Project title: KGGA Alcohol prevention program in four districts in Kenya.
Project core business: Kenya Girl Guides Association undertook a baseline survey to inform it on a new initiative that the association wanted to undertake on alcohol prevention and reduction amongst youth in schools. In an effort to come with evidence based approach in handling youth and alcohol the association started by interviewing students from 30 schools in three provinces in Kenya. The survey also served to give an understanding on the issue of youth and alcohol based on the information provided by them.
After the baseline survey the association then came up with 5 main strategies that would be used, with an effort of preventing and reducing alcohol consumption amongst youth in 45 schools from the four provinces.
The strategies applied are
Increased knowledge about the harms of alcohol.
Community sensitization and awareness about the harms of alcohol.
Lobbying and advocating for compliance to the Law on alcohol.
Institutional Strengthening and capacity building.
Monitoring and Evaluation
It’s hoped that the association will be able to achieve its overall goal of Reducing alcohol consumption amongst youth in the four selected provinces and at the same time delay the first age of intake of alcohol amongst youth from the current 10 years to 12 years of age.
Networks
Girl Scouts of USA – Twinning program network.
Friends of Londiani
PACOYEK.( Amalgamation of the Key five value based organizations in Kenya including Red cross, Kenya Scouts. YMCA, YWCA. And Presidential awards.
National Volunteers Scheme Network
KAPA- Kenya Alcohol Policy Alliance.
NOPE
Membership
At an international level, KGGA is a member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts-(WAGGGS).
Currently the association has a national membership of over 155,000 girls and women drawn from all parts of Kenya.
Membership to the association is opened to all, and there are different categories of membership with the youngest being girls aged 3 years (Rainbows) to the oldest being over 85 years who form the Trefoil Guild.
Approach used to reach the project purpose: KGGA and all guiding movements uses different approaches in reaching the targeted group though the main components of the methods used are;
1. Participatory learning- In this system the Girl Guides participate in coming up with the material and the key lessons that they are interested in learning. e.g. a questionnaire is developed to understand the training needs of the girls as far as alcohol is concerned then once compiled the girls select a few representatives who meet at a conference/ workshop that is organized by the Head office where the final materials are developed with the strong participation of the girl guides. Adult leaders play the role of giving directions; This method has ensured ownership in the sense that the guides own their programs.
2. Learning by doing- In this approach the students are given tasks to perform and they learn by doing e.g cooking using solar cookers, A leader demonstrates the use and how to make a solar cooker and the girls are then asked to make a solar cooker in their patrols, hence they learn by doing what they have learnt.
3. Badge awards system- Badges are part and parcel of the guiding and scouting movement have always used badges to award girls. Students from the program schools came up with a badge design that they liked. A total of 35 samples were sent by the different schools. After that the association organized a material development workshop with a few representative girls selected to participate in the workshop. The girls then came up with a badge that was pretested and later accepted by students in the program to be the alcohol badge.
4. Mentorship- Girls who are members of the guiding movement are exposed to mentors who guide them on different issues. The mentorship program starts from their early days as Rainbows up to the time they are in the trefoil guild, since there is always someone older for the unit who guides them on life issues.
Primary target group
At school level-: Girls Guides aged between 10-14 years and rangers aged 15 years to 18 years,
Secondary target group
Head teachers, (Gatekeepers) Teachers (Guide leaders), Young leaders, (youth out of school), Ministry of Education officials (District Quality Assurance Officers, Officers in charge of special programs), Key Community leaders
Project intervention
KGGA alcohol prevention program intervention is informed by a baseline survey that was carried out by the association in 2009. The findings of the baseline survey revealed that 25% of the young people interviewed in four districts admitted that they consume alcohol. Hence the organization has developed an intervention with the main goal of Reducing alcohol consumption among youth aged 10 – 25 in four districts. The targeted districts are Siaya, Nairobi – Eastlands area,
Recent Work 1. Dissemination of the baseline survey to Key community leaders.
2. Handbook development
3. Badge design and awards
4. TOT training and pretest of the material
5. Participation in National Advocacy on Alcohol policy and law.
6. Networking meetings with other like minded organizations.
7. Video shows and debates in schools.
8. Cluster outreaches.9.