Our advocacy program targets young people between the age of 18-24 and focuses on three core areas: (1) Girls Empowerement, (2) HIV/AIDS & Reproductive Health and (3) Peace & Governance.
Imarisha Dada - Girls Empowerment Program
Imarisha Dada, a Kiswahili word meaning “enhance our sisters”, is an empowerment initiative aimed at enhancing the potential of girls through sports and creating an environment where adolescent and teenage girls can gain access to female-driven development activities in life skills building, HIV/Aids, culture, leadership and peer education.
The impacts of these activities are aimed at building upon real issues and daily challenges experienced in the various young girl’s lives in the informal settlements. Self-esteem, leadership skills and increased gender consciousness still remain the major issues affecting young girls in the informal settlements. Also, through this program, we have been able to draw girls from the various teams in our underage youth league in not just Kariobangi but also neighbouring slums as well to participate in the Football Kenya Federation Nairobi Regional League.
Imarisha dada project also takes part in community service programs where we do community clean-ups, tree planting in the community schools and promoting Simama Africa initiatives through the passing of information to community members.
Peace & Governance Program
The families living in slums are usually the most affected by political violence while the young people from the slum are the ones most (mis) used to instigate such violence, specifically during electioneering time. Chief on our advocacy program, therefore, is civic education centred on peacebuilding. To achieve this, we organize youth meet-ups and lead sustained community dialogues where we openly discuss challenges based on the daily experiences of the community. We also use this platform to:
- Promote youth participation in good governance through civic engagement;
- Promote women empowerment and inclusion in policy formulation;
- Advocate for the rights and protection of children in the community, starting with our own organization where we have a children protection policy, which must be signed by all our local volunteers, including those involved in our league and academy.
Reproductive Health - HIV/AIDS Awarness Program
Cities form the bedrock of modern human progress by being home to the largest and most dynamic economies, incubating talent, creativity and innovation, and having young, mobile and diverse populations. Urban dynamics such as unplanned high population density, high mobility, informal settlements and a high concentration of marginalized, fragile and stigmatized communities also create and exacerbate vulnerability to HIV infection.
Many of the factors that put city residents generally at risk for HIV infection are magnified in the lives of young people. In the absence of adequate sexual health knowledge and services, young people’s quests for intimacy and sexual affirmation can entail great health risks, including the risk of acquiring HIV infection. Simama Africa in partnership with German Foundation for World Population (DSW) is working with young people to tackle this.
Young people are often more receptive to prevention messages than older people, and prevention efforts involving young people in slums will strongly influence the HIV epidemic. To this end, we organize our league to end on 1st December of each year when we hold our annual award ceremony and use the platform to create awareness among young people as we observe the World AIDS Day in solidarity with those who are and have been affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Our goal under this program is to use football to reach young people in marginalized urban slums of Nairobi with the aim of increasing their understanding of HIV and enabling them to live safe and healthy lives.
Championing for safer Neighborhood
In late July, Simama Community Based Organization received a grant from Life and Peace Institute under their Kenyan program as part of the Peace in Our cities global initiative towards the reduction of urban violence by the year 2030. The Kshs 125,000 award saw the project being implemented in late October and the first week of November. The project under the banner championing for safer neighborhood, aimed at empowering Trainer of Trainers with skills and tools necessary in managing political conflicts. The project focused on how young people can gain knowledge on handling political conflicts while at the same time reducing their participation in Political violence. This opportunity saw 25 young people from Korogocho and Kariobangi impacted with knowledge and skills critical in mitigating political violence. The TOTs underwent six sessions where they gained knowledge on:
· Dynamics, indicators and causes of political violence
· Early Warning System (EWRs) and rapid response
· Conflict sensitivity and safeguarding in time of political conflict
· Developing basic templates of action plan.
Conflict assessment with Boda Boda (Motor cycle) riders in Korogocho
Simama CBO and Life and Peace institute continues to engage in sustained dialogues with numerous stakeholders. In November 2021, the two organizations held a dialogue with motor cycle riders also known as Boda Boda riders to understand some of the existing underlying issues of insecurity that had contributed to negative relationship with community and law enforcers. The dialogue aimed at sensitizing Boda Boda riders on their role in maintaining peace and order in the community and also in the forthcoming 2022 elections. The Objectives of the dialogue was to:
• To create awareness amongst Boda Boda riders on matters of peace and their role in peace and security matters.
• To create a good working relationship between youth leaders and Boda Boda riders in light of the 2022 elections.
• To reduce Boda Boda rider’s involvement in crime, gang and political violence
Football for peace
Simama CBO and Betting company 22 BET under their Cooperate social responsibility organized numerous peace football tournament circuits in Korogocho and Mathare. This are places that experience perennial political violence thus profiled as hot spots. Under the theme banner Dundaa Mtaani kwa Amani (translated into english, Bounce in your hood in Peace) the football circuits tournament aimed at sensitizing the community on Peace, and Political tolerance. Workshops on problem solving approaches were held at the sidelines of the tournament. The ongoing circuits targeted youths as they are the main perpetrators and victims of political violence. Through this event, 500 young people and community leaders were reached directly with 800 people reached indirectly.
Political mentorship program
Simama CBO has been holding numerous activities on political mentorship program under governance. Young people and young politicians totalling 17 have been taken through political educational programs. That is the basic principals of democracy, governance, constitutionality, budget process, activation of citizen power and the process of identifying community needs. Other topics that have been covered through the process are the citizens tools for participation, political action planning and resource mobilization. The Political mentorship program, aims at raising youth voices within political structures in calling for political accountability and re-energizing their political participation in policy making. It further aimed at encouraging young people to particpate in political processes,vie for elective seats and positions aimed at transforming their communities.
