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Personal Stories
The Story of Gloria Bella, a Youth Advocate
On Wednesday the 12th of August we celebrate International Youth Day. The film crew of Amref Health Africa Dagoretti Child Protection and Development Centre spoke to several inspiring youths about meaningful youth engagement. Their voices are important today and therefore they should be included in political processes now. Young people are standing up, raising their voices and contributing to sustainable change. Let’s listen. My name is Gloria Bella Ouma. I’m 20 years old and I’m working as an advocacy officer. I am also an actress and I work in
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Personal Stories
Faith – Family planning with youth
Faith is one of the 20 nurses working at the Waithaka Health Centre in Dagoretti, a neighbourhood in Nairobi with high rates of poverty. It is the only health centre with maternal facilities in an area of nearly 330,000 people. Every day 500 patients visit the centre, and about 8 to 10 women give birth daily there. She manages the family planning services with women and youth of the area. She has noticed a change lately. "Something must be changing in the community, as more and more young people are coming to the family planning service," she says. That change probably happens thanks to
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Personal Stories
Hope for Underprivileged Girls as 49 Receive Scholarships
Many children in Kajiado County, Kenya do not have a chance to study beyond primary school due to social, economic or cultural factors. Girls, on the other hand, are disproportionately at risk of facing the harsh cultural practice of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) leading to child marriage and teenage pregnancy, which affects their school enrolment. Statistics from a 2016 Ministry of Education study shows the gross enrollment rate in the County was about 22 per cent for boys and 18 per cent for girls. In 2017, Amref Health Africa in Kenya awarded 49 girls and 19 boys in Kajiad
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Personal Stories
Amref Scholarship Changed my Life: Kuresoi’s Story
In 2017, 16-year-old Kuresoi Kurembo completed his primary education and passed with flying colours. However, when his peers were joining secondary school, he was forced to repeat class eight not because he had failed, but due to lack of school fees. Born and raised in a low-income household, Kuresoi lives with his family in the rural village of Iltilal, Kajiado County. His father is a herder. For the second time in class eight, the brilliant boy passed his examination but still, he was staring at a bleak future because his parents could not afford to take him to secondary school. He sco
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Personal Stories
Rescued from Child Marriage and Back in School: Janet’s Story
Janet Sein is smart, confident and has a contagious smile. When she finished her primary education in 2018, the possibility of going to secondary school was next to impossible. The 17-year-old girl from a remote rural area Iltilal Village, Kajiado County recalls how she had opted to be married off since her parents could not afford to pay school fees for her secondary education. Her hopes of becoming a lawyer almost faded when she was to go through the harmful transition of childhood to adulthood through Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). “In 2018,
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Personal Stories
Men Setting the Pace for Mobilization in the Uptake of Modern Contraception in Samburu
By Raphaella Ekiru, Wako Banchale Saidimu Leparlele is a new male champion paving the way for marginalised women to access modern contraceptive methods. At 54, Saidimu who hails from Bendera Village of Bendera Community Health Unit, Samburu County, is wading through a highly patriarchal community filled with rumours, myths, and misconceptions about family planning, to create new frontiers for men to learn about the availability, usage, and benefits of modern contraception. Leading by example, this is how Saidimu’s informed position on modern contraceptives is building a protecti
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Personal Stories
One Man, One Vision, and the Five Hills
“Every hill has its leopard” African proverb In African culture, mountains and hills play a critical role in traditional leadership and practices. Equally, in the Samburu community, traditional leadership is defined by the landscape and age sets. It has a significant influence on the communities under their jurisdiction. The leadership consists of the Samburu Council of Elders. Clan elders from different clans and age set famously known as the ‘five hills,’ namely, Ng’iro, Kirisia, Loroki, Ol Doinyo Lenkiyo and Ndoro. The clan elders are the gatekeepers of the com
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Personal Stories
Sh14 million Malava water project ready for use
In Summary • The project has been financed by East African Breweries Limited and implemented by Amref Health Africa. • It comprises a borehole, a 50,000-litre elevated steel tank, a 6.4-kilometre distribution network, and three water kiosks. About 6,000 people in water-scarce villages of Malava in Kakemega have finally heaved a sigh of relief after the completion of a Sh14 million community water project. Water from the Lukume project is already being used ahead of its commissioning, which will take place once the coronavirus is contained. The residents have ha
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Personal Stories
Contributing to the COVID-19 Fight One Stitch at a Time, Esther Muna’s Story
“I got involved with Amref Health Africa back in 2015 at the Dagoretti Centre through the Divas – a program for young mothers. Each of the Divas had a young child, and we had dropped out of school. We were taught business skills, and through a partnership with Kenya Kanga, we were equipped with tailoring skills. When COVID-19 hit Kenya, we had no source of income. Things were not easy for us. In May, Amref called on us, and we were taken through a week’s training on what personal protective equipment (PPEs) are and the process of producing surgical face masks and gowns. We are exci
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Personal Stories
Unusual Partnerships: Rangers and Scouts at the Frontline of Improving Maternal and Child Health in Rangelands
Article by USAID/Afya Timiza Project "When a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth, it is considered a bad omen and the community does not support any burial rights or conversations regarding the death. It is also believed that a woman who loses her child during pregnancy or childbirth is weak and an object of bad luck,” explains Josephine Lenasaya, speaking about some of the myths surrounding maternal and infant deaths in Samburu County. Josephine, who works as a radio operator at the Kalama Conservancy, borrows heavily from her day-to-day work as she adv
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