OUR PROJECTS

From January to April 2024, we partnered with Indiana University’s Client-based International Projects Program and worked closely with Professor Heather Eastman-Mueller’s class on our pilot Sexual Health Outreach Project (SHOP). The initiative advocates for sexual and reproductive health as a fundamental human right and aims to promote informed, positive attitudes toward sexual and reproductive health within our target communities.

In collaboration with Professor Eastman-Mueller and her students, we focused on analyzing the results of a needs assessment conducted as part of the pilot project. This analysis helped us better understand the cultural factors influencing the receptivity of sexual and reproductive health discussions in the communities we serve. Leveraging these insights, we tailored our advocacy efforts to ensure they resonated with the specific needs and concerns of our audience.

Indiana University also played a key role in developing a comprehensive sexual and reproductive health curriculum. This curriculum utilized a train-the-trainer model designed for healthcare providers, peer counselors in high schools, and community members. It included tailored lesson plans with clear learning objectives, interactive activities, and a sustainable evaluation framework. By empowering these key stakeholders, we ensured that

meaningful discussions on sexual and reproductive health would continue within our communities long after the project concludes.

This collaboration greatly benefited the Hijabi Mentorship Program by enhancing our ability to advocate for sexual and reproductive health as a human right. It strengthened our capacity to address the cultural nuances of these discussions, promote positive attitudes toward sexuality and contraception, and foster equity and responsibility in relationships. Through this partnership, we have amplified the impact of our advocacy initiatives and are contributing to improved sexual and reproductive health outcomes for women, girls, and young people in Kwale County.

We are deeply grateful to Professor Eastman-Mueller and her students for their invaluable contributions. Their expertise and support have significantly bolstered our capacity to effect change, and we look forward to continuing this fruitful collaboration in the future.

The goal of the project is to increase access to comprehensive Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) for Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYWs) in Kwale County.

Access and uptake of Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and HIV & AIDS and STIs prevention and treatment services by Adolescents Girls and Young Women (AGYW) is reportedly dismal in Kwale County. Where these essential services are being offered, they are inadequate and fail to be satisfactorily delivered in a comprehensive manner.

This is a one- year USAID-Kenya funded project, implemented in collaboration with YALI RLC EAST AFRICA Regional Leadership Centre and Kenyatta University.

Our intervention contributes to the bigger picture of transforming power to advance women’s human rights

1. Increasing the girls and women’s political consciousness regarding SRHR. Individual political consciousness is the foundation that girls and women need in order to advance their own human rights. Once this is in place, then collective action to advance rights becomes possible. Specific objective 1 seeks to do this.

2. Collective action to demand action by the duty bearers. Building on the individual political consciousness, girls ,women and key professionals will receive training to enhance their agency to be able to collectively demand service provision and full enjoyment of their SRHR from the duty bearers.

A combination of individual political consciousness and agency for collective demand for services and full enjoyment of SRHR from duty bearers will contribute to advancement of women’s human rights

The Kwale County Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) Protection Act 2023 addresses the widespread issue of SGBV in Kwale County, Kenya, particularly affecting women and girls. Enacted in October and officially launched in November 2023, this Act provides a comprehensive legal framework to combat and prevent SGBV effectively.

Supported by CREAW Kenya, the Hewlett Foundation, and the French Embassy through the PISCAA Decid’Her project, we are leading an extensive advocacy campaign to ensure the successful implementation of the Act. The campaign focuses on raising awareness, mobilizing public support, and engaging key stakeholders through community outreach, workshops, media campaigns, and lobbying efforts.

A central goal of this campaign is to educate the public on the importance of the SGBV Act and its potential to address deep-rooted issues in Kwale County. By rallying local communities, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders, we aim to build momentum and push for swift action by decision-makers.

In addition, funds will be allocated to engage local leaders, lawmakers, and government officials, advocating for the Act’s full implementation. This will include presenting evidence-based arguments, sharing case studies, and collaborating with human rights organizations like THMP, which has been instrumental in pushing for policy reforms in this area.

Media engagement will also play a vital role, with stories from survivors, activists, and experts highlighting the urgency of addressing SGBV in Kwale County. By leveraging media

platforms, we aim to bring widespread attention to the issue and drive public opinion in support of the Act.

In summary, the campaign seeks to address the pressing issue of SGBV in Kwale County, with a focus on safeguarding the rights and well-being of women and girls. The Kwale County Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Protection Act 2023 is a crucial step toward creating lasting change and tackling SGBV comprehensively.

To expand the existing Nikumbuke Soccer League’s model by engaging and providing seed support to established gender development programs who start similar programs for adult women in their communities. The program will run from June 1, 2022 through May 31, 2023.

THMP believes that engaging sports, specifically soccer , will advocate for social support by improving women’s emotional and physical health, reduce or mitigate gender-based Violence and strengthen community cohesion. Soccer isn’t just a fun sport, it can also be a powerful tool for advancing equality in underserved communities. The misconception that sports isn’t for women is pervasive across many societies around the world. Cultural gender norms and expectations can create barriers that keep girls from enjoying the benefits of sport. As a catalyst for change, we at THMP are extremely excited to be part of this barrier breaker.

On May 13^th, 2022, we officially launched the Women’s Voice and Leadership Project in Kwale (WVL). WVL supports local and regional women’s organizations and networks that are working to promote women’s rights and advance women’s empowerment and gender equality in developing countries.

The program supports approximately 120 women’s rights organizations across Kenya to improve their structures, programming, and capacity to deliver quality services in order to promote women’s and girls’ rights, and equal opportunities for all. It also strengthens the effectiveness of women’s rights platforms in Kenya. We, The Hijabi Mentorship Program, are the first organization they are supporting in Kwale County.

The WVL program is funded by Global Affairs Canada and implemented by CARE Kenya, Uraia Trust, Urgent Action Fund Africa, Crawn Trust, and CREAW Kenya who are here with us today.

Through this 2-year project, we will be aiming to strengthen the management of THMP and to train our 20 gender champions under our new program ‘Gender Equality Champions Academy’ (GECA). The launch was marked by the kickoff of our first cohort of The Gender Champions Academy (GECA). GECA’s mission is to train 20 youth (10 men and 10 women) in Kwale County from all the 4 sub-counties (Matuga, Kinango, Lungalunga, and Msambweni) on gender issues. As our 1st cohort of Mentees, they will undergo intensive 2-year training after which, they will be responsible for leading continuous community dialogue/outreach as part of our wider advocacy on matters of Gender Equality (SDG5).

2021 is the year of the Generation Equality Forum, a civil-society-centered, global gathering for gender equality convened by UN Women and co-hosted by the governments of Mexico and France. The event kicked off in Mexico City on March 29 and will culminate in Paris from 30 June to 2 July 2021. The Forum launches a series of concrete, ambitious and transformative actions to achieve immediate and irreversible progress towards gender equality. We at The Hijabi Mentorship Program, are thrilled to announce that we are part of the cohort of 10 youth-led Organizations (grantees) selected globally to receive support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to support our mission towards advancing Gender Equality as part of the #Generation Equality Forum until March 2022.

Our vision of success is to have a strengthened institutional mechanism i.e. police & local administrators who women and girls trust so that they can report acts of GBV violations safely, confidentially & with no fear of reprisal. We also envision increased access to relevant, timely, and appropriate information about sexual and reproductive health rights and GBV for young men and women in Kwale County.

This project will be implemented in four different constituencies: Matuga, Kinango, Lungalunga, and Msambweni. We’ll target seven spheres of influence: the local administration, the County Assembly, religious leaders, community elders, youth leaders, community influencers, and the community.

There has been a huge disparity between our Mental Health and our Physical Health from the National to the grass-root level. Physical health has been valued more than Mental Health in a very evident form. According to the World Health Organisation, mental health is one of the most neglected areas of public health. It is estimated that close to or more than 1 billion people are living with a mental health disorder. More than 75% of people with mental disorders receive no treatment. Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community. Mental health is more than just the absence of mental disorders or

disabilities.

Several physical health areas are closely linked to mental health such as: sexual reproductive health, teenage pregnancy, sexual and gender-based violence and drug abuse. As much as at first glance they are physical health concerns, they are linked to mental health problems like depression and anxiety disorders.

Due to the reality of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Several existing challenges have become bigger, and new challenges have also come up. The COVID-19 response has put immense stress on the already struggling Kenyan government health system. It has also disrupted the delivery of routine health services and information to young women and girls, sharply limiting access to sexual and reproductive health services, disrupting immunization schedules, and cutting off their access to mental health services delivered through schools and universities now shut because of physical distancing measures.

With unemployment on the rise, schools being closed, online classes becoming a norm, social distancing and other related issues, the mental health crisis has increased. Anxiety about the future, concerns about health, an increase in domestic violence, rising cases of depression, sadness and grief have now become an even bigger portion of our daily lives. We have also witnessed an increase in cases of suicides within the informal settlements, increased pregnancies and lack of access to reproductive and sanitary facilities and items.

The Hijabi Mentorship Program and Nivishe Foundation seek to bridge this gap by carrying out responses and interventions that promote the wellness, healing and care for these vulnerable young women and girls and their families that will further advance their human rights and social empowerment.

OBJECTIVES

 – Creating more awareness about Mental Health and Disorders.

– Initiating and encouraging open discussions about Mental Health in the grass-root level.

– Reduce the stigmatization of those who are suffering mentally.

– Cutting harmful cultural and religious practices that lead to mental health disorders

–  Act as a bridge in the provision of mental health facilities and services.