COVID19 Rapid Response Plan, Nairobi slums

During the COVID19 pandemic outbreak in Nairobi slums, self isolation is impossible. Families of 5-8 are living in huts, some are having only 10m2 shared by everyone. Food is earned and bought each day. People in slums are getting sick, and if not sick they will starve during the self isolation. People who are living in slums are extremely vulnerable because of pre-existing, not treated medical conditions, such as HIV and others. Lack of access to good quality food and malnutrition have made people’s immune system weaker than people outside the slums. In Nairobi, the biggest slum Kibera and Korogocho is having a population of 700 000-1 million people. Others are smaller but the total amount of people living in slums is huge. In slums like Kibera, COVID19 can spread like a bonfire. 1 million people can get infected with devastating amounts of deaths.

Do It With Boldness Foundation is duly registered non-profit foundation that works on the issues of Gender Based Violence,Female Genital Mutilation,Early pregnancies and child marriage and also promotes development through education, advocacy ,mentorship, economic empowerment and leadership skills trainings for youths and young girls and to help them realise their full potential in the society beyond.

In collaboration with INSPIRIT Creatives UG NGO,They have come up with Covid -19 Rapid Response plan in In Nairobi slums.

As the country deals with the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a shocking increase in the number of sexual offences cases-(Gender Based Violence) and Early teen pregnancies cases in Kenya over the past few months in the country . These offences constitute more than 35.8% of the criminal matters reported .During this COVID-19 pandemic, where movement is restricted, people are confined, and protection systems have weakened, women and girls are at greater risk of experiencing gender-based violence, and are at the threat for harmful practices including female genital mutilation and child, early, and forced marriages.

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease has resulted in the deaths of 667,218 people (as of July 30, 2020) globally and has led to the suspension of most economic activities devastating people’s means of livelihood. It has also led to the closure of learning institutions. In Kenya, the Ministry of Education has put in place strategies to ensure continuity of education through distance online learning delivered through radio, television and the Internet. However, these strategies have further widened the inequality gap, as learners from poor, vulnerable, and marginalized households are unable to benefit from continued learning through these platforms due to lack of access.

Further, with the loss of livelihoods particularly in low-income households, some children may be forced into income-generating activities to support their families’ survival. Also, school closure has stopped the provision of school meals and sanitary towels, which children from disadvantaged families rely on significantly. This raises the risks of young girls engaging in transactional sex in order to gain not only access to these essential needs but also to support their families. There is evidence that links poverty, lack of family support, and transactional sex.

Some of these pregnancies could be as a result of sexual violence, which has been projected to rise during COVID-19 lockdowns,where the closure of schools resulted in an increase in physical and sexual violence, teenage pregnancies, and unsafe abortions in the slums within nairobi and countrywide.

Aside from school closure till 2021, the rising cases of COVID-19 is likely to put a strain on the healthcare system, leading to the disruption of healthcare services, deprioritization of sexual and reproductive health services and shortage of contraceptive commodities and essential drugs. All these could lead to a rise in cases of teenage pregnancies. Young people have already reported reduced use of SRHR services including decreased access to contraceptives. Experts have projected that COVID-19 will lead to over 15 million additional unintended pregnancies globally, many of which will occur among teenage girls

As Do It With Boldness Foundation and INSPIRIT Creatives UG NGO,we remain in the forefront in supporting girls and needy families in the slums of Korogocho Slums with essential supplies.So far as an organization we have training more than 1500 young girls and women on Sexual Health Rights in order to curb the rise in teenage pregnancy that has been on the rise during this COVID19 Pandemic. We have equally provided sanitary towels to the most vulnerable girls who sadly have to give into sex demands in order to get sanitary towels in return.In addition,We are also supporting needy families with food,soap,sanitizers and face masks.Kindly find the events on our facebook page

Any support received from you towards this action will be highly appreciated and valued.For more information about this action kindly reach to us.On behalf of Do With Boldness Foundation and INSPIRIT Creatives UG NGO, we thank you for your support.