Visit to the Youth Incentives Fund project in Butare, 18-27 February 2007
Youth Incentives and ARBEF (our partner in Rwanda) started in January 2006 with the implementation of the so called SBY Project: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for the youth of Butare.
This project is a response to the growing group of children and youth who lost their parents during the genocide of 1994 or because of AIDS. They become at an early age head of the household, caring for their even younger brother, sisters, and often other young siblings. This group of youth is extremely vulnerable and the project supports this group by the formation of Child Headed Household (CHH) clubs. In this way the youth can support and counsel each other. They receive a health insurance and have access to HIV/AIDS care and treatment. A group of peer educators on SRHR is trained to inform and counsel the other youth.
Youth Incentives staff and Youth Action Movement members were invited to visit an active CHH club group in Rusatira: 'We were welcomed in a little room that the CHH club hired to meet us and the group sang a powerful, self-written song about HIV and their lives. The youth showed a play called 'No is No' to show how they frequently are offered money or food for sex. The play dealt with the difficulties to refuse because they are poor and have no alternative. A boy wrote a beautiful poem .
The project also supports the vulnerable youth of Butare district by offering mobile voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) services. We visited a mobile VCT in Mugombwa: 'Before offering the VCT service, an awareness raising session was done by a nurse of ARBEF. In this way the youth receives information on HIV/AIDS and how to protect oneself. I was amazed that they showed how to use a female condom; that is not only very progressive in Africa, but also in The Netherlands. Before the VCT, condoms and leaflets on Family Planning were distributed'. Youth that is tested positive will get an health insurance and access to youth friendly HIV/AIDS care and treatment.
Consultancy in Rwanda, October 2005
One of the consultants of Youth Incentives visited ARBEF in Rwanda (Association Rwandaise pour le Bien-Être Familial). During this visit of four days Youth Incentives supported the staff of ARBEF in finalising the project proposal for the Youth Incentives Fund. The recommendations and observations made during the second board meeting (at the end of September) were discussed with the director Laurien Nyabienda and his staff
after which a small group continued working on the document.
The outcome of the mission is a revised proposal. The intention of the project as proposed by ARBEF was kept the same, but small adaptations were made especially in narrowing down the focus. The following objectives were derived from the outcome of the needs assessment and of the discussions during the board meeting:
1. Promote the Sexual and Reproductive rights of 6000 child headed households with special emphasis on their empowerment and gender related issues.
2. Increase the acceptance of HIV/AIDS among young people, especially for those living with HIV/AIDS, and promote their sexuality rights.
3. Increase the institutional capacity of ARBEF’s regional branch and YAM: Youth Action Movement.
After the four days the proposal was discussed and send to the chair of the Youth Incentives Fund. The team starts in January 2006 with the implementation of the so called SBY Project: sexual and reproductive health and rights for the youth of Butare.
