ADRA, Global Affairs Canada unveil project to boost war against GBV
By George.Kebaso, June 7, 2022Over 20, 000 community members in the larger Turkana County are set to benefit through a project launched jointly between Adventist Relief Agency (ADRA) and Global Affairs Canada which commits to address Gender Based Violence (GBV).
Specifically, the project, Total Health and Rights (TOGETHER) – rolled out recently – targets at least 24,000 women, men, girls, and boys drawn from the Turkana community and the refugees in Kalobeyie integrated settlement scheme including Kakuma.
Data from the National Crime Research Centre (NCRC) on Turkana shows that out of a national average of 12.9 percent GBV-related cases, Turkana accounts for 34.6 percent, still seen as a conservative number by gender activists and experts.
“On the other hand, cases of assault stands at 35.7 per cent compared with the national average of 15.7 per cent,” the Centre highlights.
The rate of child abuse, according to the NCRC including neglect and other sexual abuse, stands at 23.7 per cent compared with the 4.3 per cent national average.
Drug abuse, which County Executive Committee member in charge of Health, Jane Ajele said is an ingredient in a range of crimes committed in the county, is another rising concern among the locals.
She attributed the rising number of drug abusers to the ever rising population at the Kakuma Refugee Camp, which hosts more than 197,000 refugees and asylum-seekers from 19 countries in Africa.
According to Ajele, the camp has exposed women and girls to a ray of vulnerabilities leading to the rising cases of GBV in the County.
“We never used to experience some of these issues in Turkana such as drug abuse and GBV,” Ajele said during the launch at the Canadian High Commission Residence in Gigiri, Nairobi.
Kakuma refugee camp hosts asylum seekers from Somalia; South Sudan, The Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Ethiopia among other countries.
“There is a huge population of refugees in this camp who come from different countries. You would therefore see characters and behaviours that are not from the locals,” she added.
The TOGETHER project is supported by Global Affairs Canada and will be implementing gender transformative initiatives to increase the enjoyment of health-related human rights for the most vulnerable adolescent girls, women, and children under five years.
Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada said, the six-year initiative mainly targets vulnerable adolescent girls and boys aged 10-19 years; women and men between 20 to24 years old and children under five years.
“We are focused on improving the lives of community members with intersecting vulnerabilities, in indigenous, remote or refugee resettlement settings in Kenya, Cambodia, Philippines, and Uganda,” he revealed.
In Kenya, the project seeks to increase women and adolescent girls’ knowledge and capacity to exercise their health rights; improve health and nutrition services that respond to the unique needs of women and adolescent girls.
SHE SOARS; another project that was also rolled out on the other hand is a seven-year project that targets vulnerable women and girls particularly those who are not in school, aged between 10 to 19 years. This project is being implemented in Kajiado, Siaya, Kisumu and Nairobi counties.
The two projects are estimated to cost Sh622 million each. The two projects are part of ADRA’s Uniting Towards Gender Equality for the enjoyment of women’s and girls’.
On her part, Tabitha Dulo, ADRA Kenya’s Acting Country Director, in partnership with ADRA Canada, over the next six years, the TOGETHER project will increase the enjoyment of health-related rights for the most vulnerable children, adolescent women, and girls, boys and men in Kenya.
“ADRA Kenya commends the Government of Canada and Global Affairs Canada for selecting ADRA as a trusted partner to make a positive difference in the thousands of lives that the TOGETHER project will empower,” she said.
She added; “we look forward to delivering transformational programming through our partnerships with SickKids, Salanga, and ADRA Canada.”
Canadian High Commissioner to Kenya, Christopher Thornley noted that when young girls and women do not have access to sexual and reproductive health information and services, they find themselves pregnant, and married off at an early age.
“It is also true that this vulnerable group finds itself out of school, being judged negatively and sometimes abandoned by their families, communities and peers,” she pointed out.
According to lead officer family planning at the Health Ministry Estella Waiguru, 21 percent of girls between the ages of 15 to 24 years have experienced some form of GBV.
More than 60 per cent of sexual GBV cases reported through the Kenya Health information System are with girls below the age of 18 years.
“We continue to see a lot of headway made in the health system but challenges exist when it comes to access to health services, health facilities, quality of information we collect, governance and health financing,” Waiguru said.
For over 20 years, ADRA Kenya has closely partnered with ADRA Canada to support many humanitarian response actions over the years.