Stretchers Youth Org Educator

Stretchers Youth Organization

Stretchers Youth Organization SRHR Champion engaging with a fellow young person on the correct use of a condom in a Mombasa County village.

Stretchers Youth Organization, a membership organization located in Mombasa, Kenya, was founded in 2011. It is a youth-led and community-based grassroots organization that works from the ground up to promote and educate participants on health and rights, good governance, and gender equality among youth and women in underserved areas.

The group’s goals of improving health, governance, gender equality, and sustainability, make it an excellent partner for Population Connection, which supports the rights and empowerment of people—including youth–everywhere.

By empowering and educating youth and adolescents, Stretchers helps set them up for good health and success, while facilitating youth involvement in sustainable development.

“As a male SRHR champion, I want to thank Stretchers Youth Organization for this training, where I learned that it is important to advocate for contraceptives. Contraceptives help reduce unwanted pregnancies, and give girls and women a chance to have the number of children of their own choice. I will ensure that I pass this information to my fellow men in the community.” Participant in Stretchers Youth Training

Projects

Project KIBE

Population Connection sponsored the one-year Stretchers project Kijana Imarika Bonga Elimika (Project KIBE) in 2020. The goal of Project KIBE was to improve the sexual and reproductive health of children and adolescent aged 10–24 years, and to strengthen HIV and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services.

Mombasa’s young people contend with many health problems, the most prevalent being sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS, drug and substance abuse, teen pregnancy, and sexual and gender-based violence.

Project KIBE’s educational activities—mostly virtual due to the pandemic—included outreach such as events for International Women’s Day and Day of the African Child. One of the organization’s young activists did a live broadcast about teenage pregnancy on the Kenya Broadcasting Company!

Despite the logistical and health difficulties resulting from Covid-19, in 2020, Project KIBE reached 773 adolescent and young people with its educational programs, community youth villages, community dialogue, international days, policymakers meeting, and The Girl Summit event. Stretchers also conducted SRHR training for “champions,” adolescent stakeholders who advocate for, and educate their peers about, these issues.

Project AYEHA

Population Connection also funded the Adolescents and Youth Empowerment for Health Advocacy Project (AYEHA) starting in 2022. AYEHA sought to address concerns raised through Community Talking Boxes (through which young people can voice anonymous suggestions and concerns), shaping its content around the specific needs and voices of the youth. The insights gathered from the Community Talking Boxes guided the project activities, with a focus on comprehensive sexuality education, human rights, gender equality, and empowerment.

During the period spanning from May to October 2023, a total of 24 mentorship sessions were conducted across 10 schools equipped with Community Talking Boxes, with some sessions reaching more than 60 students. Fifty-nine adolescents learned about family planning and committed to educating their peers on responsible usage. Stretchers Youth Organization also took part in public forums, and planned and delivered community activities to raise awareness around gender-based violence and menstrual hygiene.

Learn more about SYO in this Q&A!

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Stretchers Youth Organization SRHR Champion engaging in a one-on-one session with a fellow young person on the correct use of condoms in a village in Mombasa County.

Improving health, leveraging young voices: Q&A with Stretchers Youth Organization

Through our Global Partners program, Population Connection supports a growing number of grassroots organizations around the world working to increase access to education, public health and family planning services. Their…

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