OVERVIEW OF MAENDELEO YA WANAWAKE ORGANIZATION PROGRAMMES:

MYWO implements programs that are in line with her mission and are designed to improve services to women and the larger community.  Secondly, engage the government effectively to improve service delivery and formulate policies that bring about improvement.

Reproductive Health

Background information:

• MYWO in the past undertook the following activities to improve the reproductive health services to women:

• Advocacy for use of modern contraceptive services

• Provision of contraceptives at the community level through trained CBDs & referrals to clinics

• Create awareness to communities on negative effects of some cultural practices

• Training of Traditional Birth Attendances

• Provision of sanitary towels to girls in primary schools to reduce drop out rates

• Mobilize communities to support and participate in immunization exercises

• Prevention of cervical cancer by providing for early screening by CHW

• Awareness and prevention of HIV/AIDS

• Advocacy on prevention of mother to child transmission

• Training of Home Base Care

Current Programs

1. Prevention of HIV/AIDs among the youth (RAY Program) funded by Centre for Disease and Control through KANCO

The overall goal of the project is promotion of abstinence and behaviour change among the youth.  The project is implemented on a collaborative basis with other partners and MYWO’s role is promotion of behaviour change through communication.

Areas of implementation:

• Machakos (Mlolongo),
• Thika
• Kajiado (Kware)

2.National AIDS Control Council funding

The presidential decree directed for the inclusion of MYWO on the National Aids Control Council (NACC) District and Divisional/Constituency Committees.The National Aids Control Council will soon be calling for proposals in the following categories:

• National funding
• District funding
• Constituency funding

In preparation for this national exercise, the head office has written to all districts to be on the lookout for the announcement and to start developing proposals in the areas of Gender & HIV: behaviour change and care of orphans & vulnerable children (OVC) and to pass the information to divisional committees who will submit the constituency proposals.

3. Maternal Child & Health – FIGO Saving newborn project

The overall objective of the project is to improve the quality of antenatal, delivery and postnatal services, offered at the health facility level, thus contribute to a reduction in maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity in Kenya.  The project is fully aligned to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)  

Areas of implementation on a pilot basis:

• Kakamega District at the District Hospital and one health centre
• Uasin Gishu District at the Moi Referral Centre
• Nairobi at the Kenyatta National Hospital and Pumwani

This is a program jointly implemented with various partners key among them is the Division of Reproductive health in the Ministry of Health (MOH), Kenya Obstetrics and Gynecology Society (KOGs).  Maendeleo’s role is to sensitize the community and to create awareness of the activity and to encourage women to deliver in hospitals/health facilities.

4.Mobilization & Sensitization

The government partners with MYWO to mobilize communities to support and participate in all immunization exercises.

5.Projects that have been integrated with all MYWO activities:

The following programs no longer enjoy active funding but, the organization has integrated them into all MYWO interventions:

• Harmful traditional practices (Female Genital Mutilation & Early marriages) project
• Girl Child Education (reducing barriers to completion of primary education)
• MYWO continues to annually fund girls from districts of implementation (Koibatek, Nairobi slums, Kilifi, Kuria and Bungoma)

Human Rights and Governance:

1.Gender & Governance project II funded by UNIFEM

This workshop is partly funded by the Gender and Governance program.The overall goal of the Gender and Governance project is to transform leadership and governance at all levels in Kenya in order to deliver on poverty reduction, access to basic needs and equality between and among persons.

Areas of Implementation:

Maendeleo is currently implementing the program in twelve districts and twenty two constituencies (We shall elaborate further on activities and areas of coverage in the coming sessions later this morning)

2. 2007 Voter Education Program

The objective of project is to improve citizens understanding of their rights responsibilities and ability to participate in the electoral process, in order to contribute to free, fair and peaceful 2007 General elections in Kenya. This program will be implemented in four districts

3. Millennium Development Goals

MYWO is currently partnering with Ministry of Planning to create awareness on Millennium Development Goals in nine pilot districts (Suba, Bondo, Siaya, Bungoma, Muranga, Meru South, Garissa, Turkana & Kilifi). 

 4. Affirmation Action:

MYWO was among women’s organizations that recently pushed for the failed affirmative bill.