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DSW youth advocates speak up for girls’ rights at EWAG 2022

Blog | 24. October 2022

“If you educate a girl, you educate a whole nation.”

European Commission Vice-President Dubravka Šuica, Oct. 10, 2022

Between October 10 and 14, three DSW youth champions joined the 10th edition of the European Week of Action for Girls (EWAG) in Brussels, organised by a coalition of NGOs on the occasion of the International Day of the Girl.

John Jessy (Uganda), Burnice (Kenya) and Mwanaima (Tanzania) joined fellow young advocates from Africa, Asia and Europe in advocating towards EU decision-makers, calling for girls’ rights to be at the core of the EU’s external action, with particular attention to five priorities:  political and civic participation, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), harmful gender norms and stereotypes, youth economic empowerment, and inclusive and quality education.

Throughout the week, the youth champions had the opportunity to exchange with decision-makers from the main EU institutions. Here are the key highlights:

Art exhibition “10 in 10: The world through the eyes of a girl”

On Tuesday, youth advocate Claudia from Ghana opened the EWAG art exhibition “10 in 10: The world through the eyes of a girl”. The exhibition featured illustrations by five different artists from around the world, portraying how the world could look like for a 10-year-old girl ten years from now – if the rights of girls are fully upheld. 

Burnice, our youth advocate from Kenya, emphasised the need to include Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) in school curricula. “In many cases, young people under 18 need their parents’ consent to access SRHR services, even though they are sexually active”. This is why it is crucial that young people receive CSE in school.

Her words were echoed by European Commission Vice-President Dubravka Šuica, who led the work on the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child. European Parliament Vice-President Eva Kaili cited the fact that 10% of the EU’s humanitarian budget is earmarked for education in emergencies, stressing that strengthening women and girls’ rights is at the core of the European Parliament’s work. However, she also warned not to take for granted the progress made thus far and called on the Commission to take concrete action to achieve gender equality. “Gender markers should be included in all EU Programmes to track the progress made on women and girls’ empowerment”, Vice-President Kaili said.

Ambassador for Gender and Diversity at the European External Action Service (EEAS) Stella Ronner Grubačić, and European Commission DG INTPA Acting Director Chiara Adamo also spoke at the opening.

We ask the EU to invest more funds in youth-friendly #SRHR and to make sure #CSE is incorporated in school curricula, so youth have access to adequate information about their rights and can freely decide about their future. @Burnycliam on the #InternationalDayOfTheGirl pic.twitter.com/zC9GOceWyL

— DSW – International (@dsw_intl) October 11, 2022

Meeting with the Czech presidency

On October 12, Mwanaima intervened, together with fellow young advocates, at a breakfast roundtable exchange hosted by the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU. The meeting gathered representatives from around ten EU member states, the European Commission, and the EEAS. During the exchange, youth could share their views with EU decision-makers, including the challenges girls face globally, also presenting their recommendations on how the EU could strengthen its support for girls’ rights. The meeting was closed by the representative of Sweden, who will take over the Presidency of the Council of the EU in January 2023.

Meeting with INTPA

On Wednesday, our EWAG youth advocates met with staff from the Youth Unit of the European Commission’s DG INTPA. At the meeting, DSW youth advocate Mwanaima from Tanzania emphasised the crucial role education plays in realising SRHR for all: “In my region of Tanga in eastern Tanzania, early marriage brings prestige. So teenage pregnancies are very common – having your first child at age 14 is normal.” SRHR remains a taboo topic in her community. This is where education comes in: “Education is the first seed that should be planted in a girl’s heart to empower her to make her own decisions.” This includes, for example, education around menstruation and gender-based violence (GBV), both of which boys should receive as well.

DG INTPA staff emphasised the role played by the recently adopted Youth Action Plan (YAP) in this context. “The YAP is about respect and about power. It is about recognising young people as partners and key actors.”

Exchange of views with the DEVE Committee 

On Thursday, John Jessy and other EWAG young advocates were invited to speak during an exchange of views with Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in the Development Committee (DEVE). John Jessy presented the challenges that girls and young people face in his native Uganda when accessing SRHR information and services, calling for increased investments in youth-friendly SRHR and in the promotion of CSE. “SRHR gives us the power to make informed decisions that can transform lives and communities so that we can achieve a gender-equal society”, he stressed. 

Several MEPs intervened in the debate, thanking the young advocates for their powerful messages, and reaffirming their commitments to promote girls’ rights and SRHR as part of their work. The recording of the session can be viewed here (starting at 11:00).

“Before looking at partnerships for trade and security, let’s prioritise health, especially #SRHR – because how can we trade if we’re not healthy?”

Powerful words by @johnjessy101 closing his speech at the @EP_Development exchange with MEPs.#GirlsDecade pic.twitter.com/p5Y4U6hRdq

— DSW – International (@dsw_intl) October 13, 2022

Throughout the week, young advocates had the opportunity to meet informally with several MEPs, such as German MEPs Karsten Lucke and Pierrette Herzberger Fofana, presenting them with their recommendations on how the EU could further support and promote girls’ rights, including SRHR.

EWAG may well have come to an end, but the work of our youth advocates has not. They left Brussels to continue their advocacy work in Berlin, where they will meet partners in the framework of the World Health Summit, and will have exchanges with German decision-makers. 

We thank Burnice, John Jessy, and Mwanaima for being great advocates for SRHR and girls’ rights, and for their contribution to making this year’s EWAG a great success! Read more on their priorities in the EWAG 2022 Manifesto.

Lisa Görlitz

Head of Brussels Office | Head of Unit Development Policy EU

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DSW’s budget analysis: Family planning investment in 11 counties in Kenya

Blog | 26. June 2021

From  the  eleven  counties  studied,  it  was evident that there was no dedicated line item for family planning in the majority of the counties except for Mombasa, Kilifi and Laikipia counties.  

Whilst, counties have Reproductive,  Maternal,  Neonatal,  Child and  Adolescent  Health  (RMNCAH)  as  a  sub-programme,it is impossible to pinpoint the allocations for family planning within this RMNCAH sub-program. The estimation of budgetary allocation at the county level was therefore undertaken using workload statistics with one inpatient case taken to be equivalent to 4 outpatient visits. 

WHAT WE FOUND OUT

The County Government of Bungoma did not have a budget line for family planning in the 2020/2021 programme-based budget. However, indirect family planning allocation* by the County Government of Bungoma was estimated at KS. 86,296,028. Read more… 

The County Government of Kilifi had a budget line for family planning for FY 2020/2021 with an allocation of KES. 7,802,099. Additionally, indirect family planning allocation by the Kilifi County Government was estimated at KES. 139,922,459. Read more… 

The County Government of Laikipia had a budget planning for family planning for FY 2020/2021 with an allocation of KES. 880, 000, a decline from KES.1,350,000 in 2019/20. Additionally, there was an indirect family planning allocation by the County Government of Laikipia estimated at KES. 73,707,973. Read more… 

The County Government of Meru did not have a budget line for family planning for FY 2020/2021. However, indirect family planning allocation* by the County Government of Meru was estimated at KES. 97,129,863.  Read more… 

The County Government of Mombasa for the first time allocated KES. 20 million towards Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) and family planning-related activities in the county 2020/21 program-based budget. Additionally, indirect family planning allocation by the County Government of Mombasa was estimated at KES. 105,932,536. Read more… 

The County Government of Nakuru did not have a budget line for family planning for FY 2020/2021. However, indirect family planning allocation by the County Government of Nakuru was estimated at KES. 278,504,769. Read more… 

The County Government of Nandi did not have a budget line for family planning for FY 2020/2021. However, indirect family planning allocation* by the County Government of Nandi was estimated at KES. 89,828,967. Read more… 

The County Government of Nyandarua did not have a budget line for family planning for FY 2020/2021. However, indirect family planning allocation* by the County Government of Nyandarua was estimated at KES. 96,830,572. Read more… 

The County Government of Trans Nzoia did not have a budget line for family planning for FY 2020/2021. However, indirect family planning allocation by the County Government of Trans Nzoia was estimated at KES. 99,739,734. Read more… 

The County Government of Uasin Gishu did not have a budget line for family planning for FY 2020/2021. However, indirect family planning allocation by the County Government of Uasin Gishu was estimated at KES. 118,346,154. Read more… 

The County Government of West Pokot did not have a budget line for family planning for FY 2020/2021. However, indirect family planning allocation by the County Government of West Pokot was estimated at KES. 45,503,502. Read more… 

WHY THE BUDGET STUDY IS IMPORTANT

DSW works in partnership with civil society organisations, youth-led advocacy networks, the national government and county governments in Kenya to advocate for increased funding from national and county governments in Kenya to address the unmet need for family planning. DSW’s advocacy work in Kenya is implemented in West Pokot, Kilifi, Laikipia, Meru, Mombasa, Nakuru, Nyandarua, Nandi, Bungoma, Trans Nzoia and Uasin Gishu counties. 

Conducting budget analyses is one of the ways in which we generate evidence to support our advocacy work. 

Through advocacy, we aim to mobilise 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. 

Investing in family planning is key for Kenya’s quest to be a newly industrialising, middle-income country, providing a high-quality life to all its citizens by the year 2030.  Kenya’s status as a lower middle-income country means that we are slowly being weaned off development funding for basic services such as health.   

The Health Sector Working Group Report 2021/22-2023/24 published in October 2020 notes that Development Partners for Health Kenya (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) of the UK Government, UNFPA, USAID, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) have pledged to match government of Kenya funding for Reproductive Maternal Neonatal Child and Adolescent Health (which includes family planning) funding on a sliding scale till Kenya takes over domestic financing by 2023.

DSW

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We need to prioritise African women in HIV vaccine research – its future success depends on it

Blog | 19. May 2021
This HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, we join the call for women to be at the center of the HIV response, with the space and resources to demand and lead their own solutions.

Despite significant leaps forward in HIV prevention and treatment programmes in recent years, progress on HIV transmission prevention remains far too slow. An estimated 1.7 million people became newly infected with HIV in 2019; more than three times the UNAIDS’s 2020 target. Women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa bear the brunt of the HIV epidemic, representing 59% of new HIV infections in the region, compared to 48% globally. Among adolescents aged 15-19 in sub-Saharan Africa, five in six new infections are among girls and overall, young women aged 15-24 years are twice as likely to be living with HIV as men.  While innovations such as antiretroviral therapy (ART) and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) have transformed the HIV prevention landscape and saved millions of lives, access and adherence issues perpetuate the disproportionate impact of the HIV epidemic on adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), exacerbated by long-standing failures to make sure that these same technologies meet the needs and preferences of those who need them most. An HIV vaccine could turn the tide on the epidemic; in fact, we won’t end it without one – we must center African AGYW in the response to ensure future success. 

Young women most at risk. 

Pervasive socio-economic inequalities compound the impact of HIV among AGYW. To put it plainly, HIV is driven by and perpetuates gender inequality. Barriers to accessing HIV services such as poverty, fear of discrimination by healthcare providers, and lack of youth-friendly services and education, result in women, especially young women, not being able to take ownership of their sexual and reproductive health and rights nor make decisions about their own body, freely. Prevention products designed without the needs of African AGYW in mind magnifies these barriers. We need look no further than PrEP, initially heralded as a game-changer for HIV prevention, which has had limited success among African AGYWA 2018 study examining the lack of adherence to PrEP highlighted that social factors, such as the stigma of taking a daily pill and low decision-making power, created multiple barriers to widespread PrEP uptake, exposing women to greater risk. 

Science for and by women. 

Developing effective HIV prevention technologies requires gender-sensitive research and innovation (R&I), throughout the entire pipeline. Yet, current R&I processes often fall short, overlooking the differences in biological susceptibility, as well as the broader gender dimensions of disease – which can have significant impacts on health outcomes. A lack of representation and inclusion of women in the pipeline – from participating in clinical trials to leading them – has resulted in a lack of understanding of the preferences and circumstances of African AGYW. As highlighted last year by Kundai Chinyenze, MBChB, IAVI’s Executive Medical Director, “A fundamental problem is a delay in fully engaging African women, including African women scientists, in developing and testing new tools for fighting HIV.” Fostering greater representation of women in science, not least in leadership roles, can facilitate better integration of sex and gender considerations at all levels and result in more responsive community engagement.

Gender-sensitive solutions. 

Limited and inappropriate options for HIV prevention and treatment for AGYW must continue to be addressed. We need sustained investment in HIV prevention R&I that supports a choice-based approach to find the tools that work best for the people who need them mostSignificant recent developments, including the approval of the Dapivirine vaginal ring and positive results from the HPTN 084 trial of long-acting injectable Cabotegravir as PrEP in cis-gender women, are welcome breakthroughs, but there’s still work to be done. Ensuring access to long-acting products will be key to overcoming the adherence challenges associated with PrEP. An effective HIV vaccine would take this one step further. The inclusion of community representatives and advocates will be key to this end.

“As a young Advocate, I would prefer that we meet and engage regularly with young women and girls and accord them the necessary HIV prevention tools given their level of vulnerability,” said Winifred Ikilai, AVAC Advocacy Fellow and HIV prevention advocate and public health practitioner with the National Forum of People Living with HIV & AIDS Networks in Uganda. “Now that we have the Dapivirine vaginal ring, let us work hard as researchers and advocates to develop an HIV vaccine and prevent marginalized young women from acquiring HIV.”

Leaving no one behind. 

As Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS said; “There is no other way. To end Aids, we must end inequality.” Until R&I efforts take sex and gender dimensions of HIV into full consideration; developing tools that are accessible, appropriate, and affordable to the people who are most vulnerable – including an effective vaccine – we will fail to achieve the global target of ending AIDS by 2030. We must prioritise the needs and lived realities of AGYW to ensure that a future vaccine, and any other prevention technologies, work for those who will benefit most. 

This article was jointly written by IAVI and DSW. Photo courtesy of IAVI. 

About IAVI

IAVI is a nonprofit scientific research organization dedicated to addressing urgent, unmet global health challenges including HIV, tuberculosis, and emerging infectious diseases. Its mission is to translate scientific discoveries into affordable, globally accessible public health solutions

About DSW

Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevölkerung (DSW) is a global development organisation that focuses on the needs and potential of the largest youth generation in history. We are committed to creating demand for and access to health information, services, supplies, and economic empowerment for youth. We achieve this by engaging in advocacy, capacity development, and reproductive health initiatives so that young people are empowered to lead healthy and self-determined lives. With our headquarters in Hannover, Germany, DSW operates two

liaison offices in Berlin and Brussels, as well as maintaining a strong presence in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. DSW also advocates for investment in research and innovation to fight poverty-related and neglected tropical diseases – diseases that continue to disproportionately affect women and girls.

Lisa Görlitz

Head of Brussels Office | Head of Unit Development Policy EU

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Domestic investments for family planning in Kenya steady

Blog | 08. June 2020

Investments for family planning in DSW partner counties in Kenya remains steady, a budget analysis conducted by Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevölkerung (DSW) shows.

The budget analysis, conducted in October 2019, examined county appropriation bills, programme based budgets, annual work plans and national and county Policies in support of family planning.

Findings

The County Government of Bungoma does not have a budget line for family planning in the 2019/2020 programme based budget. However, indirect family planning allocation by the County Government of Bungoma was estimated at KES. 131,348,856 (1,313,488 USD). Read more…

The County Government of Kilifi has a budget line for family planning for FY 2019/2020 in the county’s Programme Based Budget with an allocation of KES. 7,802,099. Additionally, indirect family planning allocation* by the Kilifi County Government was estimated at KES. 197,093,028 (1,970,930 USD). Read more…

The County Government of Laikipia has a budget line for family planning for FY 2019/2020 with an allocation of KES 1,351,000 (13,510 USD) in the county’s programme based budget. Additionally, indirect family planning allocation by the County Government of Laikipia was estimated at KES. 86,450,574 (864,505 USD). Read more…

The County Government of Meru does not have a budget line for family planning for FY 2019/2020 in the 2019/2020 programme based budget. However, indirect family planning allocation by the County Government of Meru was estimated at KES. 260,675,244 (2,606,752 USD). Read more…

The County Government of Mombasa does not have a budget line for family planning for FY 2019/2020 in the 2019/2020 programme based budget. However, indirect family planning allocation by the County Government of Mombasa was estimated at KES. 167,925,673 (1,679,256 USD). Read more…

The County Government of Nakuru does not have a budget line for family planning for FY 2019/2020 in the 2019/2020 programme based budget. However, indirect family planning allocation by the County Government of Nakuru was estimated at KES.396,516,786 (3,965,167 USD). Read more…

The County Government of Nandi does not have a budget line for family planning for FY 2019/2020 in the 2019/2020 programme based budget. However, indirect family planning allocation by the County Government of Nandi was estimated at KES. 124,277,962 (1,242,779.62). Read more…

The County Government of Nyandarua does not have a budget line for family planning for FY 2019/2020 in the 2019/2020 programme based budget. However, indirect family planning allocation by the County Government of Nyandarua was estimated at KES. 99,280,100 (992,801 USD). Read more…

The County Government of Trans Nzoia does not have a budget line for family planning for FY 2019/2020 in the 2019/2020 programme based budget. However, indirect family planning allocation by the County Government of Trans Nzoia was estimated at KES. 167,984,064 (1,679,840 USD). Read more…

The County Government of Uasin Gishu does not have a budget line for family planning for FY 2019/2020 in the 2019/2020 programme based budget. However, indirect family planning allocation by the County Government of Uasin Gishu was estimated at KES. 135,167,797 (1,351,677 USD). Read more…

The County Government of West Pokot does not have a budget line for family planning for FY 2019/2020 in the 2019/2020 programme based budget. However, indirect family planning allocation by the County Government of West Pokot was estimated at KES. 47,372,693 (473,726 USD). Read more…

Methodology

Budgetary allocation for family planning by county governments was not always available during the analysis, since most counties do not have family planning specific line items. This necessitated the use of costing methods to estimate amount allocated for family planning at that level. The data collected derived workload statistics for: family planning services & all other service, staff time utilization family planning and where relevant staff time utilization for maternal and child health/family planning.
• All workloads were converted in outpatient visits equivalent: i.e. one inpatient-day or one bed-day was assumed to be equal to 4 outpatient visits
• All the bed-days encompassing inpatient and maternity services were converted into outpatient visits and added to all outpatients’ visits to obtain total workload equivalent.
• The family planning percentage was then obtained by dividing total family planning visits by total workload equivalent visits.
• This was done for every county for the period 2015/16, 2016/17 ,2017/18, 2018/19.
• A trend analysis was determined, and an average growth was used to generate the proportions for FY 2019/20
• The proportions were then used to derive the allocations to FP services in each county using the percentage of family planning workload in total workload in the county.
• The county allocation to health multiplied by family planning percentage to get an estimate of County Government allocation to family planning in each of the financial years.

Note: The workload data in each county was obtained from the Kenya DHIS-2

Advocacy for domestic family planning investments

DSW works in partnership with civil society organisations, youth-led advocacy networks, the national government and county governments in Kenya to advocate for increased funding from national and county governments in Kenya to address the unmet need for family planning. DSW’s advocacy work in Kenya is implemented in West Pokot, Kilifi, Laikipia, Meru, Mombasa, Nakuru, Nyandarua, Nandi, Bungoma, Trans Nzoia and Uasin Gishu counties.

Conducting budget analyses is one of the ways in which we generate evidence to support our advocacy work.

Through advocacy, we aim 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.

Investing in family planning is key for Kenya’s quest to be a newly industrialising, middle-income country, providing a high-quality life to all its citizens by the year 2030. Our Kenya country director Evelyn Samba explains how in this article.

The effect of COVID-19 on family planning investments

In light of COVID-19, DSW is working with like-minded organisations to secure and maintain funding for reproductive health and family planning in Kenya. A recent report from the Kenya Health Information System (KHIS) published by the council of governors, showed that the response to COVID-19 is already negatively impacting critical areas of healthcare in Kenya including reproductive health and family planning.

DSW

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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)