Building Sustainable Access to Contraceptives and HIV: Interventions for AGYW Homabay County, Kenya

Type:
Final project
Year of publication:
2024
Specialisation:
Gender and Sexual/Reproductive Health
Supervisors: Sólrún María Ólafsdóttir

Abstract

The project “Building Sustainable Access to Contraceptives and HIV Interventions for AGYW in Homabay County, Kenya,aims to reduce adolescent pregnancies and HIV infections in eight communities across the county. It focuses on improving access to adolescent-friendly sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, strengthening healthcare providers' capacity for non-judgmental and confidential care, increasing awareness among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and their communities about SRH rights and available contraceptives and HIV interventions. Further, the project seeks to foster partnerships among civil society organizations, government stakeholders, and community leaders to support legal protections for women and girls' bodily autonomy.

The project will achieve three key outcomes: Increased access to and use of adolescent-friendly SRH facilities; enhanced autonomy, decision-making, and advocacy skills among AGYW; and strengthened collaborations for policy change. This will be achieved through training SRH care providers on adolescent friendly service delivery; community outreach programmes focusing on support for adolescent contraceptive use; and creating a multi-actor platform (MAP) for cooperation between Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and the government.

Deliverables include comprehensive adolescent-friendly SRH services, tailored SRH education resources, media campaigns, and a mix of contraceptives and HIV interventions (condoms, PreP and PEP). The project will build on Together for Better Foundation’s (T4B) decade-long experience in empowering adolescent girls and women in Kenya and aims to create sustainable community interventions for youth well-being.

The project will be executed in collaboration with T4B and its volunteers, local community members, health care providers, partner community-based organisations CBO partners, and the ministry of health, and youth advisory groups