• The aim is to deliver high-quality, adolescent and youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services including HIV testing and treatment to adolescent girls
• It targets girls aged 15 to 19 years and will be implemented in 10 counties that experience a significant burden of HIV and adolescent pregnancy
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The effort to end pregnancy and new HIV infections among adolescents in Kenya has received a major boost.
This is after a project funded at a cost of more than Sh148 billion was launched on Thursday.
The project dubbed Development Impact Bond (DIB) for adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) in Kenya is a partnership of the UN in Kenya.
The funding will go towards the delivery of high-quality, adolescent and youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services including HIV testing and treatment to adolescent girls.
It targets girls aged 15 to 19 years and will be implemented in 10 counties that experience a significant burden of HIV and adolescent pregnancy.
The 10 include Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Homa Bay, Bungoma, Migori, Kisii, Nyamira, Kakamega and Busia.
It aims to support over 300,000 vulnerable adolescent girls as well as the improvement of services in 150 public primary health facilities in the 10 high-burden counties.
“This innovative programme is quite timely and aligns perfectly with the government’s ambitions of improving the health and wellbeing of the citizenry,” Bashir Issak said.
“It comes at a time when we as a nation are scaling up our efforts to address the challenge of teenage pregnancy, adolescent HIV, GBV and other harmful practices, through a multi-sectoral approach,” Isaak added.
Issak is the Head Directorate of Family Health at the Ministry of Health.
The key leading organisations in the initiative include United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS), the World Health Organisation and the SDG Partnership Platform.
Also part of the project is Triggerise, a global non-profit organisation, the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), and Bridges Outcomes Partnerships.
The DIB will be implemented using Triggerise’s Tiko platform, a mobile-based digital platform that connects adolescents to nearby public and private facilities offering free services.
The Tiko ecosystem brings together local actors including networks of health clinics, pharmacies, virtual channels, community-based organizations, and health workers who support youth in their decision-making for the health and wellness services they need to thrive.
Through the digital platform, Triggerise is able to track where every cent goes and assess impact every day with real-time reports and data-driven insights.
“For adolescents living in low-income settings, the barriers in access to accurate information and quality sexual and reproductive health services can be challenging to overcome,” The UN Resident Coordinator Stephen Jackson said.
“Many are facing financial obstacles, coupled with long distances to health facilities, and other socio-cultural factors that prevent them from this access.”
He noted that even when services are available, concerns about privacy and service provider bias often discourage adolescents from seeking help.
The government of Kenya through the Ministry of Health will provide the policy direction and overall stewardship of the programme, while the Council of Governors will ensure effective coordination of counties.
The 10 County governments involved will be responsible for the provision of SRH and HIV services to vulnerable adolescent girls.