Between 25th June-5th July 2024, KELIN organized ToTs engagements on sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) in Naivasha, Kisumu and Mombasa, Kenya respectively. The training brought together 32 participants from these three counties as well as from Nairobi, Nakuru, Homabay, and Kilifi: drawn from different demographics including LGBTQIA+ and Persons with Disabilities.
The ToTs reflected on their knowledge uptake derived from KELIN’s SRHR Training curriculum[1] and the varied advocacy processes utilized in their respective communities. The trainers shared that through these tools and mechanisms they had resultingly:
- Enhanced support for Gender-Based-Violence survivors through the establishment of a Gender Violence Recovery Centre (GVRC) in Homabay county in 2024.
- Increased access to contraceptives and post-abortion care in public facilities in Nairobi County during the 2023/4 Financial year.
- Increased access to reproductive health services for queer women and adolescent girls and young women in Kisumu County in 2024.
- Empowered community members and stakeholders in Nakuru county by shifting societal stereotypes against LGBTIQ+ persons in 2024.
- Increased access to SRHR commodities by intersex persons through the national launch of the first intersex sanitary towels in 2024.
- Increased digital access to disability friendly services through the new onboarded mode of disability registration on the national eCitizen platform in 2023.
KELIN’s ToTs programme aims to create a stronger movement of pro-SRHR actors in Kenya and in the East African region to enhance advocacy on improved access to sexual and reproductive health rights and services. During the workshop, KELIN deliberated on national, regional, and international political and social contexts, such as the shift towards conservative politics, strengthened anti-rights opposition and shrinking civil spaces, that hinder access to sexual reproductive health rights and services.
At the end of the cross-learning engagement, KELIN made a clarion call to participants to protect the gains made and put more effort into advancing SRHR at the county levels to avoid drawing opposition to pro SRHR advancements. The collective advocacy efforts of ToTs in the advancement of SRHR is crucial for KELIN’s commitment to achieve universal access to health for all.
To contribute to the discussions on this forum, follow KELIN on our social media platform via @KELINKenya.
For more information please contact,
Elsie Milimu,
Program Officer- SRHR,
Kenya Legal & Ethical Issues Network on HIV/AIDS (KELIN),
Email: elsiemilimu@kelinkenya.org
[1] https://www.kelinkenya.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/SRHR-Training-Curriculum-Final.pdf
