Sylvester Adhaya and Zaccheus Okoth
Youth at the helm of policy change: these young people are advocating to improve SRHR access for all in Kisumu-Kenya
Sylvester Adhaya and Zaccheus Okoth
A critical lack of information and services is one of the biggest barriers to youth accessing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). In Kisumu-Kenya, the Make Way programme and its partners are using the Intersectional Community Scorecard (ICSC) to bridge this gap by equipping young people with avenues for participation and expression. This social advocacy and accountability tool empowers youth with compounded vulnerabilities to be at the forefront of advocating for their sexual and reproductive health and rights. We spoke with Sylvester Adhaya and Zaccheus Okoth about how, in their experience, the tool has paved the path for joint action and commitment to solutions. Read more →
The Intersectional Community Scorecard bridges the disconnect between the needs of marginalised young people and health services by empowering the young people to advocate for their sexual and reproductive health rights, and enhance the availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality of services.
One of the youth champions in the programme is Zaccheus Okoth. He credits the Intersectional Community Scorecard tool for providing youth a process and platform to openly engage with healthcare providers at the local hospital, a practice that was previously unheard of in the area. He explains: “By guiding us [youth] on how to identify our SRHR challenges, and clearly communicate the changes we need, using the Intersectional Scorecard tool not only made our concerns visible, it also led to joint action and commitment to solutions.”
The intersectional community scorecard has also resulted in a demonstrable change in attitudes of the healthcare workers towards youth seeking SRH services, with youth noting that there’s more privacy for those seeking SRH services, less waiting times and kinder personnel.
Make Way youth taking up leadership
In Seme Sub-county, Kisumu County where Okoth resides, a youth group, Kombewa Youth Health Champions, has emerged as a result of Make Way’s youth engagement. Ranking high among their achievements, the group’s advocacy efforts led to the establishment of a “youth desk” inside the local healthcare facility, with a staff member whose tasks include listening to and documenting youth’s concerns, as well as offering SRH advice when needed.
Sylvester Adhaya, another Make Way youth champion was lead petitioner for Kisumu County in a policy memorandum on Kenya’s Finance Bill 2024/25 for Kisumu County. Together with his peers, they wrote proposed adjustments to the bill, advocating for among other SRHR issues, improved accessibility and inclusion for youth with disabilities among underserved communities of Kisumu. He admits that it was the programme’s intersectional approach that challenged his perceptions of minoritised social identities, and gave him confidence to question the status quo.
“As a youth leader, I now embrace different identities and know that youth with disabilities and LGBTQ youth also deserve the community’s protection, support, and SRHR access.”
Once reclusive and apathetic, Adhaya explains that he did not see why he should be involved in public fora and activities. It was through attendance of Make Way’s training workshops on public expression and policy participation that he built the skills and confidence to engage in civic leadership.
So far, Okoth, Adhaya and their peers have rolled out the Intersectional Community Scorecard in more communities, drafted intersectional policy analysis, engaged policy makers youth SRHR needs, and continue to lead meaningful youth engagement within their communities.
Addressing poor SRHR might still be a huge task, and interventions not nearly enough, but the youth under the Make Way programme in Kisumu are leading in the right direction.
Article by Edna Ninsiima.
Photo: Sylvester Adhaya giving a presentation on the Intersectional Community Scorecard to youth from the community.
