Leadership Training for Girls in Rural Kenya

Our Health and Leadership Training program, which is conducted over six months through an afterschool workshop delivery model, concluded last November. A total of 890 girls and 915 boys, spread throughout 15 primary schools, were reached with our curriculum. This curriculum has nine topics for boys and 10 topics for girls that cover a range of issues, including gender equality, harmful traditional practices, sexual violence, sexual and reproductive health, leadership, healthy communication and relationships, and life skills.

In order to properly evaluate the students’ learnings and to identify areas for improvement, a baseline survey was distributed at the start of the program and followed by an endline survey. A high level summary of the results include: 

•  An increase in the proportion of students who felt satisfied with themselves, valued, and worthy of respect, indicating greater levels of self-esteem and self-confidence after they completed the program.
• An increase in the proportion of students who agreed with statements on children’s rights, like the right to education, the right to play, and the right to receive help and care.
• A decline in the proportion of students who agreed with statements that endorsed gender discrimination and traditional attitudes of bias for boys over girls.

In addition to the student data collected via the base and endline surveys, we regularly received feedback from other stakeholders involved in the program.  Throughout the six months of the Health and Leadership Training program in 2021, our peer trainers reported increasing levels of student enthusiasm for the curriculum and eagerness to delve into socially sensitive topics, like reproductive and sexual health, gender violence, and puberty. Parents also shared that their children were more transparent about issues they faced in conversations at home. Given the strong stigma that surrounds many of the topics students learn about in our curriculum, the presence of these conversations and open attitudes of both students and parents is an exciting development for the progress of gender equity in the communities we serve. 

Under our Linda Dada (“Protect a Sister” in Swahili) campaign, which addresses the rise of teen pregnancy from the COVID-19 pandemic through community intervention, we held monthly sessions throughout the past year for parents, local community leaders, and adolescent youth.  At these sessions, participants discussed strategies for prevention and awareness, with a focus on issues of child rights violations such as female genital mutilation (FGM) and gender-based violence (GBV), and cyclical, intergenerational poverty as a consequence of teen pregnancy and early marriage. 

Additionally, resources on the importance of adolescent health and responsible family planning were provided at each session. Since launching the campaign in December 2020, 1,153 community members have participated. Given the high levels of positive engagement and feedback that facilitators received throughout the year from attendees, we are excited to expand the campaign to two other surrounding communities this year to reach an additional 2,200 direct beneficiaries.

As 2022 continues, we look forward to providing further updates to our GlobalGiving supporters!

Since starting the second year of our revamped Health and Leadership Training program in May, we have reached over 1,800 participants in 15 schools across Narok County, bringing our total reach to almost 16,000 girls and boys over the past decade. The trainings, which are spread out into a six-month after-school program, teach boys and girls a number of important health and gender issues, including human rights, reproductive health, child marriage, self defense, and public speaking. This year we trained 36 facilitators to teach the curriculum. These facilitators, some of whom are former Health and Leadership Training participants, work hard to desensitize their students on these topics, which are considered taboo in rural communities.

One facilitator, Purity, is excited to see her students embrace the material, saying, “Our first lesson in the curriculum was on puberty and adolescence. Students were so quiet and shy they could not discuss the topic amongst themselves. But by the time we started the second lesson on menstruation and pregnancy, the class was so active. They had so many questions we ended up extending the lesson in order to respond to them all.” Thanks to the dedication of Purity and our other facilitators, we are empowering young people in the community with knowledge in these areas to prevent harmful cultural practices like female genital mutilation (FGM) and discourage risky teen behaviors.

The Linda Dada (“Protect a Sister” in Swahili) campaign, which is an extension of our Health and Leadership Training program, combats rising teen pregnancy rates in response to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting in December 2020, we organized monthly training sessions for young people and parents to educate and reduce the stigma around topics of teenage pregnancy, sexual exploitation, HIV/AIDS, and STIs. To date, we have reached 986 participants through a total of 11 sessions. Working with local radio and television stations, we also broadcasted information to 325,000 listeners and viewers. Two more training sessions are planned for the end of this year. For 2022, we will partner with other community-based nonprofits, faith-based organizations, and government agencies to expand into two additional subdivisions to reach over 2,200 direct participants.

We look forward to sharing more updates on our Health and Leadership Training and Linda Dada campaign with you in the new year!