OKUDA International's pilot project which is on its implementation stage is based in Kenya.
OKUDA Kenya is based on AkiDwA (Akina Dada wa Africa) model. This is in accordance to the initial plan of the initiator of AkiDwA a Kenyan national whose aim was replicate the model in several African countries in future.
OKUDA Kenya is based on AkiDwA (Akina Dada wa Africa) model. This is in accordance to the initial plan of the initiator of AkiDwA a Kenyan national whose aim was replicate the model in several African countries in future.
There is a definite need for organisations like OKUDA to offer service in the area selected based on the occurrences of the underlying issues; ie sexual and reproductive health and end FGM (female genital mutilation) campaigns.
According to 2003 KDHS, 7 out of 10 women and 8 out of 10 men have had sex by the age of 20, with a median age at first sexual intercourse of 17 years. By the time Kenyan girls are 19 years old, 23% are pregnant with their first child or are already mothers.
Given the limited knowledge and use of modern contraception, including condoms, and the lack of parental and school sex education. Termination of pregnancy is outlawed in Kenya, with the exception of cases where the health of the mother is at risk. However, the law is not strictly enforced and many abortions are performed illegally.
Some 300,000 abortions are said to be performed in Kenya every year, causing an estimated 20,000 women to be hospitalized with related complications. This has been estimated to translate into a daily abortion rate of about 800 procedures resulting in the death of 2,600 women every year due to complications.
Sexual violence is increasingly prevalent in Kenya and police statistics show that more than 2,800 cases of rape were reported in 2004 - an increase of close to 500 compared to the previous year.
The rate of women who are exposed to violence by their husbands is 52% in Kenya. A demographic health survey carried out by the Ministry of Planning in 2003 revealed that at least half of all Kenyan women had experienced violence since the age of 15, with close family members among the perpetrators.
Women who have been sexually or domestically abused are often too scared by the stigma attached to the crime to tell their families, let alone report their attacks to the relevant authorities.
Stigma is such a big issue in many cultures. Women and girls blame themselves and fear that they will be ostracised from society if they admit to being raped, and they often are outcasts if they do so.
According to 2003 KDHS, 7 out of 10 women and 8 out of 10 men have had sex by the age of 20, with a median age at first sexual intercourse of 17 years. By the time Kenyan girls are 19 years old, 23% are pregnant with their first child or are already mothers.
Given the limited knowledge and use of modern contraception, including condoms, and the lack of parental and school sex education. Termination of pregnancy is outlawed in Kenya, with the exception of cases where the health of the mother is at risk. However, the law is not strictly enforced and many abortions are performed illegally.
Some 300,000 abortions are said to be performed in Kenya every year, causing an estimated 20,000 women to be hospitalized with related complications. This has been estimated to translate into a daily abortion rate of about 800 procedures resulting in the death of 2,600 women every year due to complications.
Sexual violence is increasingly prevalent in Kenya and police statistics show that more than 2,800 cases of rape were reported in 2004 - an increase of close to 500 compared to the previous year.
The rate of women who are exposed to violence by their husbands is 52% in Kenya. A demographic health survey carried out by the Ministry of Planning in 2003 revealed that at least half of all Kenyan women had experienced violence since the age of 15, with close family members among the perpetrators.
Women who have been sexually or domestically abused are often too scared by the stigma attached to the crime to tell their families, let alone report their attacks to the relevant authorities.
Stigma is such a big issue in many cultures. Women and girls blame themselves and fear that they will be ostracised from society if they admit to being raped, and they often are outcasts if they do so.
