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.