Always Keeping Girls In School (AKGIS) Program
The Always Keeping Girls in School Program is inspired by the Always brand purpose (to unleash women and girls' confidence so they can be whoever they want to be) and by Procter & Gamble’s commitment to gender equality building a world where everyone sees equal. In line with this, 2016 saw Bethel Network starting to provide puberty education and free sanitary pads to girls in primary schools, in marginalized and most vulnerable regions in Kenya, to help address the issue of absenteeism when on their menses. AKGIS is an integrated life-skills, puberty and Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) education program that aims to provide holistic support for girls to develop their self-awareness, voice, and knowledge, and empower girls to actively participate in community and family decision making. Through this initiative, girls are provided with a year’s supply of quality Always sanitary pads, a panty, age-appropriate life skills, GBV and MHM and puberty and Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) education, and a booklet with information on puberty and menstrual hygiene.
The program also aims to empower girls as well as boys aged 11-14 years in primary schools by providing them with education on puberty, menstrual hygiene management and life skills. The inclusion of boys in the program has gone a long way in reducing stigma and also supporting the girls. This program is in line with the Ministry of Education’s Gender Policy in Education and Bethel Network have been given the approval to run the program nationally. The program runs in a school for 3-4 years to ensure impact.
Boy Child Program
Just like the girl, the boy child is vulnerable in many ways, among them lack of role models and mentors, and challenges during puberty and adolescent transition. This has increased school dropout rate, which has seen many boys fall into alcohol, drugs and substance abuse, and juvenile delinquency. Whereas the plight of the girl has been aggressively advocated for over the years, the boy is lagging behind in terms of availed support. The boy is neglected and marginalized and this is clearly noticeable when we visit schools, give presents to girls and leave the boy feeling forgotten.
ln this respect, Bethel Network has designed a boy's program aimed at restoring the boys' trust, confidence and acceptance to the community. We have a comprehensive content for the boy and have been appealing to well-wishers to join hands with us to provide the boy with the much-needed support.
Gender Based Violence (GBV) Mitigation Skills
GBV has been rampant in many parts of the country. We see it daily in the media, our villages, schools and even places of work. Bethel Network partners with communities and schools in various activities aimed at reducing incidences of GBV. These include:
i. Collection and Registration of Administrative Data on Violence Against Women
ii. Gender mainstreaming in Educational Institutions
iii. Political decision making
iv. Women and Poverty
v. Gender Training
vi. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Training
vii. Media
viii. Entrepreneurship
ix. Reconciliation