By Jacintavan Luijk | Coordinator and Education Officer
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF KAP's 'UNREACHED YOUTHS' WORK
In Kenya, 75% of the population is younger than 35 years.
In 2004 KAP observed this age group to increasingly suffer from mental health challenges, in turn resulting into sexual and reproductive health-, including HIV infection-, addiction- and psychological trauma issues and violence. In response KAP started its Unreached Youths activities.
Meanwhile these activities have been established as a full sub-programme called 'Empowering Youths on the Margins', well-integrated with KAP's three other sub-programmes of 'HIV/AIDS Behaviour Education', 'Abuse and Addiction Prevention, Community Based Treatment and Referral' and 'Prevention and Healing of Violence and Trauma for Peace'.
INCREASING COMMUNITY CHALLENGES
Whereas KAP's Beneficiaries responded enthusiastically to these activities, at the same time in Kenya and Trans Nzoia County the Unreached Youths challenges continued to worsen fast, affecting very many young people.
Currently there is much unrest amongst Kenya's young people: There have been several demonstrations which ended in violence, violent gangs are rampant - sometimes with participants as young as 13 years old, insecurity is high, as is drug and substance abuse, and in Kitale several areas are under curfew.
These matters are exacerbated by the young people's perception that their issues are not being addressed, except by some leaders who engage them with alcohol, drugs and money for their own purposes.
PREPARATION OF A NEW GLOBALGIVING UNREACHED YOUTHS PROJECT
KAP's work with Unreached Youths shows good success, as is also expressed in its monitoring data.
Unfortunately worldwide, funds are diminishing to do this work.
We are therefore preparing ourselves for a new GlobalGiving Unreached Youths project which will be launched soon.
Meanwhile your current donations have been used in support of our Unreached Youths Sub-Programme activities not supported by other donors.
WE WHOLEHEARTEDLY THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS POSSIBLE!
BABRA'S STORY
My name is Babra from the Top Station Marlies Girls Group. I had lost hope when I reached eighth grade in primary school and wasn't doing well. I felt like a complete failure.
My father had passed away some time earlier, but I didn't know the cause.
After that, my mother tried to force me to marry, saying she had no money left to support us. She was very violent, and when my little sister cried, she told me to disappear with her. Even eating was a challenge. There were no school fees, and I felt desperate. She was always bitter towards me.
Shortly after the exam results, my mother also passed away, and even more darkness came into my life. I didn't know what to do or where to go. It was my aunt who came to my rescue after my mother's funeral. Life improved, but unfortunately, my uncle was a drunkard. Eventually, my aunt told me that both my parents had died of HIV/AIDS. I didn't understand that monster, only that it was very bad. I had learned about it in grade six, but that was for exam purposes. It tortured me psychologically the whole time. My aunt did her best and paid my tuition for my first year of high school, and I'm now in third grade.
KAP came to mobilize for girls' training, and I was fortunate enough to be selected to participate. During the six days of the core workshop, it was as if God had sent an angel (KAP) again. The topics covered included facts about HIV/AIDS, self-awareness, life skills, addiction, and many other useful topics.
It was a new dawn. I now understood what HIV/AIDS is, how it's contracted, how it affects the body, and many other aspects of life that can influence contracting and managing HIV. Learning and sharing our experiences of self-awareness helped me understand myself better and how to live my own life. I hated my parents when they died, and I realized I had psychological challenges. During the training, my facilitator asked how I was doing, and she then counseled me until I felt at peace with myself and relief.
At this moment, I want to say that I am now a different girl with a lot of hope and a new outlook on life. I have forgiven my parents, and I am very grateful to my aunt. I have also managed to talk to my uncle about the effects of alcohol, and he says that he wants to go to rehab and try to quit drinking. I realize that there are many other girls around me who, like me, are suffering very difficult lives, and I have resolved to share what I have learned with them and to help them.
I fully intend to focus on my studies and am hopeful that I too will succeed in life. I'm already exploring with my KAP counselor what realistic options exist after school. Thank you, KAP, for your helpfulness. I'm grateful for my new opportunities. And I pray to God that KAP will help me reach even more people.
NB. Names have been altered to protect the identity of the person narrating her testimony.
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