Youth Engaging Street Children COVID-19 Action (YESC)

Location: Kenya (Home Bay)

Access to the highest attainable healthcare is a human right, including access to reproductive health and COVID-19 services and information. Many young people have lost contact with reproductive health services especially in the face of COVID-19. The youth-friendly service centers have been closed. These young people are also not able to get their questions answered. Thus, there is a need to modify and have a safe way for young people to access the right information on COVID-19 and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR).

This difference has greatly affected street children who are not only unable to access the right information on COVID 19, they are also unable to access shelter and protective equipment like a face mask. These young people also do not have access to safe running water and soap for hand-washing or a constant supply of food.

Due to the limited supply of masks, street children are not able to protect themselves. The fact that they may not access health services in time disproportionately puts them at risk of COVID 19. Not having homes to live in and living in collective spaces, sharing bedding and clothes also puts them at a greater risk. This thus makes them a high-risk population. Coupled with a lack of information, they are at risk of being a reservoir and a special risk group.

Apart from street families and children, unemployment among young people has made them more involved in street life. Most of them are engaged in high contact work in the street like hawking and small businesses. Youth working on the street also have a disproportionate risk of infection because it is hard to keep social distance most of the time. These young people put their peers at risk and their families as well. There is, therefore, a need for health education especially on COVID 19 focusing on these young people.

There is also a need for government and civil society support for these young people to be able to protect themselves and families from COVID 19. There have also been instances where their rights have been violated by security officers in cases where the young person due to his or her employment is unable to meet all the government standards for the prevention of COVID 19. This is mostly because the voices and knowledge of the context of young people have been left out during the development of COVID 19 strategies. This has encroached into access to health services including reproductive health thus increased risk of deteriorating reproductive health conditions.

COVID 19 is a public health disaster of international importance. There are standard ways to handle and prevent its spread. However, there are unique contextual differences globally that need to be addressed. This will contribute to the national COVID 19 prevention plan by looking at the needs of the homeless people in Homabay Township. Thus preventing the homeless from death because of compromised immunity and becoming a potential reservoir for the disease.

It will also reduce disproportionate risk suffered by youth working on the street that can increase the spread of COVID 19. Thus this will help to flatten the COVID 19 curve since the people working in public spaces have the greatest chance of spreading the disease to homes.

Lastly, including the voices of youth in policy and prevention strategy formulation will increase their effectiveness and acceptability among young people thus it will also reduce the spread of COVID 19. Including the voices of young people in the formulation of policies will also sustain the gains on reproductive health that were made before COVID 19 that could potentially be lost as a result of measures associated with the pandemic.

Overall goal: Improve health and engagement of young people of Homabay County with a bias on those living in and or working on the street and with a focus on reducing the risk of COVID 19 and increasing access to reproductive healthcare.
• Reduce the spread of COVID-19 and reduce other health risks including reproductive health risks among young people especially those living and or are working on the street of Homabay.
• Increase access to health care including sexual reproductive health among the street children and young people living in and or working on the streets.
• Enhancing youth participation in policy review and development in the face of COVID-19 with a focus on youth living in and or working on the streets.

Support

Our initiative requires USD 3000 to be able to reach over 1000 street family and youth working on the street with reusable face masks, hand washing soap and sexual reproductive information and service that is missing because of the measures.

Other needs: Volunteers, Space for online meetings.

See more: https://www.facebook.com/activateaction

For more information contact covid19@unmgcy.org