Our integrated programmes connect health, protection, well-being and economic empowerment to build resilience and long-term self-reliance for women and youth in Kakuma.
Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)
Saidia Community Initiative (SCI) promotes Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) among adolescent girls, young women, teenage mothers and other marginalized populations in Kakuma Refugee Camp and Kalobeyei. Our work focuses on empowering individuals with accurate, accessible and inclusive information to make informed decisions about their bodies, health and reproductive wellbeing while ensuring their dignity, safety and rights are respected.
Through community-based education, awareness, advocacy and empowerment, we address menstrual health and hygiene management (MHM), period poverty, puberty, contraception, family planning, HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), teenage pregnancy, bodily autonomy and reproductive rights. We promote sustainable menstrual health solutions through reusable sanitary pads, dignity kits and menstrual hygiene education, while raising awareness about reproductive health conditions such as endometriosis and the challenges women face accessing specialized healthcare.
Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Prevention and Response
Saidia Community Initiative (SCI) works to prevent and respond to Gender-Based Violence (GBV) by promoting the safety, dignity, rights and empowerment of women, girls and other vulnerable individuals in Kakuma Refugee Camp and Kalobeyei. Our approach is community-led, survivor-centred and inclusive, addressing the underlying social norms, inequalities and power imbalances that contribute to violence and discrimination.
Through prevention, awareness, psychosocial support and protection interventions, we engage women, men, adolescent girls, boys, families and community leaders to challenge harmful gender norms, promote positive behaviour change, strengthen accountability and build safer and more supportive communities.
Our key interventions include:
- GBV Prevention and Community Engagement: Conducting community dialogues, awareness campaigns and outreach activities to prevent violence, challenge harmful social norms and promote gender equality.
- Empowerment and Male Engagement: Implementing the Engaging Men through Accountable Practice (EMAP) approach, including male engagement groups and women’s empowerment initiatives, to encourage positive behaviour change, shared responsibility and respectful relationships.
Our GBV activities
Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS)
We provide psychosocial support, awareness sessions and safe spaces for survivors of violence, vulnerable adolescents and women living with the stress of displacement.
- Group psychosocial sessions
- Awareness and stigma reduction
- Linkages to specialised services
Livelihoods and Economic Empowerment
Through vocational skills training, entrepreneurship support, financial literacy and income-generating activities, SCI helps women secure sustainable livelihoods, support their families and regain confidence and independence.
- Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA)
- Crochet making
- Poultry farming
- Small business development and market linkages
Village Savings and Loan Associations
Our women’s VSLA groups save together, access small loans and grow businesses, building financial independence and resilience for their families.
Advocacy and Safe Spaces
We take conversations on gender, health and rights into the wider community.
- HerSpace Summit
- Community film screenings
- Radio talk shows on Ref FM 88.4
- 16 Days of Activism against GBV
Our advocacy spaces
Community platforms where girls, women, men and leaders learn, speak out and act together.
1. HER Space Summit
The HER Space Summit was a flagship community empowerment event organized by Saidia Community Initiative (SCI) under its Rapid Self-Reliance and Resilience Programme. Bringing together over 200 participants, including adolescent girls, young women, community learners, programme beneficiaries, partners and community leaders, the summit created a platform for learning, self-expression, advocacy and the celebration of girls’ potential.
Through drama, poetry, songs, cultural dances and storytelling, participants showcased their experiences and raised awareness about Gender-Based Violence (GBV), Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), menstrual health and period poverty. A key focus was championing the fight against period poverty, calling for collective action to break menstrual stigma, promote reusable sanitary pads and sustainable menstrual health solutions, and ensure that menstruation does not become a barrier to girls’ education, dignity, participation and opportunities.
The summit targeted adolescent girls, young women, teenage mothers and other vulnerable girls from refugee and host communities, while engaging parents, community leaders, partners and other stakeholders in advancing girls’ rights and wellbeing.
Key outcomes and impact included:
- Increased awareness and community dialogue on GBV, FGM, menstrual health and period poverty.
- Amplified the voices and experiences of girls and young women through creative expression and advocacy.
2. Radio Talk Shows – Community Awareness, Advocacy and Behaviour Change
SCI uses radio talk shows as a community engagement and advocacy platform to raise awareness, share accurate information and promote positive behaviour change on issues affecting refugees and host communities in Kakuma and Kalobeyei.
Through interactive radio discussions, SCI engages adolescent girls, young women, men, community leaders, parents, service providers and other stakeholders on SRHR, menstrual health and hygiene management, period poverty, GBV, child protection, teenage pregnancy, harmful cultural practices and women’s empowerment.
Key objectives and impact include:
- Increasing community awareness of SRHR, GBV prevention, menstrual health and protection.
- Championing the fight against period poverty and menstrual stigma.
- Promoting positive attitudes towards girls’ education, women’s rights and gender equality.
- Encouraging open conversations between parents, young people and community leaders.
- Sharing information about available health, psychosocial and protection services and referral pathways.
- Reaching wider audiences beyond direct programme beneficiaries through accessible community broadcasting.
3. Community Screenings – Awareness, Education and Community Engagement
SCI uses community screenings as an interactive approach to promote awareness, education and positive behaviour change among refugees and host communities in Kakuma and Kalobeyei. Through educational films, documentaries, short videos and visual storytelling, SCI creates opportunities for community members to learn, reflect and engage in conversations about issues affecting their lives.
The screenings focus on GBV, SRHR, menstrual health and hygiene management, period poverty, child protection, teenage pregnancy, harmful cultural practices, women’s empowerment and gender equality. Each screening is followed by group discussions, reflection sessions and question-and-answer forums, with particular attention to adolescent girls, young women, teenage mothers, boys, men, parents and community leaders.
Key objectives and impact include:
- Raising awareness of GBV, SRHR, menstrual health and protection issues.
- Challenging harmful social norms, stigma, discrimination and misinformation.
- Championing the fight against period poverty and promoting menstrual dignity.
- Strengthening community knowledge of available health, protection and referral services.
4. 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence
Each year SCI joins the global 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign in Kakuma. Community members, partners and young people march together and hold community dialogues under the campaign theme “UNiTE to End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls”.
Youth development
We support young people through leadership, skills development and community participation, so they can shape the decisions that affect their lives.
