In a society where we are all experiencing a series of compounding crisis, ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic, unfavorable policy environments that hinder the institutionalization and actualization of sustainable Adolescent and Youth Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights and Human Sexuality Education, the unevenly distributed climate change impacts, the growing global and local gender inequalities in digital divide, the most at risk victims are the youth and adolescent cohort.
Sexual and reproductive health is fundamental to individuals, couples and families, and to the social and economic development of communities and nations.
As dictated by the objective of the Constitution of the World Health Organization (WHO), “the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health”, and to fulfil that objective, WHO’s functions include providing technical assistance to countries in the field of health.
From a youth-centric perspective, sustainability in youth programming should envision a society where there exists sustainable systems and structures geared towards achieving social-political, economic and cultural self-reliance; a society where we have systems and structures in place to institutionalize meaningful youth engagement programs that influence decision making on issues pertaining their health and wellbeing.
As a strategy to reimagine the needs and asks that the young people have, this year’s Adolescent and youth Sexual and Reproductive Health Conference is organized in a strategic way that aims at offering young people with a platform to share their knowledge in several different topics and subtopics in the Sexual Reproductive Health realm.
It is specifically programmed to bring together trained health care providers, researchers, policy makers, influencers and young people.
A crucial element of the conferences is to provide stakeholders and right holders with a platform to improve the dissemination of knowledge, share learnings and hold each other into account.
Young people from across the country most of whom have had previous experience with the adjacent Adolescent and Youth Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights Scientific conferences clearly highlight their reasons as to why this year’s conference has a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of young people not only in Kenya but across the globe.
Ritah Anindo Obonyo, the current Reproductive Health Network Kenya (RHNK) Youth Coordinator narrates that among the greatest gaps experienced in the adolescent and youth Sexual and Reproductive Health Programming is inadequate or lack of meaningful youth engagement. She goes on to say that this is owed to the fact that either because young people lack the necessary skills and knowledge needed or the due to power dynamics.
she says “I first attended the Annual Scientific conference on Adolescents and Youth SRHR in 2018; then I was 21 years of age and was actively engaged at the community level as a Youth Peer Provider and at the county as part of the Youth Advisory Council; I have since played different roles in the conference including its planning as a youth committee member, speaker and a moderator.
Over the years in my engagement in the conference, I have seen deliberate efforts being put in place to ensure young people are at the center of the conference through their submission of abstracts, skills building sessions, training and other in innovation led by the youth including the Caravan, Bonfire among others.”
From Abdala Shuaib’s point of view, he notes that progress in science, technology and innovation has the potential to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals.
This year’s conference according to Shuaib will provide a platform intended to facilitate interaction, matchmaking and the establishment of networks so as to identify and examine technology needs and gaps while at the same time making it easier to develop, transfer and disseminate relevant technologies for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
While innovation was embedded in the 2030 Agenda as Goal 17, together with science and technology it cut across all the goals as an important part of implementation,” he says emphasizing how progress would be critical for delivering on all the Goals, from poverty eradication to food security and climate change.
However, Shuaib narrates that among the greatest challenges in the strive towards the institutionalization of sustainable development is linking science, technology and innovation with progress in sustainable development at the ground level.
“Led by the youth, that is the gap the conference is expected to fill”, Says Shuaib
Catherine Bhoke, a youth advocate from Migori County sees this from a crisis solving point. Catherine highlights the state of teenage pregnancy in Migori County saying that it currently is at 24% compared to the national average of 19.7% whereas the age-specific fertility rate for girls 15-19yrs (adolescents birth rate) is 136/1000 girls. This is evidently much higher than the national average of 75/1000 girls.
“Teenage pregnancy has been on the rise since 2015, with adolescents dropping out of school and married off before completing their secondary school”, Says Catherine.
According to Catherine, it is critical that sustainable strategies, systems and structures be put in place so as to actualize the integration of adolescence and youth sexual reproductive health information and services, the creation of safe spaces to enable them express themselves freely without any fear of the challenges they are facing at the community more so in terms of decision making.
She goes on to highlight the role of youth friendly services towards facilitating and enhancing self-care services.
Statistics has it that meeting challenges head-on helps bring out the best in all of us. Therefore, through actively participating in this year’s Adolescents and Youth SRHR conference, young people will be able to not only develop themselves but also elevate the reputation of the academic institutions, companies, or research and or implementing organizations that they belong to.
In addition, this conference will provide young people with a networking opportunity which will give researchers, policy makers, health care providers and young people themselves with a new perspective on the things that are most vital to Adolescent and Youth Sexual Reproductive Health Programing.
With the technological advancements being experienced all around, both the state and non-state actors, public and private institutions as well as individual persons, have made it a collective responsibility to create an enabling environment for the digital transformation of health systems to adopt the new sustainable strategies.
With the impact of COVID-19 pandemic still being experienced three years down the line, this year’s Conference has made it easier and most suitable for everyone. This is because the conference will be a Hybrid one in that it will be both physical and virtual.
As we strive towards realizing a society where innovative and transformative approaches that put young people, women, girls, and people with diverse sexual and gender identities in control of where, when, and how they access and exercise their sexual reproductive health and rights, we call upon you, to take up this opportunity to ensure you sit at the decision making table and make your voice count.
This and many other dreams can only be actualized through your meaningful participation at the 5th Annual Scientific Conference on Adolescent and Youth Sexual Reproductive Health Conference organized by the Reproductive Health Network.