Delivering change to reproductive health policies

Action Network For the Disabled (ANDY) is championing the needs of youth with disability in a national campaign to improve health and HIV/AIDS services.

ANDY is linking with other youth organisations to put disability issues on the mainstream agenda, and has just taken part in a five day advocacy training organized by Network of Adolescent and Youth {NAYA}.

NAYA-Kenya Chapter is an organization whose main mission is to advocate for the implementation of policies and legislation on adolescent and youth sexual reproductive health through dissemination of information. They champion for the rights of youth at national and community level.

According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, (KDHS 2008-09) 32-4% of the Kenyan Population is aged 10-24. Young people face serious challenges, which severely affect their growth and development, including economic decline, unemployment, increasing poverty, marginalization, HIV/ AIDS and lack of access to basic social services. And young persons with disabilties face even greater challenges to access health services; they are less likely to be educated, to receive information in a way they inderstand or to be able to access buildigns and equipment. A lack of information on their needs prevents proper planning of services.

NAYA has been training its partner organizations to equip them with the skills to advocate effectively. The organizations represented there included Kenya Scouts, I Choose Life, NPI, Y-Peer, FHOK, MYSA, SOS and ANDY among others.

We were convinced that optimal health of the adolescent population of Kenya will increase their productive capacity to contribute to the nation’s development. The devastating effect of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and its potential longterm impact on Kenya due to increasing rate of infection among adolescents, show there is need for a comprehensive policy response.

A call to the government of Kenya to prioritize and mainstream HIV/AIDs, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Youth Development in Budgetary allocation is being finalized and will be sent soon to Members of parliament to garner their support for the passing of this call to action.

ANDY has produced a simplified guide to human rights law for persons with disability as part of its human right and advocacy programme (see below). It will be included in an advocacy pack which the group will use to raise awareness on the rights of youth with disabilities, and the need for them to play a role in development. This pack will be used at the community and national level to push for the youth agenda. We envision that the voice of youth with disabilities will be heard this time round.

Know your rights campaign - how to get involved

ANDY has trained 20 outreach workers in Nairobi and Kisumu, who are ready to deliver sessions on disability rights to organised groups of persons with disabilites or mainstream groups.  if you belong to a group that wants one of them to come along and empower you, please email programme manager Joshua Ogembo on jcogembo@andy.or.ke .

ANDY is also now recruiting participants for our next workshop, in Mombasa in June. So if you are a young person with a disability living Mombasa, or a disabled persons organisation working in the area, and would like to be given the skills and knowledge to bring about positive change, please contact Joshua on the email above.

ANDY takes rights message to Kisumu

20 young persons with disabilities in Kisumu are ready to deliver real change for persons with disabilities after attending training with ANDY in March.

 



Integrated transport, Kisumu-style!



They attended ANDY’s civic governance workshop, which educates participants on the rights of persons with disabilities in the new Kenya, and how to use them to benefit themselves and others all over Kenya.

 

The participants were brilliant - engaged, committed young leaders who are ready to take up the challenge of becoming ambassadors for persons with all types of disability across the country.

 

They contributed to lively conversations around the rights contained within the constitution as well as Kenyan and international law. These cover everything from the right to an education and to work to the right not to be called abusive names. We then focused on how we can turn the promises in laws into a reality – to end the discrimination which persons with disability continue to face.

 

Kisumu's disability rights advocates

Joshua Ogembo, Andy’s Programme Manager for Human Rights and Advocacy, delivered the message that in many areas a change of attitude is needed to fully enjoy the fruits of the constitution. For example, the right to work is not a right to a job. An employer will not hand out jobs because someone has a disability – they have to be properly qualified first.

 

Another clear message is that persons with disability need to take their place at the decision-making table, with many participants building careers in local politics and representing their interests in their communities. But making sure talented persons with disabilities are able to fill the 5% of all political posts which are now reserved for persons with disabilities is only half the story. To make sure that politicians cannot ignore disability issues, persons with disabilities have to register as voters. This is one of the messages our participants have committed to carrying into their communities as part of the programme’s outreach work.

 

As part of the programme, sponsored by Open Society Institute, ANDY has produced a simplified guide to the rights of persons with disabilities.

 

We are recruiting participants for our next workshop, in Mombasa in June. So if you are a young person with a disability living Mombasa, or a disabled persons organisation working in the area, and would like to be given the skills and knowledge to bring about positive change, please email jcogembo@andy.or.ke

We have outreach workers trained and ready to deliver sessions on disability rights to organised groups of persons with disabilities, and mainstream groups, in Nairobi and Mombasa. Please email Joshua on the address above if you would like on of them to come and empower your group. For more pictures of the event click here .

Having fun in the sun for Autism Awareness - and a question of unsound mind

ANDY spent yesterday having fun in the sun at Autism Awareness Kenya's centrepiece event to mark international autism awareness day.

While we did not take part in the conga or the extremely competitive game of musical chairs, we certainly enjoyed watching. We also took the opportunity to meet many of the committed professionals and parents of children with autism who are doing such a fantastic job of making sure more and  more people in Kenya understand autism and intervene early to give children with this lifelong disability a better chance of leading a full and active life. 

Last week's blog post explains more about autism, and the fact that ANDY is supporting

Autism Awareness Kenya in order to see how our programmes can improve the lives of per sons with autism and their families.

 We met many wonderful people and are confident that we can play our part in increasing understanding of this little-understood disability, as well as help persons with autism access the rights we have all gained though the new constitution and international human rights laws.

Calling all professionals, experts and parents of children with disabilties

ANDY is also seeking to clear up one area of the constitution which we think may give room for potential discrimination against young persons with autism, and those with other development, learning or intelectual disabilities.

 

Article 83 sub-section 1 (b) of the new constitution says that any adult can vote as long as they have not been declared 'of unsound mind'. ANDY is seeking the views of relevant medical and teaching professionals, young persons with those disabilties and their families to form a position which we will present to the government on this matter.

If you are a  young person or have a child with autism or any other development, learning or intelectual disability, or you are a professional working with this group, we would love to hear from you. Please email jcogembo@andy.or.ke with details of how you are connected to the issue.