AKIC-KenyaHealth
AKIC - Kenya is committed to partner with other institutions in ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat and addressing all forms of Sexual and Gender- Based Violence (SGBV). In addition, we are determined to address the challenges of adolescent pregnancies in the areas of operation. Through partnership with government entities, and like minded partners, we implement strategies for eliminating the tripple threats; sexual gender-based violence, pregnancies and HIV among adolescents and young people.
HIV/AIDS
Globally, HIV is among the leading causes of death among adolescents. It remains a major public health threat for adolescents and young people in Kenya. With a prevalence that is nearly 4.5 times higher than the national average (26.0%), the county contributed 15.1% and 14.0 % of the total new HIV infections in Kenya among children and adults respectively (KAIS 2018).
SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
According to Kenya Violence against Children Survey (KVACS 2010), violence against children is a serious problem in Kenya. Levels of violence prior to age of 18 years as reported by 18 to 24 year olds (lifetime experiences), indicate that during childhood: 32% of females and 18% of males experience sexual violence. Current levels of violence reported by 13 to 17 year olds indicated that 11% of females and 4% of males experienced sexual violence. In Misita where AKIC - Kenya works, harmful cultural practices such as child marriages, forced marriages, forced widow inheritance, and ritual killings amongst others are still practiced. The customs of widow cleansing and widow inheritance are practiced in several communities throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Traditionally in Nyanza Province of Kenya which is predominantly occuiped by the Luo community, widows are expected to engage in sexual intercourse with a “cleanser,” without the use of a condom, in order to remove the impurity ascribed to her after her husband's death. Luo couples, including widows, are also expected to engage in sex preceding specific agricultural activities, building homes, funerals, weddings, and other significant cultural and social events. These exarcabate the predisposition of the adolescengt girls and women to Sexual and Gender Based Violence.
ADOLESCENT PREGNANCIES
The teen pregnancies in Homa bay county where AKIC - Kenya works stands at 23.2 per cent. This is much higher compared to the national prevalence which is 14.8 per cent. The reports also confirm that one in every five adolescents’ girls aged 15-19 are already mothers or pregnant with their first child. (KDHS,2014). Additionally, the adolescent is also faced with triple threat.
Approach
At AKIC - Kenya, we organize the adolescents into health discussion forums for ease of cascafe of SRHR information dissemination and experience sharing among the peers. We introduced topics for discussion that are happening in the society but due to cultural issues, it not openly being discussed but in the real situation it negatively affects the society. we refer them as elephant in the room topics. As way of villages to view the other side of the coin of life beyond own village experiences, we onnect rural villages to others through various initiatives. We organize for either physical or virtual forums, we encourage diverse professional locally, regionally and globally to counter community experience as the community learn from both sides.
Oral health
We anticipate to create awareness regarding oral disease and promote preventive behaviors in schoolchildren, a current perspective on their oral health situation must first be obtained. We intend to be Practicing good dental care from infancy to adulthood can help a person keep their teeth and gums healthy. Brushing and flossing daily, not smoking, eating a healthful diet, and having regular dental checkups can help people avoid cavities, gum disease, and other dental issues. It may also benefit their overall health. A child’s primary teeth, which people sometimes call baby teeth, are just as important as their permanent teeth. Baby teeth help a child chew and speak.
They are placeholders for the future permanent teeth. If a child loses a baby tooth to decay, this can disrupt the space in the mouth and make it difficult for the adult tooth to develop correctly. With this in mind, it is best to introduce good dental care for children during infancy. The following practices will help keep a child’s teeth and gums healthy: Wipe a baby’s gums with a warm, wet washcloth every day, even before they have any teeth. Doing this removes sugars from the gums and can help a baby become familiar with the feeling of cleaning their teeth. Babies and toddlers should not go to bed with bottles or Sippy cups. Milk and juice contain sugars that can cause tooth decay if they remain on the teeth for extended periods. As a baby approaches 1 year of age, start getting them used to a sippy cup. Aim to stop using bottles by their first birthday.Allow toddlers to sip water from sippy cups between meals, but save juice or milk for meal times only. Once a baby has teeth, brush them twice a day with a soft baby toothbrush. Use a tiny amount of fluoride toothpaste, no bigger than a grain of rice. Children who are 3 to 6 years of age may use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste.
Parents or caregivers should brush the child’s teeth for them until they can clean all of their teeth thoroughly without help. Monitor them to make sure that they spit out the toothpaste. Keep the toothpaste out of children’s reach when it is not in use.
The ADA recommend that children see a dentist within 6 months of their first tooth appearing or at 1 year of age, whichever comes first. Parents and caregivers should not share eating utensils with a child or clean pacifiers by putting them in their mouth. Both of these actions can pass the adult’s cavity-causing bacteria to the child.