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Implementing Multiple Gender Strategies to Improve HIV and ... - ICRW

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promotes <strong>HIV</strong> prevention through peer education <strong>and</strong> empowerment<br />

workshops, which in turn promote the confidence <strong>and</strong> ability of girls <strong>to</strong><br />

negotiate safer sex. Through newsletters <strong>and</strong> drama skits, girls in the<br />

program build awareness of <strong>HIV</strong>-related stigma <strong>and</strong> other gender issues for<br />

the wider community. The program increases girls’ legal protection by<br />

providing various educational programs that teach the young women about<br />

basic rights <strong>and</strong> referring girls <strong>to</strong> legal resources for any specific legal<br />

consultation or action.<br />

One of Binti Pamoja’s main subprograms increases girls’ access <strong>to</strong><br />

income through a Financial Literacy Curriculum, written in conjunction with<br />

the Global Financial Education program. Participants are educated on<br />

savings, budgeting skills, banking services, <strong>and</strong> earning money, <strong>and</strong><br />

program alumni are trained <strong>to</strong> be facilita<strong>to</strong>rs of the curriculum. Binti Pamoja<br />

also provides educational scholarships <strong>to</strong> some members.<br />

Target Audience<br />

Girls ages 11–18 in Kibera, Nairobi<br />

Level of Intervention<br />

Community<br />

Geographic<br />

Location<br />

Timeframe<br />

Kibera Slums – Nairobi<br />

2002–ongoing<br />

Funders • American Jewish World Service<br />

• The Global Fund for Children<br />

• Nike Foundation<br />

• Population Council<br />

• Private <strong>and</strong> in-kind donations<br />

Partner<br />

Organizations<br />

Implementation partners:<br />

• Population Council<br />

• K-Rep Development Agency (KDA)<br />

Evaluation partners:<br />

• Population Council<br />

IMPLEMENTATION AND RESULTS<br />

Start-up <strong>and</strong><br />

Implementation<br />

Process<br />

Having identified a lack of adolescent girl-specific youth programming,<br />

program founders Karen Austrian <strong>and</strong> Emily Verellen received a small grant<br />

from Columbia University <strong>and</strong> worked with Carolina for Kibera <strong>to</strong> recruit a<br />

group of 12 young women between the ages of 13 <strong>and</strong> 18. This group,<br />

named Binti Pamoja ("Daughters United" in kiSwahili) by the members, met<br />

three <strong>to</strong> five times a week in a donated classroom at Kibera primary school.<br />

These meetings became Phase One of the Binti Pamoja Center.<br />

The Binti Pamoja curriculum was not pre-set; rather, it was determined by<br />

the questions, concerns <strong>and</strong> crucial issues that the young women in the<br />

group raised. The first issue they raised was violence against women.<br />

Subsequent discussion <strong>to</strong>pics included sex, contraception, sexually<br />

42

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