INTRODUCTION
Kenya’s youth, making up 80% of the population, face major challenges, including high HIV infections, unintended pregnancies, gender-based violence, substance abuse, and mental health issues. Limited access to essential services worsens these issues. I Choose Life – Africa (ICL) is committed to addressing these barriers through high-impact, user-centered interventions.
Our Goal by December 31, 2028:
Sexual Reproductive Health (SRHR)
Mental Health
Flagship Project
Establish 10 youth-friendly health centers and innovation hubs in 10 model counties to enhance service accessibility.
Partner With Us
ICL seeks strategic partners and funding to expand SRHR and mental health programs, ensuring a healthy, empowered, and engaged youth population.
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FOCUS AREAS
Adolescents (10-19 years) and young people (20-24 years) constitute 18% and 26% of the world population respectively. Investing in the health of young people is essential for the economic and social development of any nation. In 2012, an estimated 780,000 youth aged 15-24 were newly infected with HIV, with 97% of the new infections occurring in low and middle income countries. Young people from sub-Saharan Africa are even more at risk of experiencing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) problems than other youth from around the world. The highest adolescent childbearing rates are seen in Africa where young people also have the highest unmet need for contraception and education on sexual and reproductive health.
Kenya is faced with a rapidly growing young population with an annual growth rate of 3% per annum (KDHS 2009). It has a broad based population structure with 63% of the population below 25 years. Similarly, 32% of the population is aged between 10-24 years; also 41% of women and 43% of men of reproductive age (15-49) are below 25 years of age. The rapid population growth coupled with large proportion of young people in the country puts great demands on health care, water and sanitation. With inadequate attention to the Sexual Reproductive Health needs of this age group of the population, Kenya is unlikely to achieve the Vision 2030 (FHI360 2011).
Transition to adulthood for adolescents is marked by numerous sexual and reproductive health (SRH) challenges that heighten their risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV, unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortion and sexual violence. Other indirect problems, include, lack of parental guidance on sexuality, poverty and unemployment, and drug and substance abuse.
ICL’s interventions target to reach adolescents and youth using a holistic approach. ICL realizes that for lasting health outcomes, interventions need to integrate social determinants of health such as education, economic, leadership factors among others including creation of an enabling environment to support effective interventions in the counties and country.
Communities play a greater role to mobilize and support uptake of comprehensive integrated SRH services during health drives and outreaches. It is against this backdrop that ICL seeks to focus in reduction of morbidity and mortality arising from SRH and HIV effects among the children, adolescents, young people and communities at large. Our guiding focus is to strength health sector in view of Kenya Vision 2030, of seeking to provide an efficient integrated and high quality affordable health care to all citizens.
Introduction: ICL recognizes that SRH is more than simply what individual people experience. SRH is shaped by factors at different levels of society, such as laws that affect what we do, social factors such as poverty, community norms, and what services are available to young people. In order to improve SRH, ICL considers, and acts on, the drivers of sexual and reproductive ill health. I Choose Life- Africa (ICL) implements a 360 degrees integrated BCC approach which focuses on mid mass media and Interpersonal communications (IPC).Mid-mass media activities include: thematic events within the colleges, SRH drive activations in the colleges and communities and distribution of IEC materials. IPC activities include: Peer education training, Behaviour Change Communication groups and one on one sessions through door to door visits.
Through networking with the other partners to provide integrated SRH services like HIV counseling and Testing, FP counseling and provision of FP commodities, breast and cervical cancer screening, linkages for care and treatment, and technical support. Service delivery at health facilities has been improved through training of service providers through the MoH on youth friendly service provision and strengthening commodity supply such as FP commodities and HTC kits. Institutions peer educators, CHVs and HTC counsellors mobilize and reach the young people linking them to the services and condom distribution. Strategies to provide these services are done through outreaches (health drives) or facility based.
ICL also advocated for laws and policies that support SRHR for young people such as the inclusion of Age Appropriate Comprehensive Sexuality Education (AACSE) in the school curriculum and review of the Adolescent Health Policy among others. Advocacy can change or improve policies and laws to ensure health services are adequately funded, welfare systems are improved, and access is increased to integrated HIV and SRH services.
Features:
USP: It incorporates age appropriate life skills components. The ICL peer education is fun, interactive, multimedia, and utilizes multiple methods of learning including: interactive lecture, small group discussions, testimonials, brainstorming role-playing and case studies Our clients: Students in institutions of higher learning (universities and colleges), adolescents in secondary schools, out of school youth, youth on holiday, among others.
I Choose Life – Africa (ICL) has trained trainers and facilitators that implement the following EBIs; Families Matter Program, Sister to Sister, Health Choices Two, Health Choices for a better future, Community Prevention with Positives, RESPECT Kenya among others for out SRH/HIV programs.
ICL has established and supported health facilities to offer quality and effective youth friendly services. Our support aims at increasing demand and supply for all SRH and HIV/AIDS services for institutions and public health facilities.
Introduction: Our wellness program consists of inter-related programs, all geared towards enhancing corporate workforce wellbeing to increase performance and productivity.
Features: The content areas address direct and immediate applicability of issues in everyday challenges of life of the target consumers. The thematic areas include: physical wellness, Financial Wellness and Psychosocial wellness.
ICL carries out advocacy activities at National and County level to affect issues in policy relating to Adolescents and youth SRH programming. ICL works within HENNET as its chair and is leading in engaging stakeholders (parents, religious groups, CSOs) in comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) adoption and implementation into the school curriculum.
Project Goal
The goal of the project is to reduce risky behaviour in sexual and reproductive health among youth in tertiary and institutions of higher learning and their social networks in the surrounding communities.
Project Objectives
Achievements
Scope
The project is implemented in Laikipia, Narok and Nakuru counties
Our Partners
Jiimarishe APHIA Western has directly contributed to result area 3 of the USAID Funded APHIA Plus Western Project. The result area seeks to see increased use of quality services, products and information. The Project implements a combination prevention program targeting youth in and around institutions of higher learning, with a special focus on Sexually Active Young Women (SAYW).
Project Goal Jiimarishe APHIA Western’s goal is to support Ministries of Health and other relevant partners to improve health outcomes and impact through sustainable country led programs and partnerships.
Project Objectives
Achievements
Scope The project is implemented in Kisumu, Kakamega and Siaya counties targeting – Maseno University, Kisumu Polytechnic; Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology; Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST)
Our Partners
Introduction
The Jiimarishe WRP Project has contributed to the reduction of HIV prevalence and incidence in Bomet, Kericho and Nandi counties by targeting Female sex workers (FSW), truckers and women aged 15-24 years with different EBI interventions. These interventions included Peer education (PE), Respect Kenya (RK) and Sister to Sister (S2S).
Project Goal The project seeks to achieve primary prevention of HIV infection and improving support to Persons Living with HIV and AIDS. Project Objectives
Achievements
Scope
The project covers: Nandi, Kericho Bomet counties
Our Partners
PEPFAR CDC through Walter Reed Project
Introduction
The SEAL (Sexual reproductive health, Economic empowerment, Academic and career mentoring, Leadership and governance) project was initiated in 2009 in Nairobi County and later expanded to two other counties i.e. Machakos and Uasin Gishu counties. Currently the project is being implemented in Nairobi, Machakos, & Uasin Gishu counties with prospects of expanding to Turkana in 2016.
The project seeks to meet the Sexual Reproductive Health needs of secondary school students through addressing the social determinants of health i.e. education and poverty. Embedded in the project is the human rights based approach to programming and advocacy for Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) in schools. The expected outcomes of the project is reduced teenage pregnancies, increase in age of sexual debut and reduction in rates of HIV incidence among the school going population. The primary target population for this project is secondary school students while the secondary targets are the school boards of management, parents, and teachers as life skills promoters.
Project Goal The project seeks to improve reproductive health outcomes for young people in secondary schools through a holistic approach that addresses social determinants of health
Project Objectives
Achievements
Scope
The SEAL project is implemented in Machakos, Nairobi and Uasin Gishu Counties
Our Partners
Project Goal Jiimarishe ERIKS project seeks to reduce HIV incidence among 15-19 year olds in Kisii County
Project Objectives
Achievements
Scope
The project is implemented in 10 secondary schools in Kisii County
Our Partners
Introduction
Jiimarishe UNFPA is a project funded under the GOK/UNFPA 8th Country Programme that responds to national priorities as articulated in the second medium term plan 2013-2017 of Kenya Vision 2030, and contributes to the United Nations Development Assistance Framework 2014-2018. The programme targets its interventions in Homabay, Kilifi and Nairobi counties. The Jiimarishe UNFPA project seeks to increase priority on adolescents, especially on very young adolescent girls, in national development policies and programs as well as increase availability of comprehensive sexuality education and sexual and reproductive health.
Project Goal The Jiimarishe UNFPA project’s goal is to increase priority on adolescents, especially on very young adolescent girls, in national development policies and programs, particularly increased availability of comprehensive sexuality education and sexual and reproductive health.
Project Objectives
Achievements
Scope The project targets Nairobi, Homa bay and Kilifi counties
Our Partners
UNFPA, MOH and MoEST