DSW mobilizes Kenyan youth to champion for resource allocation for family planning

Blog | 12. May 2016

DSW mobilized 34 youth to participate in the budget making forums in eight counties in Kenya.

The youth, drawn from Kilifi, Mombasa, Laikipia and Uasin Gishu Counties, made a case for their development needs.

The youth from Laikipia and Mombasa Counties asked for construction of youth friendly centres in their counties. Those from Uasin Gishu asked for a specific budget line to be indicated in the county budget, while those from Laikipia county asked for resources to be allocated for construction of a health facility

The budget forums, held in month of April, are held to give citizens an opportunity to meet up with their county government and communicate their development priorities.

These activities are part of DSW’s SHAPE (Securing Health through Advocacy and People’s Empowerment) project.

The three-year SHAPE project aims to mobilize more and better funds from key European donors (Germany and The European Union) as well as from East African governments (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda) to support family planning.

Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevölkerung (DSW)

Youth Organized and Engaged Project (YOEP)

DSW is committed to addressing the needs of young people in Kenya through the Youth Organised and Engaged Project (YOEP). This 24-month project aims to strengthen the youth infrastructure of YECs and YCs to effectively implement and sustain SRHR programmes in Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi, Nairobi, Migori and West Pokot counties.

The project directly benefits six YECs and 20 YCs whose members are young people aged between 15 and 24 (50% male, 50% female) from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. The six YECs are located in six counties where DSW Kenya is already active: Kwale, Mombasa, Kilifi, Nairobi, Migori and West Pokot. The Youth Organised and Engaged Project is in line with DSW’s YESA approach and DSW Kenya’s 2023 – 2025 strategy document and focuses on motivating the target group to change behaviour and prepare the YECs and YCs for participation in further projects.

Miriam Riechers

Key activities

Training the six YECs in leadership and management skills;

Provide equipment and infrastructure support to YECs;

Training of master trainers for peer educators on SRHR;

Support youth clubs to train peer educators for their members;

Training the 20 youth clubs in entrepreneurial skills.

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Plannable support for young people

Direct to Consumer Contraceptives (D2C)

D2C’s project objective is to promote and support the provision of contraceptive services and commodities to 30 percent of young people aged 18-24 in Njoro and Gilgil sub-counties of Nakuru County by the end of the project period.

The D2C project aims to educate young people about the responsible use of modern contraceptives. In partnership with the Nakuru County Ministry of Health, the project aims to establish a functioning FP infrastructure and strengthen the institutional capacity of YCs and YECs.

Miriam Riechers

Key activities

Training nurses and health workers in the community on youth-friendly counselling

Procurement of contraceptives and related medical supplies

Provision of services during community events and door-to-door visits

Organising quarterly youth-friendly events, including caravans and street performances

Social media influencers are mobilised and integrated into lifeyangu.com

Equipping youth clubs and YECs for medical services

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Sexuality Education in schools in Kenya

Holistic Action Project for Young Adolescents (HAPA)

In Kenya, over 37 per cent of the population is under the age of 15. The older ones among them are going through a significant transitional phase: puberty. Their bodies change, menstruation begins, questions about sexuality arise, and many have their first sexual experiences – often not by choice, as sexual abuse is widespread. Their needs are often not recognised by those around them. Unwanted pregnancies and high HIV infection rates are the result. With our project, we reached ten to fourteen-year-old students in primary schools with age-appropriate information on sexuality and contraception, and strengthened their rights.

Having control over your own body and having the abilitiy to decide for yourself whether, when, with whom and how many children you want to have later sets the course for self-determined future planning. We supported 7,000 ten to 14-year-old girls and boys in the coastal region of Kilifi and in the rural region of West Pokot in Kenya in acquiring knowledge and accessing appropriate health services, enabling them to take the first step towards a self-determined future. The transfer of knowledge took place primarily in school clubs, where trained young people passed on their knowledge to their peers. To enable the adolescents to realise their potential, we involved the local community as well as the schools. Among other things, children’s rights and the prosecution of offences against children and young people were strengthened through cooperation with law enforcement agencies.

Miriam Riechers

Key activities

Creation of 14 clubs in primary schools, each with a membership of around 25 people

Training for primary school pupils (aged ten to 14) to become peer educators

Training of teaching staff and parents

Age-appropriate knowledge transfer to thousands of pupils by peer educators, club members, teachers and youth mentors through group meetings, girls’ forums and various school activities

Dialogue with community members, health workers and decision-makers to inform them about adolescents’ rights and raise awareness of their concerns

Cooperation with law enforcement authorities to strengthen children’s rights and prosecute perpretrators

Establishment of exchange forums for young people to voice their concerns and wishes to the political authorities.

Empowering young adolescents to participate in political decision-making processes

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Active in the fight against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

Blog | 05. February 2024

Miriam Chebet lives in West Pokot County, Kenya. Trained by Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevölkerung (DSW), Miriam now works with young people in her community, empowering them to stand up for their rights. One of the issues she focuses on is female genital mutilation (FGM). In this interview, she shares her experiences and solutions in the fight against this harmful practice, which still affects millions of women and girls worldwide.

How widespread is FGM in your region?
Miriam Chebet: FGM practice has decreased significantly over recent years due to the government and non-governmental organisations carrying out campaigns against the practice.

How does FGM affect women and girls?
Miriam Chebet: There is of course a lot of pain, as the procedure is often performed without anaesthetic. Heavy bleeding is a frequent consequence and later on, pain during sex. The survivors also often suffer from fistulas. Some girls even die after undergoing FGM.

Do laws exist to protect women and girls against FGM? Do people abide by them? What is being done to ensure girls’ and womens’ safety?
Miriam Chebet: Kenya enacted the prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act in 2011 and adopted a revised National Policy for Eradication of FGM in line with Sustainable Development Goal 5 (Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls). However, despite the move, FGM is still prevalent with most women and girls still being circumcised in homes by traditional circumciser and birth attendants.

In a previous interview with us in 2021 you mentioned that girls are often subjected to FGM in broad daylight. Is this still happening?
Miriam Chebet: The ban in Kenyan law has made it more difficult for perpetrators. In some cases, however, this has meant that girls are simply married off at a very young age and circumcision ends up taking place in their husbands’ homes.

How can FGM be eradicated completely?
Miriam Chebet: We must continue to work to educate girls and women about their right to make decisions about their bodies. We must also try to break with tradition and build on the support of the older generation. Education is of course extremely important, children need to go to school. Projects in schools can also help to raise awareness about FGM.

How do you educate people in your community about the harmfulness of FGM? Who are you targeting with your outreach work? Are there any new ideas and approaches in the fight against FGM?
Miriam Chebet: I am a member of the Community Action Committee. As i have undergone FGM myself, I ensure that information about the effects of FGM and how we can live normally without the practice has reached my people in their villages and churches. We target every person; we don’t separate because everyone needs to get the information. It’s a community thing and we should deal with it as a community.

More facts about FGM in Kenya: The prevalence of FGM is higher among girls with no education (56 per cent) compared to those with a qualification higher than secondary education (6 per cent). The prevalence of FGM is higher in rural areas, where the rate is 18 per cent, compared to 10 per cent in urban areas. The prevalence of FGM in Kenya has fallen from 21 per cent (2014) to 15 per cent. In West Pokot County, the figures have fallen drastically: From 74 per cent (2014) to 44 per cent (2022) – although this means that FGM still affects almost half of all women between the ages of 15 and 49 in the region. In West Pokot, the average age of girls undergoing FGM is nine. (Source: Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, 2022)

Photo: © DSW/Brian Otieno

DSW

And the winners are…..

Blog | 22. January 2024

Three solutions emerged the winners of DSW Kenya’s 2023 Call for Innovative Youth-led Solutions from over 50 submissions from across the country.

GiPAD by Madvocate CBO from Kilifi emerged as the winner under the sexual and reproductive health (SRHR) category. Their solution is designed to use art to champion SRHR rights and information using a GiPad App for mentorship, development of dignity packs for livelihood improvement and comic book for awareness creation.

Niko Informed by Nelly Awino from Kisumu emerged on top under the gender-based violence category. It aims to integrate and disseminate by-laws, policies and legal frameworks on SGBV by translating them into local dialect (Luo) and local slang to enhance community understanding.

Diversity Africana from West Pokot was selected as the third overall best solution. Their solution seeks to engage composers & singers of indigenous Pokot songs to compose dances & songs in their local dialect to educate their community on the importance of preventing and reporting gender-based violence.

Besides winning the grant (Ksh 500,000 for Madvocate CBO and Nelly Awino’s and Sh200,000 for Diversity Africana) to implement their winning solutions in their communities, the winners will also receive mentorship, networking opportunities, and support to further develop and implement their solutions.

Speaking at the award ceremony, DSW Kenya’s Country Director, Evelyn Samba noted that young people had proven that they have the solutions to the challenges they face.

“From the submissions we received when we put out a call, it is evident that our youths have solutions to their problems. It is time for us to give them that opportunity to create their own solutions and help implement them.” – Evelyn Samba.

She also added that often, youth are left behind when it comes to conversations around issues affecting them. Involving them in development processes can lead to more effective and inclusive outcomes, fostering a sense of ownership and empowerment among young people.

Kigen Korir, Programs Specialist at UNFPA, said it was important for the winning projects to provide achievable solutions that will have impact for the youths in communities they live in.

“For us, it is not just about project ideas and giving grants, we provide mentorship to them and further link them to partners doing the same thing. We make sure we give them all the resources needed to make sure the winning ideas are turned to tangible projects.” – Kigen Korir

The Call was implemented under the Delivering Accurate Information and Services to Young People (DAISY) Project established under the auspices of the 10th GOK-UNFPA Country Programme.

The outcome of the programme is that by 2026, all people in Kenya at risk of being left behind –particularly all women & girls, all youth& children, all in the ASAL counties and all in the informal urban settlements have improved, inclusive, and equitable social and protection services, with the outputs below:

By 2026, adolescents and youth have increased their capacity and opportunities to participate and lead in policies and programmes on population and development, sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence and harmful practices at all levels, including in humanitarian settings.
By 2026, the capacity of key actors and institutions to address discriminatory gender and social norms is strengthened.

DSW Kenya Country Director presents the award to Nelly Awino, the winner under the GBV category.

Polycom Dvelopment Project Executive Director, Jane Anyango with Dyvasity Africana, the third overall winners.

Imara TV CEO Stephen Maina presents a certificate to TouchCare CBO.

Black Coffee’s Angela Kioko.

Black Coffee’s Ben Karanja highlight their solution called Smart Vybez.

Participants dance at the award ceremony.

Photo: Kigen Korir, Programs Specialist at UNFPA with Menza Mghendi and Kiti Chigiri Madvocate CBO, the winners under the SRHR category. PHOTO: ALEX MBURU

Nduta Waweru

More health for youth

Youth for Health (Y4H) is a three-year initiative that will work to expand access to life-changing adolescent sexual and reproductive healthcare and rights (ASRHR), with a focus on reaching the poorest and most marginalised adolescent girls, including those with disabilities, in rural and hard-to-reach areas of Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Zambia. By unlocking demand and access and contributing towards changes in favour of supportive policies and funding environments, Youth for Health will increase and sustain access to ASRHR for girls and young women.

DSW in a consortium led by MSI Reproductive Choices, along with six other national partners, Centre for the Study of Adolescence (CSA) Kenya, Health Alert Sierra Leone (HASiL), Youth Advocates Ghana (YAG), Sikika, Restless Development Zambia and Youth Network for Sustainable Development (YNSD) Ethiopia are implementing the Y4H project. Each partner brings a wealth of experience working with, and for, adolescents, including in youth-friendly services; youth-led accountability and participation in governance; youth leadership, especially of young women; youth mobilisation; and community engagement; as well as long-standing media and communication experience.

DSW’s role in the project is to improve the political environment and mobilise resources in the countries at local, national and regional levels, while working on the ground in two subdistricts in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania. Other project partners are focused on increasing demand for high-quality SRHR information and ensuring a strong public health sector is able to deliver ASRHR services. In these six subdistricts, DSW-trained youth champions are working to ensure that their demands for improved national ASRHR services are heard. The production and analysis of annual budget studies and community scorecards will be important tools the youth champions will use in their advocacy to call for increased funding for ASRHR in their communities.

Miriam Riechers

Key activities

Annual analysis of public budgets in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia in terms of planning and spending on ASRHR and family planning.

Collection of data on the availability of youth-friendly ASRHR services and modern contraceptives in the communities.

Providing expertise on ASRHR through participation in working groups and consultations at the local, regional and national levels.

Training of 30 youth champions per country on family planning, ASRHR and gender-based violence.

Online and in-person interaction with local community members on ASRHR and gender-based violence issues through campaigns each year.

Engage with the African Union (AU) and East African Community (EAC) by participating at civil society organisation consultation meetings and disseminating ASRHR advocacy priorities

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Empowering young women with HIV

More than five percent of girls and women in Kenya are living with HIV. Among men, the figure is only 2.6 percent. Women most often contract HIV during adolescence, for example because they lack sufficient information or have unprotected sex. While living with HIV, they are often excluded from their communities. When they then have a child, they face multiple discrimination. This project empowers these young women and helps them to build a future for themselves and their children.

Young mothers living with HIV often encounter particular difficulties in caring for themselves and their child. To counteract this, DSW organises dialogue events in this project to raise awareness about the stigma of “living with HIV”. In addition, affected mothers get access to anti-retroviral therapy and other important health services from the public health system and learn the basics of a healthy lifestyle, e.g. healthy nutrition. Last but not least, they are supported to participate in political and social decision-making processes.

Miriam Riechers

Schlüsselaktivitäten

Training adolescent mothers in personal empowerment and life skills, healthy eating and food safety.

Strengthening access to health facilities and supporting referral systems.

Conducting dialogue events on prejudices against mothers living with HIV and their children. The dialogues are led by so-called “cultural ambassadors” and “teen change agents”.

Supporting mothers to participate in political decision-making processes at community, district, county and national level.

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Sexuality education in informal settlements

Supporting young people in the prevention of unintended pregnancies is the central goal of the Linda Binti Project in Nairobi, led by the German Doctors. Their clinic is located near the informal settlements of Mathare and Korogocha. Here, at-risk youths between the ages of ten and 24 are provided with sexuality education informed about appropriate contraceptive methods by DSW. Linda Binti is Swahili and means “protect the daughter”.

As a cooperation partner, DSW is building an effective education network – teachers, head teachers and parents are trained for this purpose. The young people themselves also learn to pass on their knowledge to their peers without inhibitions and taboos. DSW directly refers those who are pregnant to the clinic’s mother-child care, and offers them training in coping with everyday life so that the teenage mothers are not left alone.

Miriam Riechers

Schlüsselaktivitäten

Training of 120 youth counsellors

Realisation of peer learning sessions

Realisation of training courses for 24 teachers and head teachers

Foundation of school committees

Training for 16 mentor parents

Creation and distribution of information material

Training for teenage mothers

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Health and training for youth

Teenage girls account for one in five pregnancies in Kenya. Many of these teenage pregnancies are unintended. They occur because young people are denied access to knowledge about sexual and reproductive health. The same applies to good health care and contraceptives. The project is financed by KfW and implemented by the Kenyan government. As a cooperation partner, DSW takes on the task of introducing young people between the ages of 15 and 24 to health services and training opportunities.

Parents and teachers often do not provide young people with the necessary information to prevent early pregnancies. And young people often miss out on health care as well. In Kenya and many other African countries, the health system is based on health centres that combine different medical disciplines under one roof. Anyone with a medical concern of any kind goes there – also for contraceptive advice and supply. Only about one in eight of these health centres offers this service specifically for adolescents. This gap, which often leads to adolescents becoming parents at an early age and having to overthrow their plans for the future, is being closed by the programme. This gap, which often leads to young people becoming parents at an early age and impacts their plans for the future, is being closed by the programme.

In the three districts of Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu, we are working with the Kenyan Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Information, Communication, Innovation and Youth to make the health system more responsive to the needs of young people. The project also includes the Life Yangu website. This gives young people access to age-appropriate education, information on contraceptives, and contact details and directions to youth-friendly health centres. In training courses, they also learn important skills for their professional lives. Healthy young people who can make their own decisions about family planning offer enormous development potential for their countries.

Miriam Riechers

Schlüsselaktivitäten

Youth centres: Holistic development

Develop integrated, youth-friendly services in eight youth empowerment centres in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu.

Strengthening youth centres: district initiative

Support for eight youth empowerment centres in three districts

Youth counsellors: education transfer

Education and training of 150 youth counsellors on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and socio-economic skills, who share their knowledge with up to 60,000 youth.

Young financial co-operatives: Support programme

Promotion of 75 Youth Savings and Loans Associations

Youth placement: Companies

Placement of 4,500 youth in micro-enterprises

Adolescent health: Specialist training

Training of health care providers to counsel and treat adolescents

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DSW mobilizes Kenyan youth to champion for resource allocation for family planning

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And the winners are…..

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Youth Organized and Engaged Project (YOEP)

Key activities

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Direct to Consumer Contraceptives (D2C)

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Active in the fight against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

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I believe youths can influence change on issues affecting them- Chebet Marcelina

Pioneering youth club member creates “Youth can” App

And the winners are…..

“From the submissions we received when we put out a call, it is evident that our youths have solutions to their problems. It is time for us to give them that opportunity to create their own solutions and help implement them.” – Evelyn Samba.

“For us, it is not just about project ideas and giving grants, we provide mentorship to them and further link them to partners doing the same thing. We make sure we give them all the resources needed to make sure the winning ideas are turned to tangible projects.” – Kigen Korir

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