Leadership Training for Girls in Rural Kenya

Our afterschool Health and Leadership Training Program educates boys and girls on comprehensive sexual and reproductive health, the dangers of FGM and child marriage, as well as advocacy and communication skills. Last year, it was taught across 30 schools in two counties; this year, we expanded to 40 schools. We revised the curriculum to be taught over three years after analyzing feedback from participants, school officials, and teachers. The updated curriculum, which starts at fifth grade and builds on content year by year, is being taught by 43 trained facilitators to 8,471 boys and girls. The revised curriculum also builds in greater engagement opportunities for teachers and parents to help reinforce lessons and invest in their children’s learning with the expected outcome of programmatic sustainability. 

To better support program participants as they navigate the complex issues of health and adolescence, we distributed sanitary pads to the girls and boxers to the boys so they can comfortably manage their hygiene needs. As the program continues throughout the year, our goal is to empower this generation with knowledge about their health and rights while inspiring them to become gender equality champions in their communities. 

Along with the Health and Leadership Training program, we have conducted a number of community outreach events this year. For the International Day of the African Child in June, we partnered with peer organizations such as Good People, Compassion International, and Flourish to hold a community-wide celebration at a neighboring school. 700 community members heard from our partners and speakers from the Judiciary, Children's Department, and Probation Department on the importance of advocating for children's rights. Through events like these, we generate local buy-in and create spaces for community members to learn about our work and share feedback. 

Finally, our youth-friendly health clinic, the Kakenya Health and Wellness Center, officially launched on July 12th! The grand opening of the center, the first of its kind in the community, was attended by over 1,000 individuals. We welcomed the Narok County Governor, H.E. Patrick K. Ole Ntutu, as the guest of honor, as well as other government leaders, including Kilgoris Member of Parliament, the Hon. Julius Sunkuli, and Keyian Member of County Assembly, the Hon. Mark Mukut. Throughout our guests’ speeches, the importance of access to healthcare, which is extremely limited in the rural areas we serve, was highlighted repeatedly. Alongside lack of access, people’s knowledge about their reproductive and sexual health is often minimal or distorted due to its taboo status. This leads to higher rates of teen pregnancy, harmful practices, and adverse health outcomes, such as the transmission of HIV from mother to child. 

Along with primary care, our clinic will emphasize adolescent health with mental health resources, contraceptives, and sexual and reproductive health education activities. We were thrilled to open the doors on June 25th (before the grand opening) to our first patients and start bringing much-needed care to the young women and surrounding communities we serve. Since officially opening, the clinic has already served over 130 patients.  

Thank you to the GlobalGiving community. Your generosity is transforming centuries-old gender biased ideology and harmful traditional practices towards gender equality. Thousands of girls and boys are becoming empowered to advocate for themselves, their health, and their rights. We are deeply grateful for you and excited to keep sharing updates with you!

Over the past few years, feedback from school partner officials and teachers has indicated that our Health and Leadership Training Program curriculum produces positive participant outcomes for school attendance, class engagement, and attitudinal shifts towards greater gender equality. Still, deeper reinforcement is needed to fundamentally transform community gender and social norms. As a result, we revised the current six to eight-month curriculum to be taught over three years, adjusting it to be age-appropriate and unique to each grade level, beginning with grade five this year. The revised curriculum also builds in greater engagement opportunities for teachers and parents to help reinforce lessons and invest in their children’s learning with the expected outcome of programmatic sustainability. 

From January to March, our program team met with community leaders and local education officials in Narok and Kisii Counties to determine new school partners for our Health and Leadership Training Program. In late March, the program with the updated curriculum began at 40 public schools with 43 trainers to reach over 8,471 young girls and boys. 

Along with the Health and Leadership Training afterschool program, our Linda Dada (“Protect a Sister”) Campaign continues to reach community members with awareness and prevention dialogue on harmful traditional practices and gender-based violence. The campaign originally launched in Fall 2020 in response to the alarming rise of teen pregnancies from the school closures of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, we have reached 7,103 individuals through monthly discussion forums and over 800,000 indirectly through media and radio campaigns.

Where we work, 66% of girls have undergone FGM and 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.  To catalyze the productive conversations we are having with local communities, we hosted our first ever youth-led Linda Dada session in Kisii County last month. Over 400 boys and girls showed up to engage in vital discussion on FGM, child marriage, and teenage pregnancy. Youth representatives were given the opportunity to share with parents about the challenges they experience in adolescence. By providing a platform for young people to openly discuss the issues they face, we are encouraging healthy, open communication at home and empowering young people to advocate for themselves.

Finally, our youth-friendly health clinic, the first of its kind in the community, is almost ready to open! In the rural areas we serve, access to healthcare is extremely limited and people’s knowledge about their reproductive and sexual health is often minimal or distorted due to its taboo status. This leads to higher rates of teen pregnancy, harmful practices, and adverse health outcomes. Along with primary care, our clinic will emphasize adolescent health with mental health resources, contraceptives, and sexual and reproductive health education activities. Over the past year, we have been outfitting it with medical equipment, hiring staff, and acquiring the necessary government permits. A grand opening is planned for July, and we can’t wait!  

Thank you to the GlobalGiving community. Your generosity is transforming centuries-old gender biased ideology and harmful traditional practices towards gender equality. Thousands of girls and boys are becoming empowered to advocate for themselves, their health, and their rights. We are deeply grateful for you and excited to keep sharing updates with you!