An evaluation was then conducted for both in-school and out-of-school youth to find out the effectiveness of the oroject. This evaluation revealed that the youth neede both information and serveces related to sexual related health. This led to the establiushment of the first two youth centres in 1987. Nairobi Youth Centre was one of them.

 

OBJECTIVES;

1.  To provide reproductive Health information and services to the youth aged 10 to 24  years

     who are not yet sexually active, in order to assist them to delay the onset of sexual activity.

2.  To provide reproductive health information and services to the youth aged 10 to 24 years

     who are sexually active, to assist them to prevent, and thus reduce incidencies of

     reproductive health related problems.

3.  To support the Government in introducing Family Life Education in schools and complement

     the efforts by actively undertaking Family Life Education activities for in and out of school

    youth, parents, teachers, the community and opinion leaders.

 

FOCUS AREAS AND TARGET GROUPS:

1.  Young people aged 10 to 24 to provide them with accurate sexual related health servives

     and information.

2.  The target groups are all youth from 10 to 24 years, whether in or out of school, married or single, whether sexually active or not.

 

CENTRE STRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS

The Nairobi Youth Counselling Centre is headed by the Co-ordinator whose responsibilities include

     i.   Co-ordinating all the centre's activities.

     ii.  Oversees the day-to day operations of the centre

     iii. Oversees administrative matters of the centre and liaises with Divisional co-ordinators

 

CLINIC

The centre operates a clinic, which provides sexually transmitted infections and sexually transmitted diseases treatments, family planning services, bacteria and fungal infections treatments, pregnancy tests and other minor illnesses. The clinic also acts as an out-patient dispensary as well as mobile clinic, in case of community outreaches. Refferals are made the clinic facilities of Family Health Options Kenya at Nairobi West Clinic along Langatta Road near Wilson Airport, Phoenix Clinic along Kenyatta Avenue and Ribeiro Clinic, Luthuli Road, all in Nairobi.

 

 

PROJECTS

The projects currently being implemented are geared towards increasing access to voluntary counselling and testing and adolescents sexual and reproductive health information and services.

 

INTERNATIONAL PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION

This project aims to;

     a)  promote participation of adolescents/young people in in the identification, development

         and management of programmes that affect them.

    b)  To increase access to appropriate, youth-friendly and gender-sensitive sexuality

         education.

    c)  To increase access to appropriate, high quality and a broad range of youth-friendly

         sexual related health servive-provision of comprehensive high quality services, including

         abortuion-related services, emergency contraception and HIV?AIDS, drug awareness

         events, counselling and VCT services,

 

UNITED NATIONS FUND POPULATION

This project aims to;

    a)  Promote particip[ation of adolescents/young people in the identification, development and

         management of programmes that affect them.

    b)  To increase access to comprehensive youth-friendly and gender-sensitive sexuality

         education.

    c)  To increase access to appropriate, high quality and a broad range of youth-friendly sexual

         ralated health services - provision of comp[rehensive high quality services including

         abortion-related services, emergency contraception, and HIV/AIDS, drug awareness

         events, counsellingh and VCT services.

 

BINTI AFRICE INITIATIVE

The Binti Africa girls project has attracted and helped many girls between the ages of 14 and 19 tpo gain self-esteem and self-reliance. The project targets adolescent girls, especially school drop-outs, adolescent mothers, orphans and those from very poor backgrounds. Vicational training skills in hair dressing, fashion and design, catering are integrated into life planning skills to enable the girls, not only to be aware of sexual related health concerns, but to be empowered through self-reliance.

 

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE INTERVENTION ACTIVITIES

Through the existing youth centre programmes, gender-based intervention activities in 2007 to address the low level of awareness in gender based violence and infringement of girls/women who experience violence by linking them to supportive services to reduce the incidents of gender based violence within programme sites.

The project conductas community gender based violence outreaches through individualistic approach, since gender violence is a sensitive issue in the community.

The project has established both males and females forums, which constructively engage men as agents of change in the campaign against gender violence by addressing masculinity that glorified gender violence. On the other Binti Africaforums, awareness is raised in  girls and women acquiring skills to avert gender based violence and encouraging a healthy seeking behaviour by girls who are violated.

 

UNIQUE ASPECTS OF THE CENTRE

Nairobi Youth Centre has established an effective refferal system with other youth-serving organisationa where clients who cannot be assisted at the centre are reffered. These organisations include Liverpool VCT and Care in Hurlingahm area of Nairobi, Coptic Hospital, Coiuple Counselling Centre, Mathare Rehabilitation Centre and Maisha Houise. Referrals are also made to Kenyatta National Hospital.

 

The Centre also has education, and communication activities. These include the provision of information and education to the youth through multi media delivery. These activities target all the youth categories.

 

PEER YOUTH EDUCATORS

There are currently 25 peer youthn educators at the centre. They are considered to be the most important asset to the centre. This is because they are the people in the field at all times. There are 4 divisions in which the peer youth educators in the catchment area. These divisions incluyde Mathare, Starehe, Makadara and Kamukunji. Each division has one co-ordinator who supervises programme work, and outreaches with all educators within their jurisdiction.

 

The Peer Youth Educators activities are

    1.  Organising activities for in a nd out of school activities.

    2.  Mobilising the youth for various outreaches activities

    3. Creating awareness

    4.  Basic couynselling on various issues such as relationships and helping the youth make

         informed decisions.

    5,  Networking with other youth groups in the community

    7.  Organising recreational activities and entertainment, for example sports tournaments,

         video shows, gym and annual dramma festivals etc.

 

VOLUNTAY COUNSELLING AND TESTING COUNSELLING

The Counsellors are responsible for

    1. Pre-test counselling and post-test counselling

    2.  Voluntary Counselling and Testing Mobile services

    3.  General counselling on a variety of issues affecting the youth both at the centre and during

         outreach activities. All our trainers are trained in the fields they represent

 

The centre has a library. It offers regular lectures and group discussions, film shows, individual consultations, theatre performances and community reach outreaches.

The center also offers indoor games such as chess, pool, scrabble, taekwondo, monopoly, weightlifting, table tennis, drafts and outdoor sports such as basketball, football etc