PROJECT RESPEKT (REPRODUCTIVE AND SEXUAL HEALTH PROGRAMME FOR KENYAN TEENAGERS) – Kenya (MSAKE); Denmark (IMCC)

Name of the activity: PROJECT RESPEKT (REPRODUCTIVE AND SEXUAL HEALTH PROGRAMME FOR KENYAN TEENAGERS)

Country/NMO:  Kenya (MSAKE); Denmark (IMCC)

Program: Comprehensive Sexuality Education

Contact information: [email protected]

Type of the activity: Campaign.

General description:

Project RESPEKT aims to ensure increased awareness of and education on SRHR amongst teenagers in Kenya and other relevant stakeholders, such as NGO’s. The project applies a rights-based approach in combating the harmful cultural practices, gender–based violence, and lack of relevant and accurate information on SRHR among the targeted youth in Kenya.

The project addresses the following topics in summary:
-Boy/Girl Relationships
-STIs/STDs (including HIV/AIDS)
– Male and Female Reprodutive system anatomy
-Contraceptive methods (abstinence, condoms, birth control abortion)
-Pregnancy/Birth
-Gender Identity/Sexuality (in summary and in the context of the Kenyan Constitution)
-SRHR advocacy and health service providers through our webpage

Focus area:

Peer Education with adolescents and young people on a variety of topics pertaining to Sexual Health

Problem statement:

The main health challenge that this project will address is inadequate and unequal access to SRHR education amongst the Kenyan youth. In schools across Kenya, young boys and girls are still unable to access sexual and reproductive health services – despite their right to do so as entrenched in the Kenyan constitution. Young women and children continue to suffer in the hands of healthcare practitioners and quacks who has inadequate knowledge on SRHR. Sexual and reproductive health needs among the youth contribute to unwanted pregnancies, STIs and HIV infections. Teenage pregnancies are associated with adverse outcomes such as unsafe abortion, obstructed labour, fistulas
and death. Teenage mothers are furthermore unaware of their legal rights towards their predicament according to the Kenyan constitution e.g. the fact that they can take a maternal year out of school and have the right to return according to the re-entry policy.

This inadequacy of SRHR education among the youth makes it difficult for them to identify their legal rights and responsibilities as stated in the constitution and they are not involved in modifying policies in this area.Efforts to address these issues have been made by the national government, namely inthe creation of the Adolescent Reproductive Health and Development Policy in 2003 aimed at improving reproductive health and the quality of life among Kenyan adolescents and youth. However, the policy ran into problems due to limited awareness
of the policy, limited resources, low youth involvement and poverty. Furthermore, the wish to secure adequate awareness and education on SRHR has faced a range of cultural and religious challenges regarding: gender rights, gender- based violence, genital mutilation, social stigmatization and taboos regarding sexual orientation. Despite the fact that the policy emphasises all aspects of SRHR, there is still an urgent need for implementation of a wholesome SRHR education.

Target groups and beneficiaries:

Primary target group is boys and girls aged 13-19 in secondary schools located in the LMO areas of MSAKE (for the physcal visits) and the other areas of Kenya will have virtual access through the project website

Secondary Target Group: The volunteers drawn from MSAKE aged 18–26 years

Tertiary Group: SRHR and CSE NGOs and Education Ministry in Kenya at National and local level.

Objectives and indicators of success:

Long-term development objective: Ensure quality education on SRHR among teenagers in Kenya.

Immediate Objectives:
1. Improved capacity building in MSAKE:
-Trained volunteers in delivering SRHR talks through ToTs for new volunteers and teambuilding for old volunteers
– Establishment of a Project RESPEKT Project Coordination Team (PCT)

2. Levels of knowledge on SRHR and gender-related issues among targeted Kenyan teenagers have improved and youth centre usage has been promoted

3. Improved awareness among stakeholders on current SRHR issues in Kenya and awareness of the impact of education aimed at reducing SRHR issues.

Methodology:

Objective 1:
-Evidence based curriculum that divides SRHR into specific units.
-Regular Teambuilding activities to be held 3-6 monthly at the various levels of the project

Objective 2:
-Creating an online webpage that offers a larger outreach and more
interactive approach towards SRHR education, counselling and access to services

Objective 3:
-Develop and advocacy strategy

Plans for evaluation:

-Collecting baseline and evaluation data during the project to support
advocacy of SRHR education in Kenya.
-Regular feedback meetings between IMCC and MSAKE both online and physical visits
-Up to date volunteer database with a volunteer’s individual profile
-Up to date schools database with data collected from the schools during the visit to assist us in research and curriculum development