8914

Leadership Training for Girls in Rural Kenya

by Kakenya's Dream

Leadership Training for Girls in Rural Kenya

Project Report | Oct 6, 2023
Building our Community's Commitment to Gender Equality

By Emma Wen | Development Coordinator

Celebrating the Day of the African Child in June

Since May, our afterschool Health and Leadership Training Program has been taught across 30 schools in two counties, the Narok and Kisii Counties. Once the program concludes in November, 5,638 girls and boys will be educated on comprehensive sexual and reproductive health, the dangers of female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriage, and trained in advocacy and communication skills.

Over the past five months, staff have met regularly with the peer trainers that teach the curriculum to collect their feedback and provide support. Trainers have reported active student engagement and increased curiosity to discuss typically taboo topics like abuse or child marriage. Teachers have also noticed positive changes in students, such as greater confidence and eagerness to participate in class activities and higher school attendance rates. We are thrilled to see these young people’s enthusiasm and hunger to learn about their bodies, health, and rights! As the program winds down for the year, our staff will be preparing for next year’s implementation by tailoring the curriculum to be grade appropriate for different ages. They will also build more engagement opportunities into the curriculum for students’ teachers and parents to help reinforce lessons and invest in their children’s learning.

On June 17 for the Day of the African Child (DAC), we partnered with six peer organizations and the local Ministry of Education to host an event that raised awareness of children’s rights. 1,110 students, parents, and community members heard speeches from Irene Kemunto, the acting Deputy County Commissioner for our sub-county, and Naserian, a student from our boarding high school, on the need for holistic community support to protect children’s rights, especially for girls. Local TV and radio stations broadcasted the event with our message reaching thousands of viewers and listeners. Throughout the month of June, members of our staff also went on local radio talk shows to raise awareness on child rights, reaching an estimated total of 500,000 listeners. By using both in-person and media platforms to share about our work and the issues we tackle, we can effect positive changes in social norms around girls’ education with local youth and community members.

The Linda Dada (“Protect a Sister”) campaign, which is housed under our Health and Leadership Program, was launched in Fall 2020 to bring awareness and prevention of teenage pregnancy among community members like parents, local community and religious leaders, and out-of-school youth. To date, we have reached 4,416 individuals through monthly discussion forums and 825,000 indirectly through media and radio campaigns. The issue of teenage pregnancy and harmful practices like FGM remain prevalent in the counties where we operate. In fact, 66% of girls have undergone FGM and in Narok County alone, 28% of girls have experienced pregnancy–nearly twice the country average of 15% (2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey). The campaign, along with our other advocacy and awareness initiatives, fosters community dialogue and destigmatizes taboo topics like teenage pregnancy, sexual health, and FGM to shift community attitudes towards greater gender equality.

We are deeply grateful for people like you in the GlobalGiving community. Your continued support means that thousands of girls, boys, and community members are being empowered with critical health education. As 2023 comes to an end, we look forward to sharing the impact of your generosity in the months ahead!

Students learning in a H&L session

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Jun 14, 2023
Expanding our Commitment to Community Health

By Jack Leist | Communications and Development Intern

Menstrual Hygiene Day celebration

Our Health and Leadership Training Program teaches boys and girls about reproductive health, GBV prevention, and self-advocacy skills through after-school workshops. In 2022, these trainings reached a total of 4,786 students. Now, only halfway through 2023, we have already reached more than 5,600, which represents an increase of 17%. To support this growth, we trained 114 young men and women to teach the program, who also gain valuable professional development experience amidst high youth unemployment in Kenya.

On May 28, as part of our Health and Leadership programming, we hosted a community-wide event in celebration of Menstrual Hygiene Day. The event was attended by more than 300 girls from four local schools, who received free sanitary pads and hygiene products as well as key information about their menstrual health. In total, we distributed 1,200 packages of menstrual hygiene products. In Kenya, rates of period poverty — defined as the lack of access to adequate menstrual products, facilities, and education — are high. An estimated 65% of Kenyan women and girls are unable to afford sanitary pads, and when they are forced to use unsanitary alternatives, they become vulnerable to infection and disease. This, paired with stigmas surrounding menstruation, can also impact their education: across sub-Saharan Africa, an estimated 1 in 10 girls misses school during her menstrual cycle, which equates to roughly 20% of the school year.

Late last year, we finished construction of the community’s first youth-friendly health clinic. This month, we hired a Clinical Officer to oversee operations, and we are working to fully outfit the clinic with the proper equipment and additional staff. The clinic has an anticipated soft opening later this year with an official launch planned for 2024; we are expecting 3,000-5,000 people to be served in its first year. While it will focus on youth-friendly healthcare, including sexual and reproductive health services and counseling, the clinic will also provide primary health services like dental and eye healthcare to support the whole community.

As we continue to expand our commitment to health services and education, we remain deeply grateful to supporters like you who make it all possible. Your generosity supports thousands of girls and their communities, providing them with life-changing access to health care, hygiene products, and reproductive education. Thank you for your continued partnership; we can’t wait to share more updates with you in the next report!

Completed construction of the Health Clinic

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Feb 21, 2023
Raising Awareness for Health and Human Rights

By Jack Leist | Communications & Development Intern

Crossing the finish line on World AIDS Day

On December 1, World AIDS Day, we hosted a sporting event to raise awareness about the spread of deadly disease in the communities we serve. Hundreds of community members came to run the races (which ranged from 10 KM cross-country events to 100 M sack races), with the winners bringing home prizes like backpacks, thermoses, and even sheep and goats! Raising awareness about HIV/AIDS remains an urgent concern in our community, especially for youth. As of 2020, an estimated 1.5 million Kenyans were living with HIV, with 61% of all new cases being adolescents and young people. Of that group, 67% are girls and young women.

The following week, beginning on December 5, our Linda Dada (“Protect a Sister” in Swahili) campaign held four outreach forums in the surrounding community. These forums reached a total of 292 youth, who learned about reproductive health, teen pregnancy, child marriage, and FGM—information that is especially important in the wake of COVID-19 lockdowns and the subsequent surge in unintended pregnancies and sexual violence.

Over the course of 2022, our Health and Leadership Training program reached a total of 4,786 youth (2,614 girls and 2,172 boys), which represented an increase of around 260% from 2021. We intend to continue this growth in the new year. In preparation for our 2023 programming, our field staff have been working closely with Kenya’s Ministry of Education. We are happy to announce that the number of participating schools is anticipated to increase this year, from 28 to 30!

None of this growth would be possible with our supporters. Thanks to your dedication, more and more young people are gaining access to life-changing health education and key healthcare resources. Thank you for your continued partnership; we look forward to sharing more updates with you in our next report!

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