Youth Leaders Stakeholders, AMREF Health Africa Y-ACT project fosters Girl Rights in Kakamega, Kenya

Just like any other County in Kenya, Gender inequality and discrimination against girls has remained a big problem that requires urgent intervention. Girls are often robbed of the right to make their own life decisions - from forced sex and marriage. 

Teenage pregnancy can rob girls of their potential by ceasing their education and giving them adult responsibilities. This leaves them with no option but to survive the hardest way.

In the wake of this, various organizations have initiated a number of programmes to contain the growth of this menace. Yesterday, A Kakamega Youth led organization dubbed as Youth Leaders Stakeholders through the support of AMREF Health Africa Y-ACT Project held a consultative meeting with other stakeholders to discuss how best the issue of teenage pregnancies within Kakamega County can be addressed. Mr. Omwandasi Jared, The Kakamega County Youth Chairman and Mr. Wakhisi from the Office of the Woman Representative attended the meeting. Youth Leaders Stakeholders, the convener of the meeting,  brought about all these like minded organizations to form a coalition to build synergy , promote partnerships and work collectively in addressing the teenage pregnancy issue.

Ms. Victoria Zillah, the Executive Director of Youth Leaders Stakeholders says the initiative's goal is to ensure girls’ and young women realise their right to sexual and reproductive health and have control over their lives and bodies. These are critical to achieving gender equality.

Youth Leaders Stakeholders organization intends to partner around the world to enable access to quality sexual health services, and eliminate harmful practices such as early child and forced marriage.

So far so good, a draft Policy Brief on Teenage Pregnancies has been drafted and hopefully it will be incorperated into the County GBV policy document which is at the county executive level.

Yesterday's meeting was  was graced by Mr Clayton Opiyo from AMREF  Y-ACT program as well as Mr Levi's the Representative of Youth Alive Kenya who are our co-implimenting parters in kakamega County.