At a government-run dispensary situated in Nairobi’s Kware casual negotiation, 26-year-old registered nurse Steven Ngang’ a takes care of young moms holding their infants. The women, all aged in between 15-19 years are right here to gain access to family members preparation and HIV solutions, after signing up on Tiko, an electronic system that attaches teenagers to youth-friendly sex-related and reproductive health and wellness solutions. “On our busiest days, we provide to 270 women. Today we have actually offered 150 women, and a lot of them are right here to gain access to temporary family members preparation techniques,” states Registered nurse Nganga.
Regarding 200 meters away at the St Clare University Hospital, a personal facility,18-year-old Jennifer has actually concerned gain access to solutions for the very first time making use of the Tiko card. ‘I transferred to Nairobi a month back after finishing my secondary school education and learning in Siaya Region,” she states. “My mum can not pay for to send me to university or employment training so today I am seeking methods to work in the city.” Jennifer was signed up on the Tiko system by an area mobilizer that identified her as a new kid on the block to the largely booming Kware area. On this certain day, she checks out the university hospital for a therapy session on birth control and avoidance of HIV and sexually sent infections. “Women like Jennifer are very susceptible because of their alarming financial scenario. Having actually relocated right here from conventional country neighborhoods, they frequently have little expertise regarding their sex-related and reproductive health and wellness” states Tiko mobilizer Anjeline Otieno.
Solutions provided with the Tiko System are offered at no cost with financing from the Teen Sexual and Reproductive Wellness Growth Influence Bond. The first-of-its-kind program was introduced in Kenya in 2023 to enhance accessibility to sex-related and reproductive health and wellness details and solutions for teenage women. Given that its roll-out in July 2023, the program has actually gotten to greater than 227,000 women with HIV and family members preparation details and solutions. 136 public field centers, 147 economic sector centers, and 45 drug stores have actually been onboarded onto the Tiko system, bringing solutions better to teenage women in 10 areas experiencing the highest possible worry of teen maternity and HIV infections amongst the young people.
” In this brand-new stage of application, we have actually additionally had the ability to sign up greater than 129,000 brand-new youngsters onto the Tiko system with our network of area mobilizers and peer-to-peer recommendations,” states Tiko Africa Program Lead Lucy Kaigutha. By utilizing their cellphones, women can see close-by health and wellness centers providing cost-free solutions, which assists them make a decision where and when to gain access to solutions. They additionally get alerts and suggestions on their following consultations and can rank the top quality of solutions offered.
Need for Tiko solutions is high at both St Clare’s University hospital and Kware Dispensary. “I address greater than 20 women daily with the Tiko system, and a lot of them will certainly return regular monthly for a refill on temporary birth controls or HIV screening and therapy,” states Lilian Mogaka, a registered nurse at St Clare’s. Both centers offer a catchment location of 52,000 citizens residing in the Kware area, along with customers from the close-by Mukuru kwa Ruben and Mukuru kwa Njenga casual negotiations, Tassia, and Donholm areas. “Majority of the women we offer loss under the 16-17 year age. A lot of them are solitary moms that have actually left of college and are battling to offer their youngsters,” states Registered nurse Ngang’ a.
For teenage women residing in multi-dimensional hardship in Kware and the bordering locations, having accessibility to top quality sex-related and reproductive health and wellness details and solutions provided at no charge can change the program of their lives. “Programs like the Teen Sexual and Reproductive Wellness Growth Influence Bond are essential in damaging the cycle of hardship and susceptability that a lot of these girls deal with,” states UNFPA Kenya Sexual and Reproductive Wellness and Young People Programmes Consultant Kigen Korir. “By supplying them with the expertise and sources to make enlightened selections, these solutions equip women to seek their education and learning and life ambitions without the disturbance of unexpected maternities or health and wellness problems.”
Backed by financial investments from the UN Joint SDG Fund and the Kid’s Mutual fund Structure, the Teen Sexual Reproductive Wellness (ASRH) DIB is a campaign that combines a joint United Nations group making up UNFPA, THAT, UNAIDS, the UN Homeowner Planner Workplace, and the UN SDG Collaboration System (SDG PP) and TIKO Africa, a charitable executing company to set in motion personal and public field financing to take on the difficulty of teen maternity, brand-new HIV infections, and AIDS-related fatalities amongst teenage women. The two-year program intends to get to 300,000 susceptible women with high-grade, youth-friendly sex-related and reproductive health and wellness and HIV solutions while boosting solution shipment in 150 public main health and wellness centers throughout the emphasis areas.
Dispersed by APO Team in support of UNFPA– East and Southern Africa.
