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

TAP AND REPOSITION YOUTH (TRY)
LEAD ORGANIZATIONS:
COUNTRY:
HIV PROGRAM AREA:
Population Council
Kenya
Prevention, Care and Support
OVERVIEW:
TRY worked to improve adolescent girls’ reproductive health outcomes by improving their livelihood
options. The project primarily targeted out-of-school adolescent girls and young women ages 16–22
in low-income areas of Nairobi. It focused on microfinance, offering savings, credit, business support
and mentoring related to small business management, as well as counseling around reproductive
health issues such as HIV prevention and mitigation, drug and substance abuse, relationships, child
rights and violence against women. TRY also convened workshops with legal experts to educate
women about their rights. Three male-only groups addressed male norms and behaviors. By earning
and saving, some participants were empowered to resist sexual coercion, insist on condom use and
refuse sex. By the project’s end, participating girls had significantly higher incomes and more assets
than the control group. However, only the least vulnerable girls strongly benefited from microfinance:
most needed social capital (friendships, support groups, safety, etc.) before they could benefit from
microfinance assistance.
BACKGROUND
HIV & AIDS
Program Goals
TRY improved the economic and social well-being of adolescent girls in
Kenya through efforts to increase income, improve control over income,
build economic skills, and provide safe and supportive social networks.
Gender Strategies
Addressed
Reducing violence and coercion
Addressing male norms and behaviors
Increasing women’s legal protection
Increasing women’s access to income and productive resources
Other:
Description of
Intervention
The overall aim of the project was to reduce adolescents’ vulnerability to
adverse social and reproductive health outcomes by improving their
livelihood options. The project targeted out-of-school adolescent girls and
young women ages 16–22 residing in low-income and slum areas of
Nairobi. It sought to increase their access to income by using a modified
group-based microfinance model to extend integrated savings, credit,
business support and mentoring to out-of-school adolescents and young
women.
While most existing adolescent HIV prevention efforts educate about
reducing risky premarital sexual behavior and encourage participants to
“just say no to sex,” these efforts overlook the context of sexual behavior.
The Population Council and K-Rep Development Agency (KDA) developed
and tested a model to reduce economic vulnerability and increase social
connectedness among girls residing in low-income and slum areas of
Nairobi. The model used savings, group-based credit and adult mentors to
reach young women with livelihoods and social support, as well as
reproductive health information. Mentors also periodically organized large
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