By Jacinta van Luijk | KAP Coordinator & Education Officer
IMPACT- The Beginning of Change
Robert (not his real name) is an 18 year old participant in KAP’s Kobos Unreached Youths Training. Recently he shared his experiences in a group counselling session:
“Before the training, I felt that life had no meaning, that I was born to suffer, useless and hopeless. I am born in a polygamous family. Some six years ago, when my father was 75 years old, my mother left us due to our poor living standards. I stayed behind with my father, as he was unable to look after himself. After some time my father died, and my step brother sold our only piece of land. This caused me to drop out of school in class four. I felt so bad, and decided to follow my mother to where she re-married.
Unfortunately my stepfather hated me, and he treated me as if I were his servant. I had to work very hard in his farm, he abused me physically and emotionally. Many times I was forced out of the house late at night not knowing where to go to, sleeping outside.
One morning I decided to kill myself, and threw myself in a borehole. However I did not die, people thought it was an accident and saved me.
My mother was afraid of her marriage and did as if nothing was happening. Therefore I decided to leave home and look for employment. Unfortunately I ended up in a chang’aa (gin) brewing den, where I assisted in alcohol brewing and distillation. I stayed there day and night, and started drinking too. Our living conditions were poor, there was little to eat, I was always dirty and got a bad chronic wound on my leg. I felt depressed all the time – the alcohol was my pain killer. Fighting had become my way of life; in fact I hoped that one day I would be killed. One night I drank five liters of our brew to kill myself, but again it didn’t work out. God was on my side.
Then I was invited to the KAP workshop and was curious. The teachings were exactly about the issues I was facing. When one day a KAP facilitator said “Growth is painful and life’s challenges are so painful, but nothing is more painful than to get stuck to where you do not belong. It is never too late for change”, I felt deeply touched and encouraged. One of my new friends in our action group shared my story with his parents and they accepted to accommodate me, so as I could move away from the brewing place. They are kind to me, and I am now doing all kinds of manual work in the area. I have stopped drinking and brewing. It really helps that KAP continues to counsel and teach us. They also helped me to treat my wound, which is now healed.
I now feel so much better, and see that my life too is worth living. Wherever I am, I want to make the best of it.”
ACTIVITIES, OUTPUTS AND OUTCOMES
For this report’s details see the attachment “March 2022 Financial Report & Narrative Details”
From the 25th November 2021 till the 15th March 2022 two INTRODUCTORY LEADERS SESSIONS were held, one with 27 leaders in the new area of Kiboroa (Gitwamba) high on Mt. Elgon, and one in the ‘old’ (for an advanced training cycle) in Kissawai/Teldet (Nasianda) on the lower Mt. Elgon slopes (23 leaders present). There also was ONE INTRODUCTORY SESSION FOR 15 YOUTHS in Kiboroa.
Consequently TWO NEW CORE WORKSHOPS were held, which consisted of six non-residential days from the 6th-11th December 2021 in the Kobos/Zea area, amongst the huge ADC farms and from the 24th-29th January 2022 in Kiboroa.
There were 39 (Kobos) and 22 (Kiboroa) new Youths Community Resource Persons (CRP-Us), out of the 30 planned for each area. Participants were mixed girls and boys (half each), with most, 41%, being 20-24 years old, 22% aged 15-19 years, 19% 25-29 years and 18% slightly older or younger. Venues were the Catholic and PEFA Churches, who provided their venues free of charge. Church welfare teams took care of cups of tea and lunch, at moderate community prices.
The youths in Kobos were enthusiastic and open in their sharings right from the word go. Those in Kiboroa were touched and happily participated but also continuously asked to be paid for their attendance. This KAP does not do. Moreover, most surprisingly, several community leaders prevented the participation of their young people. Only the youngsters (half of the group) that we had approached directly in billiards/gambling clubs, bars etc. came. Upon investigating this rare occurrence, some leaders disclosed that they wanted their youths to remain available for political activity. The latter concerns voter mobilization and campaigning, which is often associated with alcohol and drug abuse, trafficking and violence…
KAP VERY MUCH VALUES FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES in order to achieve and maintain real impact.
Thus, so far in the NEW AREAS of Kobos and Kiboroa there have been 5 CONTINUOUS EDUCATION DAYS (/‘Refresher Workshops’), and in Kobos also 22 MICRO-MEETINGS (for group-counselling) / MICRO-TEACHINGS (preparation for ‘sharing the message’) by 5 Action Groups with 36 participants in total. In these areas the CRP-Us also organized a total of 7 KAP-GUIDED EDUCATION SESSIONS during which they shared their newly learned knowledge with 679 fellow-youths in their areas, mainly in schools and churches. This was received with much interest and also greatly boosted the CRPUs’ self-esteem.
IN THE OLD AREAS during this reporting period, the follow-up activities in the advanced training cycles consisted of 6 CONTINUOUS EDUCATION DAYS: 3 in Teldet/Nasianda and 3 in the rural area of Sabata (near Matunda/Kiminini), and 7 MICRO-MEETINGS/ MICRO-TEACHINGS by 3 Action Groups with 17 participants in total. Venues for these sessions were freely provided in people’s homes and in a local hoteli.
In addition, in Teldet/Nasianda the CRPUs organized 4 KAP-GUIDED EDUCATION SESSIONS for 119 fellow youths and some community elders. During these sessions the youths discussed issues affecting them. The interest was great and participants asked to learn more. However there also were disturbances when sometimes youths failed to attend after being mobilised for cheering in political rallies, for a small fee.
In addition, in all areas some participants attended one-on-one PROFESSIONAL COUNSELLING SESSIONS.
LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND PRACTICES AT THE START OF THE NEW TRAININGS
At the beginning of each new training, participants fill out anonymous questionnaires to measure the above regarding HIV/AIDS. More elaborate ‘Unreached Youths’-focused data are currently being developed. This is repeated after six months, just before their graduation. Software used: Access and SPSS.
The following shows some results of the Kobos group:
PRACTICES: 31% of participants said to be living in a stable relationship; 77% admitted to be sexually active; 31% with multiple sexual partners; 64% said to sometimes have sex without a condom; 46% of the boys were circumcised; 18% mentioned to have suffered from STIs; 8% had sought medical help for gender based violence; 13% had sought help for drug abuse addiction. ATTITUDE: 56% of participants showed stigma towards people with HIV/AIDS.
KNOWLEDGE: 74% of the participants did not know the difference between HIV and AIDS, whilst 81% had insufficient knowledge on ways of preventing HIV infection. Despite the latter 41% of respondents said to have been tested on HIV in the year prior to this training.
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED IN THIS WORKSHOP?
DURING THE EVALUATION AT THE END OF THE KIBOROA UNREACHED YOUTHS CORE WORKSHOP THE PARTICIPANTS WROTE: “I really appreciate this course because it helped me to know the kind of person I am and how to manage my behavior peacefully, the bird of love, the value of life. Thanks a lot”; “I have been taught on how to control my anger”; “The most helpful topics were HIV/AIDS – prevention and how to manage it -, STIs and self-awareness”; “It helped me to handle my status, and how to share my problems with people I trust. Thanks KAP, may God bless you so much”; “I have been taught on how to embrace my culture and tradition in a good way”; “It helped to know my foundation”; “I have learned what the various effects of abortion are to the baby and in one’s body”; “I have gained skills on how to choose good advice”; “Learned about various effects of addiction to the human body, including the brain”; “The importance of getting treatment after contracting STIs”; “I have learned about the different types of knowledge, i.e. social knowledge, scientific knowledge, and transformative knowledge”; “How to handle the different issues affecting youths, such as unemployment, early marriage and early parenting”; “The Ericson’s developmental stages were very helpful”; “I gained positive values such as honesty, love, patience and faith in my life”; “We gained basic knowledge and skills to help me relate and live with others peacefully in the community”; “This workshop has given me hope in my life. I have known the importance of my health”; “I have learned so much that I never knew in life”; “How to make wise decisions. I used to be an addict and a prostitute but this workshop has really changed me a lot”; “From today henceforth I want to become a role model for others to emulate”; “I have been helped on how to make an action plan for myself. It includes stages and what is required at each stage. And also how I can help and educate others. I will be drawing an action plan before doing anything”.
WITH MANY THANKS TO ALL DONORS FOR MAKING THIS IMPORTANT WORK POSSIBLE!
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By Jacinta van Luijk | Project Coordinator & Education Officer
By Jacinta van Luijk | Project Coordinator & Education Officer
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