SEAL PROJECT A HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM BY ANN KARAU

OVERVIEW Project brief The Gender perspective; lessons from the ground Conclusion

WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO…

SEAL PROJECT PARTNERS Swedish Mission Council (SMC) Nav partners Economic Projects Trust Fund (EPTF) Ministry of Education (MoE) I Choose Life - Africa

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES To reduce risky sexual behavior among 9000 high school students through capacity building of 45 teachers from 45 high schools in Nairobi to carry out life skills Education in high schools. Develop an approach addressing the underlying poverty issues, which influence spread of HIV and AIDS, through economic empowerment of secondary school students and their households. To improve access to SRHR information and services for 9000 high school students from 45 schools in Nairobi through mapping out of available youth friendly SRH services To lobby/ advocate for reform, ratification, operationalization and implementation of SRHR and other related policies affecting young people in high school.

OUR PROJECT BENEFICIARIES 45 Schools in Nairobi County 9000 Students on SRHR 2 schools and 25 teachers on Economic empowerment (EE) 100 students and 100 parents on EE 15 Teachers

THE SITUATION IN KENYA-RH HIV has a female face Young women aged are four times more likely to be infected (6.4%) than young men of the same age group (1.5%) Nearly one-half of births to young women under age 18 are the result of unintended pregnancy; these young women are becoming mothers sooner or more frequently than intended.

THE SITUATION IN KENYA-RH Young women who begin childbearing before age 20 are twice as likely to die during pregnancy or childbirth as compared to women in their twenties.

Our program seeks to address Attitude change Men as partners Women as those at risk

Gender Stereotypes Constructing, reinforcing and assessing effects

Gender Stereotypes – Female!! Females may believe that to be feminine they should… Show their emotions and be submissive Give in to the demands of a sexual partner Have many children, regardless of whether they want to or not Think about the needs of others before their own Look pretty and sexy for their partner Accept men’s sexual harassment without complaint Take the blame for violence, sexual assault or rape Avoid ‘mostly male’ care.

Gender Stereotypes – Male!! Males may believe that to be masculine they should… 1.Be in control and appear unemotional 2.Be the dominant partner in a relationship 3.Force sex on their sexual partners 4.Have sex early and with many partners 5.Work in careers that are mechanical or use physical strength 6.Be the ‘head of the family‘ 7.Have more than one wife and/or girlfriend 8.Have many children and earn lots of money 9.Take risks to prove their bravery 10.Settle things using physical violence 11.Drink or use a lot of drugs without showing the effects 12.Avoid ‘female' housework and raising children.

Stereotypes! Effects Influence the way we feel about ourselves, how we behave, what we believe we can do, and what goals we set for ourselves. Stereotypical gender roles can severely limit plans and goals for our future. It is important that we become more aware of them and overcome our “stereotyped” thinking. Then we can plan for ourselves, without regard for how others see us. –I–If one believes they are limited in what they can do with their lives because of their gender, they will probably set different goals for themselves than they would if they did not see themselves as l ll limited.

Stereotype effects to the Female!! These are some of the negative things that can happen to women because of how they are expected to act. It does not mean that all women experience these problems. – Women get pregnant when they don’t want to because they can’t always control how and when they have sex. – Women get infections from their husbands and/or boyfriends because the men have multiple sexual partners – Women worry about their bodies and about not being sexually desirable for men. – Women experience sexual violence from men such as rape and child sexual abuse that can lead to serious physical and psychological problems. – Women who aren’t married and/or who don’t have children are often stigmatized.

Stereotype effects to the Male!! These are some of the negative things that can happen to men because of how they are expected to act. It does not mean that all men experience these problems. 1.Men worry about whether they are normal. They worry about the size of their penis. 2.Men sometimes have children they don’t want because they don’t feel responsible for contraception. 3.Men don’t have health check-ups and this means that they seek help too late for some diseases. 4.Men can get STIs and HIV because they think men should have a lot of sex, whenever they want, with whoever they want and they think that having it without condoms feels better. 5.Men (particularly effeminate men, and men who have sex with other men) experience violence from other men. 6.Boys experience sexual violence such as rape and child sexual abuse that can lead to serious physical and psychological problems.

Setting the Gender Record Straight!!!

Setting The Record Straight 1.Are you happy with your gender? 2.What is it you are proud the most of being born male/ female? 3.Imagine waking up one morning and discovering that you are suddenly the opposite sex. If you are a man, you have woken up as a woman. If you are a woman, you have now woken up as a man. a)How would your life be different? b)Do you think people would treat you differently? If yes, how? c)What would you need to learn? d)What couldn’t you do anymore? e)What would you suddenly be able to do? f)How would you be expected to dress? Back to who you are now. Given what it may be like to be of the opposite sex, what are some of the things that you feel are misunderstood? Are the rules the same for each sex? Are there any different rules?

I’m Glad I’m A Man Because

I’m Glad I’m A Woman Because Hullaloop Principle!!

If I were a woman, I could

If I were a man, I could

Gender Role Play

Gender Role Play Debrief… Is it okay for a girl to refuse to have sex with her boyfriend? Is it okay for a guy to refuse to have sex with his girlfriend? Is it more acceptable for a guy or girl to refuse sex? Do men prefer to marry a woman who is a virgin? Why or why not? Do women think men are always after sex, and how do they feel about it?

My commitment I commit: 1.Respect and value all people equally simply because they are human 2.Respect and show sensitivity to people of the opposite sex 3.Respect the values and beliefs of others even if they differ from mine. Signature Date

Thank You I Choose Life – Africa Riverside Drive 44 P.O. Box 5166 – Nairobi – Kenya Tel: (02) /4/5 Fax: (02) Website: e ewww.ichooselife.or.k e

Informed Choices, Changed Lives !