Young Women Campaign Against AIDS (YWCAA)

Qui sommes-nous

Young Women Campaign Against AIDS (YWCAA) is a registered Non Governmental Organization that was founded by a group of young women graduates in the early 2000.
YWCAA works with young women, the youth and the community and provides information on sexual reproductive health and rights, applies a holistic approach to care and support to orphans and vulnerable children, avail opportunities to tap skills, learn, share experiences so as to reduce vulnerability to negative socio-economic factors such as gender based violence, idleness and desperation, drug abuse, sexual exploitation and HIV/AIDS.
The organization implements activities in urban and rural poor environments of Kenya. YWCAA works in 4 selected informal settlements of Kibera, Kibagare, Mukuru, Kawangware in Nairobi and in Kisumu, Makueni and Homabay counties in Kenya.

Vision
A healthy generation free from HIV/AIDS, Sexual & Gender Based Violence and discrimination where everyone enjoys equal rights, peace and safe environment.

Mission Statement
Promotion of equal rights and social justice for women, young people and the vulnerable.

Programmes:
• HIV/AIDS Behavior Change Communication (BCC) for Youth: BCC Is an interactive process with communities (integrated with an overall program) to develop tailored messages and approaches using a variety of communication channels to develop positive behaviors; promote and sustain individual, community and societal behavior change; and maintain appropriate behaviors; Sensitization of PLWHA and their families on anti-retroviral therapy (ART)
• SRHR: The Condom Project; Hygiene Promotion
• BAWA Project: The BAWA program that aims at giving the grandmothers 'wings to fly' (empowerment) was initiated by YWCAA in partnership with Cordaid Kenya and the African Women's Development Fund (AWDF) in 2004. The idea was to mitigate the socio-economic effects of HIV/AIDS among women, with special attention to young women serving as Bar Waitresses to earn a living.
• Grandmothers Project: Its aim is to address challenges brought about by HIV/AIDS and to establish evidence-based means of mitigating the socio-economic effects - under the Community Revolving Loan Funds (CRLFs) and the grandmothers household OVC support. With this program, YWCAA has made considerable impact in lives of grandmothers who earn a living through running small scale businesses as means of livelihood.
• Girls Project: Kibagare BAWA Girls project was initiated by YWCAA in partnership with the African Women Development Fund (AWDF). It applies sports, culture and creative arts as tools for Prevention and Advocacy on HIV/AIDS, GBV and as a means of long term economic empowerment for young women, out-of-school, and other disadvantaged girls under the custody of bar waitresses/grandmothers residing in Kibagare informal settlement in Nairobi Kenya. The main objectives of the project is to identify talents/life skills, and categorize them in to sports or creative arts and be fine-tuned in to activities aimed at economic empowerment; build stronger understanding on drugs and drug addiction and the negative effects; undertake sensitization on HIV/AIDS, sexual reproductive health and rights, gender based violence; and to nurture leadership among young women and girls.
• Institutional Development: It aims at effectiveness in implementing evidence based programming and organizational sustainability.
• Climate Change, Livelihood & Environmental Preservation: This is a new program identified as one of the priority areas to be implemented under an integrated approach to addressing effects of HIV/AIDS, gender based violence; and women economic empowerment. YWCAA's approach will embrace community friendly climate mitigation methods, community sensitization, environmental preservation as well as lobbying and advocating for implementation of policies and laws on climate change and environmental preservation. She will further invest in training and adoption of new and innovative methods to boost agricultural returns for livelihood and to boost trade.

Maurice Ouko is the Programmes Manager of Young Women Campaign Against AIDS (YWCAA).

For other net participants we can offer an expert guidance through trained staff, give an expert opinion, procure expert information and establish new contacts in the field of our work.