Mask Her Mouth But Unmask Her Voice

Mask Her Mouth But Unmask Her Voice

Safe Community Youth Initiative (SCYI)is a youth led, not - for- profit, non-partisan, community based organization at the Coast of Kenya founded in 2004 and registered in 2006. Based in Kilifi County, Mtwapa Town, the organization is committed to advancing and mainstreaming a culture for a secured and healthy community. SCYI enhances effective participation and involvement of adolescent girls and young people to Gender Equality and SRHR in Kilifi County

Our focus is building the capacity of adolescent girls and young women to enhance their engagement and participation in policy and resource allocation on Gender Equality and SRHR at the County and National level through capacity development, advocacy and service delivery approaches.

Through our school based programs (Young Adolescent Project) SCYI has managed to meet with adolescent girls to eliminate barriers faced by adolescent girls in accessing age appropriate SRHR information & services by creating a social environment which enables effective communication between adolescents & parents. Through the Adolescent Girls Power Program (AGPP) and My Voice Matter Project (MVMP) we are currently implementing this project to give adolescent girls and young women the power to transform and change the structures that denies them their rights and decision to make better choice and increasing access to SRHR information for adolescent girls and young women in Kilifi.

Why Mask Her Mouth, Unmask Her Voice Campaign

Kilifi County has a target population of 1,453,787 according to Kenya National Bureau of Statistics 2019, out of these 749,673 are female and 704,089[1] are male with the population of adolescent girls and young women between the ages of 10-24yrs making up a total population of 257,230[2]. (10-14yrs- 10,403, 15-19yrs-80,854, 20-24yrs-74973)[3]. Teen pregnancy stands at 30% higher than national of 26% (DHIS). In 2019, the county hit the headlines after reports indicated that more than 13,000 girls became pregnant. The number rose to 17,000[i] with more than 44 cases of child marriage, 153 cases of defilement & 14 sodomy cases[4].

With the current COVID-19 pandemic, more AGYW have continued to suffer from SEA contributing to poor reproductive health outcomes including teenage pregnancies and HIV infection. Sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) remains a key issue of concern among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Kilifi. According to Kenya Demographic Health Survey Report 2019, about 7% girls and 3% of boys aged 15-19 years have ever experienced sexual violence. The capacity of the AGYW who report violence remains limited with only 33% of girls and 20% of boys aged 15 –19 years demonstrating capacity to seek help.

Inadequate knowledge andinformation on SRHR information, poor access to menstrual health hygiene commodities, retrogressive social & gender norms and taboos have contributed to the increased cases of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) among Adolescent Girls & Young Women in Kilifi leading to poor health outcomes. Although norms of patriarchy, family honor, male prominence both in public & private and female sexuality purity are changing, they still restrict adolescent girls and young women access to SRHR information and services.

To improve SRHR outcomes in Kilifi, Safe Community Youth Initiative intends to increase knowledge and information on SRHR by building AGYW confidence for them to make effective choices in life in Kilifi County.

We intend to;

• To enhance access to SHR information and services by adolescent girls and young women aged 10-19 years in Kilifi county by Dec 2022
• To support AGYW to meaningfully participate in decision making spaces in Kilifi County in Kilifi by Dec 2022
• To create a social environment which enables effective communication between adolescents & parents in Kilifi by Dec 2022

[1] https://www.knbs.or.ke/?wpdmpro=2019-kenya-populat...

[2] file:///C:/Users/user/AppData/Local/Temp/COUNTY%20INTEGRATED%20DEVELOPMENT%20PLAN%20(CIDP)%202018-2022.pdf

[3] file:///C:/Users/user/AppData/Local/Temp/COUNTY%20INTEGRATED%20DEVELOPMENT%20PLAN%20(CIDP)%202018-2022-1.pdf

[4] https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/evewoman/article/2...

[i] https://www.the-star.co.ke/counties/coast/2019-06-...