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Kenya And Ethiopia: Community And Religious Leaders Are Effective Advocates For Hiv Testing For Young Couples, Population Council Jan 2008

Kenya And Ethiopia: Community And Religious Leaders Are Effective Advocates For Hiv Testing For Young Couples, Population Council

Reproductive Health

Early marriage is common for girls in much of sub-Saharan Africa. A common belief is that marriage protects them from HIV, but studies show that married girls are at much higher risk from HIV and from maternal morbidity and mortality. FRONTIERS conducted operations research in Ethiopia and Kenya to assess the acceptability and feasibility of community-based interventions to raise awareness of the HIV risks of early marriage and promote the use of HIV counseling and testing (C&T) services by couples. The studies were an initial phase in a planned four-year intervention; this brief reports on the feasibility of the approach. …


Kenya: Integrating Services For Fp And Hiv Improves Quality And Hiv Testing, Population Council Jan 2008

Kenya: Integrating Services For Fp And Hiv Improves Quality And Hiv Testing, Population Council

Reproductive Health

The Kenyan government’s reproductive health policy highlights service integration and quality of care. While integrating counseling and testing (C&T) for HIV into family planning (FP) can potentially increase the range of services to clients at risk from sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV, few studies have documented the feasibility, effects, or costs of such integration. From 2005–07, the Population Council worked with the Kenyan Ministry of Health to test the feasibility of two models for integrating C&T into existing FP services. Both models featured client education on HIV prevention during FP visits. Providers were trained to routinely use the Balanced …


Preparedness Of Kenyan Health Workers To Deliver Hiv/Aids Services, National Aids And Std Control Programme, Ministry Of Health Kenya, Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, Horizons Program Jan 2007

Preparedness Of Kenyan Health Workers To Deliver Hiv/Aids Services, National Aids And Std Control Programme, Ministry Of Health Kenya, Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, Horizons Program

HIV and AIDS

Most Kenyan adults do not know their HIV status. Patients who present to a health facility can learn their status as part of a diagnostic assessment, enabling health-care personnel to provide a more accurate clinical evaluation and accelerate access to comprehensive care. This is particularly relevant in Kenya because up to 60 percent of all medical ward hospital beds are occupied by HIV-infected patients. Therefore provider-initiated HIV testing and counseling, which includes diagnostic testing and counseling (DTC), provides an opportunity to interrupt the cycle of HIV transmission to patients’ partners and children. In 2004, the Kenya Ministry of Health launched …


Impact Of Antiretroviral Therapy On Household Economics: Findings From Mombasa, Kenya, Rick Homan, Desai Jaikishan, Paul Munyao, Avina Sarna, Scott Geibel Jan 2007

Impact Of Antiretroviral Therapy On Household Economics: Findings From Mombasa, Kenya, Rick Homan, Desai Jaikishan, Paul Munyao, Avina Sarna, Scott Geibel

HIV and AIDS

While the clinical impact of receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) on individuals living with HIV is well documented, less is known about how the receipt of ART affects household economics. This analysis examined the direct and indirect effects of receiving ART on household economics. A direct effect is reduced spending on health services as a result of the improved health status of the household member on ART. The potential indirect effects include increased labor-force participation by the household member on ART, a change in how other household members spend their time (working or in school), and a shift in composition of …


Sexual Risk Behaviors Of Hiv-Positive Persons Receiving Art In Mombasa, Kenya: Longitudinal Study Findings, Stanley Luchters, Avina Sarna, Scott Geibel, Matthew F. Chersich, Paul Munyao, Susan Kaai, Kishorchandra N. Mandaliya, Naomi Rutenberg, Marleen Temmerman Jan 2007

Sexual Risk Behaviors Of Hiv-Positive Persons Receiving Art In Mombasa, Kenya: Longitudinal Study Findings, Stanley Luchters, Avina Sarna, Scott Geibel, Matthew F. Chersich, Paul Munyao, Susan Kaai, Kishorchandra N. Mandaliya, Naomi Rutenberg, Marleen Temmerman

HIV and AIDS

As a result of the success of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in dramatically decreasing morbidity and mortality due to HIV, many HIV-infected individuals are now living longer, healthier, and more sexually active lives. However, unprotected sex by people living with HIV is an area of concern because of the risk of transmission to sero-discordant partners and reinfection with new, drug-resistant viral strains. There is evidence to suggest that some sero-positive individuals continue to engage in unprotected sex that places others at risk for infection and places themselves at risk for contracting secondary infections. To learn more about the impact of ART …


Changes In Stigma Among A Cohort Of People On Antiretroviral Therapy: Findings From Mombasa, Kenya, Susan Kaai, Avina Sarna, Stanley Luchters, Scott Geibel, Paul Munyao, Kishorchandra N. Mandaliya, Khadija Shikely, Marleen Temmerman, Naomi Rutenberg Jan 2007

Changes In Stigma Among A Cohort Of People On Antiretroviral Therapy: Findings From Mombasa, Kenya, Susan Kaai, Avina Sarna, Stanley Luchters, Scott Geibel, Paul Munyao, Kishorchandra N. Mandaliya, Khadija Shikely, Marleen Temmerman, Naomi Rutenberg

HIV and AIDS

Stigma has been a reality in the lives of people living with HIV (PLHIV) since the inception of the AIDS epidemic, and it can have profound implications for health, psychosocial well-being, and utilization of health services. In the industrialized world, the availability of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and a subsequent change in perception of AIDS as a chronic manageable disease has coincided with a decrease in stigma and discrimination directed toward PLHIV. However, little is known in developing countries about whether perceptions and experiences of stigma among PLHIV have changed following increased access to ART. The Horizons Program and the International …


Promoting Adherence Through A Directly Administered Antiretroviral Therapy Strategy In Mombasa, Kenya, Avina Sarna, Stanley Luchters, Scott Geibel, Matthew F. Chersich, Paul Munyao, Rick Homan, Susan Kaai, Kishorchandra N. Mandaliya, Marleen Temmerman, Naomi Rutenberg Jan 2007

Promoting Adherence Through A Directly Administered Antiretroviral Therapy Strategy In Mombasa, Kenya, Avina Sarna, Stanley Luchters, Scott Geibel, Matthew F. Chersich, Paul Munyao, Rick Homan, Susan Kaai, Kishorchandra N. Mandaliya, Marleen Temmerman, Naomi Rutenberg

HIV and AIDS

A principal concern of antiretroviral therapy (ART) programs is the ability of clients to maintain a high level of adherence to medication. Based on formative research conducted with HIV-infected clients and health workers in Mombasa, Kenya, and lessons learned from directly observed therapy strategies to encourage adherence to treatment for tuberculosis, a directly administered antiretroviral therapy (DAART) strategy to promote adherence to ART was developed. This study examines whether the intervention was more effective in fostering adherence to ART than standard follow-up among people living with HIV in Mombasa. Researchers from the Horizons Program and the International Centre for Reproductive …


Situation Analysis Of The Sexual And Reproductive Health And Hiv Risks And Prevention Needs Of Older Orphaned And Vulnerable Children In Nyanza Province, Kenya, Milka Juma, Ian Askew, Alan Ferguson Jan 2007

Situation Analysis Of The Sexual And Reproductive Health And Hiv Risks And Prevention Needs Of Older Orphaned And Vulnerable Children In Nyanza Province, Kenya, Milka Juma, Ian Askew, Alan Ferguson

Reproductive Health

The increasing number of children in Kenya who are orphaned or made vulnerable (OVC) from HIV/AIDS and other factors calls for a holistic understanding of their situation so that effective programs to address their needs can be designed. This is especially important for those areas hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, such as Nyanza Province. Little is known about the vulnerabilities of older orphans to risky sexual behavior, and whether they are more vulnerable than nonorphans. The Department of Children’s Services has initiated a cash transfer program to households taking care of OVC. The main objective is to provide a …


Emergency Contraception, Female Condoms And Iuds In Kenya's Public Sector: Findings From A National Diagnostic Assessment, Jill Keesbury, Benter Owino, Spike Bradford Jan 2007

Emergency Contraception, Female Condoms And Iuds In Kenya's Public Sector: Findings From A National Diagnostic Assessment, Jill Keesbury, Benter Owino, Spike Bradford

Reproductive Health

In 2005, the Kenya Ministry of Health, Department of Reproductive Health (DRH), began an initiative to strengthen the provision of emergency contraception (EC) in the public sector. As a first step, 700,000 units of the dedicated EC product Postinor 2 were procured by UNFPA for use in government facilities and select providers were trained on its administration. In 2006, the DRH requested assistance from ECafrique, the African Forum on Emergency Contraception, to expand access to the product. This report documents the results of a diagnostic assessment conducted at the outset of this initiative. It examines the provision and utilization of …


Kenya: Multisectoral Engagement Increases Support For Adolescent Reproductive Health, Frontiers In Reproductive Health Jan 2007

Kenya: Multisectoral Engagement Increases Support For Adolescent Reproductive Health, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

In 1999, FRONTIERS launched the Kenya Adolescent Reproductive Health Project (KARHP), testing a multisectoral approach to improving young people’s reproductive health knowledge and behavior at community, school, and health-facility levels in two pilot districts in the Western Province. The intervention involved three key government ministries—Education, Science and Technology, Health, and Gender, Sports, Culture, and Social Services—with input from community leaders, parents, and youth. Positive findings from the study convinced the three ministries and USAID to institutionalize and scale up selected elements from the pilot project. In 2003, FRONTIERS and PATH began providing technical assistance aimed at mainstreaming and expanding cost-effective …


Adolescence In The Kibera Slums Of Nairobi, Kenya, Annabel Erulkar, James K. Matheka Jan 2007

Adolescence In The Kibera Slums Of Nairobi, Kenya, Annabel Erulkar, James K. Matheka

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Rates of urbanization in Kenya are among the highest in the world and young people form a large proportion of those moving from rural to urban areas of the country. For many young people, the first point of entry into urban areas are the slums. Adolescents and young people make up a significant proportion of the slum-dwelling population, yet little is known about their experiences growing up in these poor urban environments. This population-based study of adolescents took place in the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2006. The study explores the adolescent experience in one of Africa’s largest slum …


Tuko Pamoja: A Guide For Peer Educators, Program For Appropriate Technology In Health (Path) Jan 2007

Tuko Pamoja: A Guide For Peer Educators, Program For Appropriate Technology In Health (Path)

Reproductive Health

This guide was developed by Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) and is part of the Kenya Adolescent Reproductive Health Project’s Tuko Pamoja (We Are Together) series. Based on KARHP’s Adolescent Reproductive Health and Life Skills Curriculum, the guide is designed to help facilitate dialogue between adults and young people on issues related to adolescent reproductive health. It can be used to help peer educators share information and lead discussions with their peers on physical and emotional changes during adolescence, staying healthy, planning for the future, making good decisions, and preventing pregnancy and HIV and AIDS. The information can …


Management Of Complications, Pregnancy, Childbirth And The Postpartum Period In The Presence Of Fgm/C, Kenya Ministry Of Health Jan 2007

Management Of Complications, Pregnancy, Childbirth And The Postpartum Period In The Presence Of Fgm/C, Kenya Ministry Of Health

Reproductive Health

This reference manual is intended for health-care providers in Kenya working among communities that have a high prevalence of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and those who encounter women and/or girls who have undergone the practice. It was designed particularly for use by nonspecialist clinicians, including nurses/midwives, clinical officers, district medical officers, postgraduate medical officers, and medical students. It is also a resource for medical and other health-service providers at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels, particularly those working in areas with a high prevalence of FGM/C. Since the evidence base for effective clinical practice is constantly evolving, readers are encouraged to …


Kenya: Mobilize Health Care Providers To Advocate Against Fgm/C, Frontiers In Reproductive Health Jan 2007

Kenya: Mobilize Health Care Providers To Advocate Against Fgm/C, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is illegal in Kenya. The practice has declined slightly, yet it is nearly universal among the Abagusii, a relatively affluent ethnic group residing in the Nyanza province in western Kenya. Half of cut women reported that they had been cut by a health worker, however providers express willingness to advocate against the practice. This study, launched in 2004 by the Population Council’s FRONTIERS Program, examined the role of health providers in FGM/C in Kenya’s Abagusii community. As noted in this brief, the objectives were to understand the motivations behind the medicalization of FGM/C and determine the …


Mainstreaming And Scaling Up The Kenya Adolescent Reproductive Health Project, Ian Askew, Humphres Evelia Jan 2007

Mainstreaming And Scaling Up The Kenya Adolescent Reproductive Health Project, Ian Askew, Humphres Evelia

Reproductive Health

From 1999–2003, FRONTIERS implemented a Global Agenda program of operations research (OR) projects to address the reproductive health (RH) needs of adolescents in four countries—Bangladesh, Kenya, Mexico, and Senegal. The project was implemented in two districts of Western Province in Kenya and was known as the Kenya Adolescent Reproductive Health Project (KARHP). The project supported a public sector, multisectoral intervention to enhance young people’s knowledge and behavior regarding HIV prevention and RH. Implemented jointly with PATH, this OR project demonstrated that such an intervention could be implemented by the public sector, that it was acceptable to communities, that its influence …


Contributing Towards Efforts To Abandon Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting In Kenya: A Situation Analysis, Humphres Evelia, Maryam Sheikh Abdi, Carolyne Njue, Ian Askew Jan 2007

Contributing Towards Efforts To Abandon Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting In Kenya: A Situation Analysis, Humphres Evelia, Maryam Sheikh Abdi, Carolyne Njue, Ian Askew

Reproductive Health

The Kenyan Ministry of Gender, Sports, Culture and Social Services, with support from UNFPA/Kenya, commissioned the Population Council to conduct a situation analysis of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) programs in Kenya, with the overall objective of documenting the current status of and trends in FGM/C programming and to help identify crucial elements that need to be prioritized for support. Results show marked declines in prevalence nationally between generations, suggesting a decline in the practice as well as trends toward “medicalization” in recent years. The practice still continues for different reasons, such as rite of passage, for marriageability, controlling sexuality, religious …


Kenya: Begin Community Dialogue On Fgm/C By Discussing Cultural Justification, Frontiers In Reproductive Health Jan 2007

Kenya: Begin Community Dialogue On Fgm/C By Discussing Cultural Justification, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

Female genital cutting is strongly supported among the Somali ethnic community in Kenya, and the severest form (infibulation) is primarily practiced. This type of cut is associated with increased incidence and seriousness of obstetric and gynecological problems relative to uncut women and those with less severe forms of FGM/C. As stated in this brief, efforts to encourage abandonment should begin with community discussion about the socio-cultural reasons for cutting. Simultaneously, health-care providers need training in how to manage complications of FGM/C. In 2004, FRONTIERS collaborated with UNICEF on a four-month diagnostic study on FGM/C practices among the Somali community in …


Preparedness For Hiv/Aids Service Delivery: The 2005 Kenya Health Workers Survey, National Aids And Std Control Programme, Ministry Of Health Kenya Jan 2006

Preparedness For Hiv/Aids Service Delivery: The 2005 Kenya Health Workers Survey, National Aids And Std Control Programme, Ministry Of Health Kenya

HIV and AIDS

Kenya is one of the few countries that has succeeded in changing the course of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and there is strong evidence of a decline in incidence. However, AIDS-related deaths now exceed new infections, and almost nine out of ten Kenyan adults do not know their HIV status. The expansion of HIV services in Kenya, including voluntary counseling and training and prevention of mother-to-child transmission programs, has enabled more Kenyans to learn their status. However, this leaves out many individuals who could benefit from HIV testing and counseling, such as hospital patients. Patients who present to a health-care facility …


Abcs For Hiv Prevention In Kenya: Messages, Beliefs, And Barriers, Julie Pulerwitz, Tiffany Lillie, Louis Apicella, Ann P. Mccauley, Tobey C. Nelson, Simon Ochieng, Peter Mwarogo, Karusa Kiragu, Edward Kunyanga Jan 2006

Abcs For Hiv Prevention In Kenya: Messages, Beliefs, And Barriers, Julie Pulerwitz, Tiffany Lillie, Louis Apicella, Ann P. Mccauley, Tobey C. Nelson, Simon Ochieng, Peter Mwarogo, Karusa Kiragu, Edward Kunyanga

HIV and AIDS

A great deal of attention has been focused recently on promoting the “ABCs” of HIV prevention— abstinence or delaying sex, being faithful to one sexual partner or reducing the number of sexual partners, and consistently using condoms during sex. Yet even as programs that focus on the ABCs to prevent sexual HIV transmission are rolled out, questions remain about how well different groups in varied cultural contexts understand the terms, as well as how best to address challenges to adopting the ABC behaviors. The Horizons Program and FHI/IMPACT developed a collaborative research study in 2004 to explore how adults and …


Understanding The Hiv/Sti Prevention Needs Of Men Who Have Sex With Men In Kenya, Washington Onyango-Ouma, Harriet Birungi, Scott Geibel Jan 2006

Understanding The Hiv/Sti Prevention Needs Of Men Who Have Sex With Men In Kenya, Washington Onyango-Ouma, Harriet Birungi, Scott Geibel

HIV and AIDS

Understanding the sexual behaviors of populations who are vulnerable to HIV is an important component in the battle against AIDS. Yet policymakers in developing countries, particularly in Africa, have often overlooked men who have sex with men (MSM) as a vulnerable group because of stigmatization of homosexual behavior and denial of the existence of MSM and the role they may play in HIV transmission. A growing body of literature not only documents the presence of this population in Africa but also the importance of reaching them with information and services to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). In …


Female Genital Mutilation In Kenya: Evidence Links Health Workers To Fgm, Population Council, Gtz Jan 2006

Female Genital Mutilation In Kenya: Evidence Links Health Workers To Fgm, Population Council, Gtz

Reproductive Health

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a traditional practice that affects women and girls in several African countries. It is practiced in a variety of ways, classified by WHO into four broad types all found in Kenya. In some communities it is associated with passage into maturity; in others, it is considered a symbol of ethnic identity, a religious obligation, or a necessary prerequisite for marriage, either through symbolizing attainment of womanhood or as a means of preserving and demonstrating virginity. FGM is considered a harmful traditional practice because it may be associated with a variety of short- and long-term health …


Tap And Reposition Youth (Try): Prestar Apoio Social E Oportunidades De Microcrédito E De Poupanças A Mulheres Jovens Em Áreas Com Uma Prevalência De Vih Elevada, Annabel Erulkar, Judith Bruce, Erica Chong, Aleke Dondo, Jennefer Sebstad, James K. Matheka, Arjmand Banu Khan, Anne Gathuku Jan 2006

Tap And Reposition Youth (Try): Prestar Apoio Social E Oportunidades De Microcrédito E De Poupanças A Mulheres Jovens Em Áreas Com Uma Prevalência De Vih Elevada, Annabel Erulkar, Judith Bruce, Erica Chong, Aleke Dondo, Jennefer Sebstad, James K. Matheka, Arjmand Banu Khan, Anne Gathuku

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Nairobi, no Quénia, acolhe uma dos maiores populações de bairros pobres na África subsariana. Os adolescentes que vivem nesses bairros, especialmente as jovens, stão privadas dos ambientes potencialmente seguros das suas escolas e famílias e não têm oportunidades económicas seguras. O desemprego é uma enorme preocupação para as jovens adolescentes e as circunstâncias desesperantes obriga-as a sobreviver conforme podem: 21% das jovens sexualmente activas entre os 15–19 anos de idade admitiram que têm relações sexuais em troca de dinheiro ou ofertas. Essa vulnerabilidade acrescida reflecte-se nas taxas da infecção pelo VIH. Em resposta a essas circunstâncias, o Population Council e …


Tap And Reposition Youth (Try) Program: Providing Social Support, Savings, And Microcredit Opportunities To Adolescent Girls At Risk For Hiv/Aids In Kenya, Joan Hall, Aleke Dondo, Jennefer Sebstad Jan 2006

Tap And Reposition Youth (Try) Program: Providing Social Support, Savings, And Microcredit Opportunities To Adolescent Girls At Risk For Hiv/Aids In Kenya, Joan Hall, Aleke Dondo, Jennefer Sebstad

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This brief was commissioned by the Population Council to complement its two previous publications on the TRY project. The two previous publications contain data and information essential for understanding the project and its results, although they do not analyze the microfinance component in depth. In contrast, this brief was written by microfinance practitioners for a microfinance audience. In 1998, the Population Council and K-Rep (a Kenyan microfinance institution) developed a microfinance approach to address livelihood-strategy constraints for adolescent girls at risk for HIV/AIDS in an urban slum in Kenya. The initiative was named the Tap and Reposition Youth (TRY) program, …


Tap And Reposition Youth (Try): Providing Social Support, Savings, And Microcredit Opportunities For Young Women In Areas With High Hiv Prevalence, Annabel Erulkar, Judith Bruce, Aleke Dondo, Jennefer Sebstad, James K. Matheka, Arjmand Banu Khan, Anne Gathuku Jan 2006

Tap And Reposition Youth (Try): Providing Social Support, Savings, And Microcredit Opportunities For Young Women In Areas With High Hiv Prevalence, Annabel Erulkar, Judith Bruce, Aleke Dondo, Jennefer Sebstad, James K. Matheka, Arjmand Banu Khan, Anne Gathuku

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Tap and Reposition Youth (TRY) was a multiphase initiative undertaken by the Population Council and K-Rep Development Agency (KDA), the oldest and largest microfinance institution in Kenya. The overall aim of the project was to reduce adolescents’ vulnerabilities to adverse social and reproductive health outcomes, including HIV infection, by improving their livelihoods options. The project was launched in low-income and slum areas of Nairobi, Kenya, where rates of HIV infection are alarming and where young women are disproportionately affected.


Tap And Reposition Youth (Try): Providing Social Support, Savings, And Microcredit Opportunities For Young Women In Areas With High Hiv Prevalence, Annabel Erulkar, Judith Bruce, Erica Chong, Aleke Dondo, Jennefer Sebstad, James K. Matheka, Arjmand Banu Khan, Anne Gathuku Jan 2006

Tap And Reposition Youth (Try): Providing Social Support, Savings, And Microcredit Opportunities For Young Women In Areas With High Hiv Prevalence, Annabel Erulkar, Judith Bruce, Erica Chong, Aleke Dondo, Jennefer Sebstad, James K. Matheka, Arjmand Banu Khan, Anne Gathuku

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Nairobi, Kenya is home to one of the largest slum populations in sub-Saharan Africa. Adolescents living in these slums, especially girls, are cut off from the potentially protective environments of school and family and lack safe economic opportunities. Unemployment is a major concern for adolescent girls, and desperate circumstances force them to survive however they can: 21 percent of sexually active girls aged 15–19 report exchanging sex for money or gifts. This heightened vulnerability is reflected in rates of HIV infection. In response to these circumstances, the Population Council and microfinance institution K-Rep Development Agency collaborated on the implementation of …


Tuko Pamoja: Adolescent Reproductive Health And Life Skills Curriculum, Path, Population Council Jan 2006

Tuko Pamoja: Adolescent Reproductive Health And Life Skills Curriculum, Path, Population Council

Reproductive Health

As they move through adolescence, young people begin to have different kinds of relationships with their peers, family members, and adults; good communication and other skills can help ensure that these relationships are satisfying and mutually respectful. Young people need to learn to manage new feelings about sexuality to make responsible decisions about their health, reproduction, and parenthood. This manual, the second edition of the Kenya Adolescent Reproductive Health Curriculum, is for teachers; community, religious, and youth group leaders; health care professionals; and anyone working with young people. The curriculum is designed to delay sexual debut and promote sexual and …


Female Genital Cutting Among The Somali Of Kenya And Management Of Its Complications, Guyo W. Jaldesa, Ian Askew, Carolyne Njue, Monica Wanjiru Jan 2005

Female Genital Cutting Among The Somali Of Kenya And Management Of Its Complications, Guyo W. Jaldesa, Ian Askew, Carolyne Njue, Monica Wanjiru

Reproductive Health

The Somali community living in Kenya (and in their native Somalia) has practiced the severest form of female genital cutting (FGC)—infibulation—for centuries. To understand the context within which the practice takes place, and how its complications are managed, the Population Council’s Frontiers in Reproductive Health Program undertook a diagnostic study that confirmed that FGC is a deeply rooted and widely supported cultural practice. Several closely related reasons are used to sustain the practice: religious obligation, family honor, and virginity as a prerequisite for marriage; an aesthetic preference for infibulated genitalia was also mentioned. The study also found that the health …


A Multi-Sectoral Approach To Providing Reproductive Health Information And Services To Young People In Western Kenya: The Kenya Adolescent Reproductive Health Project, Ian Askew, Jane Chege, Carolyne Njue, Samson Radeny Jan 2004

A Multi-Sectoral Approach To Providing Reproductive Health Information And Services To Young People In Western Kenya: The Kenya Adolescent Reproductive Health Project, Ian Askew, Jane Chege, Carolyne Njue, Samson Radeny

Reproductive Health

Informing adolescents about appropriate and acceptable behaviors, and ways to protect themselves against unwanted and unprotected sex, has proved problematic in Kenya. Education programs for in- and out-of-school adolescents are lacking, there is controversy about providing services to sexually active adolescents, and a pervasive concern that sexuality education and contraceptive services leads to promiscuity. Unbiased and accurate information and services are needed if adolescents are to delay becoming sexually active, to resist pressures to engage in nonconsensual sex, and to protect themselves against unwanted pregnancies and infections if they do have sex. Moreover, strategies for providing such information and services …


Safe Motherhood Demonstration Project, Western Province: Final Report, Charlotte E. Warren, Wilson Liambila Jan 2004

Safe Motherhood Demonstration Project, Western Province: Final Report, Charlotte E. Warren, Wilson Liambila

Reproductive Health

Since March 2000, the Population Council and the University of Nairobi have been assisting the Kenya Ministry of Health to implement Safe Motherhood activities in Western Kenya. The purpose of this project was to increase utilization of quality maternal services in the selected districts and, in an effort to improve pregnancy outcomes, focused on improving quality of antenatal care, essential obstetric care, clean and safe delivery, postpartum care, postabortion care, and management issues at all levels. In addition, the project focused on strengthening referral practices and addressing factors responsible for delays by pregnant women in making decisions on when, where, …


The Feasibility Of Computer-Assisted Survey Interviewing In Africa: Experience From Two Rural Districts In Kenya, Paul C. Hewett, Annabel Erulkar, Barbara Mensch Jan 2003

The Feasibility Of Computer-Assisted Survey Interviewing In Africa: Experience From Two Rural Districts In Kenya, Paul C. Hewett, Annabel Erulkar, Barbara Mensch

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This paper explores the use of an audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (audio-CASI) methodology in a household survey of adolescents in two districts of Kenya. Computer software was developed as part of a research project comparing audio-CASI with traditional methods of interviewing about sensitive behaviors, including sexual initiation, risky sexual behavior, coerced sex, and drug and alcohol use. The paper describes the experience of carrying out a household-based study using computers and explores the technical challenges faced by the data collection teams. Few problems emerged with the computer hardware and software, despite the difficult interviewing conditions. The adolescent respondents easily adapted to …