In 2016, KELIN was identified as one of the recipients of the DREAMS Innovation Challenge, a partnership driven by the President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which is committed to achieving a 40% reduction in HIV infection among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in 10 sub-Saharan African countries including Kenya. The project is a two-year intervention grant aimed at raising awareness and facilitating access to sexual and reproductive health justice for AGYW in Kisumu and Homabay counties.
From 8th – 18th May 2017, KELIN will engage in a series of trainings aimed at empowering 150 girls on a wide variety of legal issues in Homa Bay County. This is a continuation of the first set of trainings that were held in Kisumu from 3rd – 14th April 2017. The trainings aim to strengthen the capacity of the young women on issues such as sexual violence, HIV prevention, access to justice for sexual violations and redress when they lose their land and property.
Nerima Were SRHR program officer taking the girls through the concept of DREAMS project
According to the country’s HIV statistics, Homa Bay County bears the largest brunt of the HIV/AIDS scourge in Kenya, out of the 1.6 million people with HIV in the country, 159,970 were resident in Homa Bay in 2013 with 4,629 people dying from AIDS-related complications. This rightly necessitates the need to focus on Homa Bay as one of the beneficiaries of the training to reduce the rate of HIV infections.
Through the training of the adolescent girls and young women KELIN hopes to reduce the HIV incidence in this population by focusing on creating an environment that is enabling for them to make autonomous and informed choices about their sexual and reproductive health.
To contribute to the discussions on this forum, follow KELIN on our social media platforms: Twitter: @KELINKenya #BreakingBarriers or Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kelinkenya
For more information please contact;
Nerima Were
Programme Officer Sexual & Reproductive Health Rights
Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network on HIV & AIDS (KELIN)
4th Floor, Somak Building, Mombasa Road
Tel +254202515790; Cell +254790339963;
Email: nwere@kelinkenya.org
