By Cavine Olima | Monitoring and Evaluation Officer
Make Me Smile – Kenya has been supporting Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) in Kisumu County by providing a series of interventions to address their risk towards early and unplanned pregnancies and new HIV infections. This has been delivered through numerous strategies including Mentorship sessions for the AGYW, sexual reproductive health and rights sessions and social protection interventions that combines education support, gender based violence response and financial literacy.
During the reporting period, the project successfully conducted 564 mentorship sessions for adolescents’ girls, providing beneficiaries with structured guidance, emotional support, and life-skills development. These mentorship sessions strengthened adolescents’ self-esteem, coping mechanisms, and motivation to remain in school despite challenges related to stigma, early motherhood, and health risks. Beneficiaries reported increased confidence in managing their dual roles as students and young mothers, as well as improved peer support networks that reinforced positive behaviour change and educational aspirations.
In addition, 124 adolescents were reached through Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) sensitization sessions, enhancing their knowledge of HIV prevention, reproductive health, and access to youth-friendly health services. To further reduce financial barriers to education, 199 pregnant and breastfeeding adolescents received school fees and scholastic support, including essential learning materials. This support directly contributed to reduced absenteeism and improved school attendance, ensuring that adolescent mothers were able to resume and sustain their education without interruption. Overall, the project made measurable progress toward improving educational outcomes and reducing vulnerability to HIV among pregnant and breastfeeding adolescents in Kisumu County.
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