Young Woman Shapes Her Future with Lessons From Her Past
As the world commemorates World AIDS Day on December 1, a 24-year-old woman from western Kenya is transforming lives with her tale of resilience.
Currently a fishmonger in the outskirts of Kisumu city, Rose exudes passion and determination as she shares her experience with the triple threat - HIV, gender-based violence and teenage pregnancy.
When she was barely 14 and in primary school, someone took advantage of her naivety, defiled her, and fled upon learning that she was pregnant. During her first trimester, she started attending her antenatal clinic while maintaining school attendance. As the pregnancy developed, Rose endured social stigma both at school and in the community.
However, she continued her education journey and became the envy of many after sitting and passing national primary school examinations.
Hopes were high, as Rose continued with secondary school. Unfortunately, she became pregnant again and this time around she was unable to balance between new pregnancy, motherhood and classwork.
She eventually dropped out of school. Her secondary school journey ended in form three (equivalent to junior year in high school) as she resorted to partly engage in commercial sex work to provide for her young family.
The decision was costly. She became pregnant for the third time and was subjected to further ridicule given that the man responsible for the pregnancy not only assaulted her, but later vanished to evade responsibility.
“He battered and abandoned me - and I contemplated committing suicide,” she recollects.
It was during these trying times that a mentor mother from DREAMS program supported by USAID 4TheChild project showed up with a helping hand. The DREAMS (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored and Safe) program is a partnership that aims to reduce HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women.
Rose enrolled in DREAMS in October 2023 and her life has never been the same again. AMPATH partner Moi University College of Health Sciences is the implementing partner for USAID 4TheChild.
Rose started off with sessions on social asset building at the West Nyakach ward safe space. The trainings covered topics that included contraceptive options, HIV prevention, family planning, correct use of condoms and HIV testing services.
The project's complementary interventions further played a key role in her journey for change. She completed Financial Capabilities Training and Entrepreneurship training that equipped her with skills to manage her finances and start her own business.
“I have learned from my past mistakes,” she notes. “I am now more informed and empowered. Thanks to DREAMS project, I feel happy and safe from HIV infection and unplanned pregnancies.”
Through USAID 4TheChild, she gained essential life skills to tackle various challenges – including managing her emotions, exercising self-restraint and adopting risk-free behaviors.
‘Shuga’ sessions empowered her to protect herself from sexually transmitted infections and HIV. She became aware of various family planning methods and use of PrEP (Pre-exposure prophylaxis).
Financial Capabilities and Entrepreneurship sessions helped her unlock the ability to save and access capital. It also prompted her to join a Savings and Internal Lending Communities group where gained capital for her fish venture – on top a KES 5,000 ($38 USD) grant that USAID 4TheChild awarded her.
As she nurtures her business that now caters for her needs, Rose always creates time for young people – mentoring and cautioning them against vices that expose them to the triple threat.