The DFPA Partners Conference in Uganda brought together all the DFPA funded organizations based in East and North Africa, for a cross-learning experience through sharing of project implementation experiences and success stories. It is in this regard that Kenya Legal & Ethical Issues Network on HIV& AIDS (KELIN) joined likeminded partners to share thematic experiences, with an aim of maximizing outcomes and informing future programing.
With the support from the DFPA, KELIN is currently implementing phase II of the Sexual Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) project in Homabay County. The project advocates for implementation of the Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) policy, prescription of other SRHR frameworks, access to justice for SGBV survivors through litigation, and addressing gender inequalities through Gender Transformative Approach (GTA) interventions. The culmination of the conference was a presentation on meaningful youth participationon access to Adolescent & Youth sexual reproductive services as partners also took time for field visit on selected project implementation sites for fact finding and benchmarking exercise.
DFPA partnership principles inform the basis of their grassroot partnership strategy. Since DFPA has no country presence in the Global South and DFPA staff are based only in Copenhagen, DFPA has continuously and closely collaborated with local partners in their implementing countries including Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Morocco, and Tunisia. Anchored on DFPA’s belief in companionship – long lasting, close partnerships as well as broader sustainable development, DFPA has for the last 30 years striven to continuously improve synergies with grassroot partners. Lessons learned from partnerships and the work on the ground is integrated into the strategy, advocacy, and programmatic SRHR work as well as DFPA’s collaborative approach.
In light of the lessons learnt, KELIN intends to adopt best practices in its programing through the leveraging of partnerships with other DFPA funded organizations to expand its SRHR thematic portfolio and access to services for affected communities. KELIN remains committed to advancing right based approach and continues to champion gender equality interventions in Homa Bay County.
To contribute to the discussions on this forum, follow KELIN on our social media platform via @KELINKenya.
For more information please contact,
Edwine Nyanja,
Program Officer- SRHR,
Kenya Legal & Ethical Issues Network on HIV/AIDS (KELIN),
Email: edwinenyanja@kelinkenya.org
