Kenya SRHR Alliance

Adolescent girls and young women in Kenya face numerous SRHR challenges due to a lack of education and information on sexual and reproductive health and rights.

We propose a solution that will incorporate Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) for learners all through from low educational levels to  tertiary levels in institutions such as colleges and universities.Our solution will aim to use an existing mobile application for university students (RADA APP) and development of another app that teachers and parents will use to educate their children on CSE as well as through peer leaders and computer classes for adolescent girls in secondary schools.

The proposed solution is expected to provide better learning opportunities on SRHR for adolescents girls and young women which would provide them the chance to make better, accurate and informed decisions about their sexuality. 

In Kenya adolescent girls and young women do not realise their SRHR and their right to participation due to restrictions at societal, institutional and political levels that reinforce the taboos on sexuality, leading to (among others), unintended (teenage) pregnancies, unsafe abortion and SGBV, and other sexual related challenges. Adolescent girls and young women are usually not empowered and due to societal restrictions are not willing to claim their rights and play a meaningful role in SRHR interventions. In addition, the government and key line ministries that serve this group is also limited in their support and are sometimes not willing and committed to provide comprehensive sexuality education to young women and girls.The Kenya school curriculum lacks comprehensive content on the reproductive health of its learners. Due to this young women and girls do not access information on their reproductive health and end up making uninformed choices about their sexuality, health and well-being that affects them. In Kenya for example the numbers of teenage pregnancies have increased immensely across the counties and this will lead to school dropouts in the near future.

The solution we propose will identify adolescent girls and young women in learning institutions (secondary and universities) to champion for the reproductive health information and education existing in the RADA Application and CSE curriculum offered in secondary schools.

The RADA mobile application targets young people in universities. The Alliance aims to make the information on this App accessible to more girls and women in universities by having champions who share information on the APP through in-school outreaches and events. This will provide support for the application by university students and will provide more information to young women who would otherwise not access the reproductive health information and education on the App.

The Alliance through its partners provide CSE to school going young people between the age of 10-20 through  comprehensive Sexuality Education Curricula delivered through different strategies. The Alliance for this solution will engage more adolescent girls as champions to relay this information not only to their school mates but to other adolescent girls who do not go to school due to different reasons. 

The proposed solution targets adolescent girls and young women between the ages 10-25 years in secondary schools and universities. The target group will be from both rural and urban areas. The Alliance is currently implementing two programmes the Get Up Speak Out (GUSO) and Amplify change programme which targets young people (10-24 years) on different SRHR issues. Through these programmes the Alliance has interacted with the target group and has conducted research in different implementing areas to better understand this group and inform future SRHR programmes that address their needs and challenges.

Providing SRHR information and education for adolescent girls and young women will provide them with the ability to improve their SRHR outcomes and make better decisions on their health.

our solution relates to the challenge since it not only seeks to address the lack of education for girls in the classroom but also addresses the education they need outside the classroom. 

RADA provides a safe space for students to access information on Sexual and reproductive health, Dating tips, HIV and AIDS, Alcohol and Drug abuse, Mental health, General health, Safety of campus students and career guidance (Responsible financial management and Life after campus).

It is designed in such a way that these topical issues are themed; videos are included to make it interesting and contacts, where young people can seek help, are included at the end of each topic. Features are now limited to the University of Nairobi students. These include chats, forum, and school counseling services (who are employed by the university)  in the institution's facilities.

The UoN Health App branded RADA has been designed and developed by University of Nairobi students with technical assistance from UNESCO and The Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Alliance. This mobile phone application has been developed with the aim of reaching out to all UoN students and later be scaled up to other institutions of higher learning. Content of the App has been consolidated by the students themselves with facilitation by partners including UNESCO, Centre for HIV Prevention and Research (CHIVPR), UoN Health Services, I Choose Life Africa (ICL-Africa), and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Alliance. Other strategic stakeholders engaged to ensure that content in the App is relevant and updated included National AIDS Control Programme (NASCOP), NACADA, Kenya AIDS NGO Consortium (KANCO), Fountain of Hope, JHPIEGO (John Hopkins University), Africa Population Health Research Centre (APHRC), KAVI-ICR, Ministry of Health-Reproductive health, UNFPA, ILO and NACC. With the support of the UoN Vice Chancellor, the App is hosted in a portal within the University of Nairobi website. It is envisaged that management of the same will be done by CHIVPR as the administrators.

The scope of the content in the App includes the following thematic areas:

• Sexual and Reproductive health
• HIV and AIDS
• Safety in Campus
• Alcohol and Drug Abuse
• Mental Health
• General Health
• College Financial Management
• Tips on Career Development

The RADA App currently serves about 5000 students from the University of Nairobi. Our solution aims to expand the reach of the RADA Application to more universities in Kenya thus reaching more women and girls with reproductive health information and education. In one year we expect to reach 50,000 young people and in 5 years we expect to reach 500000 young people from different universities and colleges in the country with SRHR information and education.

To increase the uptake of the App, UoN is working closely with partners on how to popularize it before and after the launch. The team is also planning a dissemination forum with key stakeholders to solicit for support in rolling out the App in other institutions of higher learning and those out of school.

The RADA App mainly caters to young people between the ages 18-25 years. A majority of this population is unemployed and depend on their parents and guardians for their day to day activities. Because of this the some of the young people have difficulties to access internet bundles as it not always a priority compared to other basic needs.

To address the challenge on  lack of resources to access internet data bundles, the Alliance would provide access to the Rada App with cheaper internet bundles rates thus costing less for the students to go on the application

RADA developed by the University of Nairobi in partnership with UNESCO and SRHR Alliance aiming to improve student’s wellbeing.

We understand best the challenges that young girls and women face in our county and so this solution will help us reach out to them considering we have a higher target to reach.

University of Nairobi

The alliance is a non profit network that provides a great platform and an opportunity for national and international advocacy on sexual and reproductive health for adolescent girls, women and marginalized groups. It has offers leverage on resources and expertise to do better programming and a framework for fundraising to partners by mobilizing funds from local and other sources.

The Alliance works towards improved SRHR conditions for young people and
all, by strengthening the capacity of the partner organizations and CSOs
in Kenya to enable them to sustainably promote and implement effective
interventions, and to advocate for SRHR in the counties. The Alliance is
also instrumental in conducting evidence-based programming to inform
laws, policies and decision-making and focuses on influencing significant
change on the priority given to SRH by national and county governments.
Networking is vital to the sustainability of our work and we strive to create
lasting linkages and relationships for effective political mobilization so as to
influence policy and financing for SRHR with local, regional and international
key stakeholders.

Together with our partners, the Alliance employs various strategies and approaches that have contributed to significant successes in the various aspects of our work in Kenya. The alliance recognizes that to ensure continuity of these approaches that address the needs and challenges of adolescents and young people, the alliance requires more
resources and must focus its resources on programmes which have proven to be effective in addressing these needs and challenges. The  Alliance seeks to deepen partnerships with traditional donors; to diversify the donor base; and to mobilize sufficient resources to deliver upon the strategic outcomes set out in the strategic plan for young people, women, and marginalized groups.