The Girls Advocacy Alliance Project- Kwale County

The Girls Advocacy Alliance (GAA) is a 5-year joint project (2016-2020) led by the Dutch offices of Plan International, Terre des Hommes and Defence for Children – ECPAT and funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The project aims to promote equal rights and opportunities for girls and young women in 10 countries spread across Africa and Asia.

In Kwale County, Kenya the Girls Advocacy Alliance project is addressing issues of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (girls) (CSEC), Child Marriage (CM) and Child Trafficking (CT). The project is designed to cover six community clusters from Matuga, Msambweni and Lungalunga Sub-Counties. The clusters are divided into three villages each as follows:

1. 1. Matuga Unit 1 (Mbuguni, Mteza and Lunguma)
   2. Matuga Unit 2 (Maweni, Mkokoni, Bombo),
   3. Msambweni Unit 1 (Maweni, Biga and Mwakamba),
   4. Msambweni Unit 2 (Vingujini, Mafisini, Mwandimu),
   5. Lungalunga Unit 1 (Sega D, Jua Kali and Mrima Bwiti),
   6. Lungalunga unit 2 (Mwangulu, Naserian and Kwa Nyanje)

The main aim of the project is to address the predisposing factors of CM, CT and CSEC through advocacy at the community, county and national levels. Beneficiaries of the project are divided into four groups; communities, government, private sector and civil society organizations. We are working towards mobilizing these four actors to develop/ review, understand and uphold policies and laws aimed at protecting children.

Our strategies will include but not be limited to lobby, advocacy, knowledge and research, capacity development and linking and networking. We aim to focus all our efforts on challenging negative social norms and influence positive policy that protect children.

Key outcomes to be achieved from the project are:

• COMMUNITY– Communities appreciate negative social norms, acknowledge roles in transforming those norms and commit to engage in transforming the negative social norms
• CIVIL SOCIETY– 1. CSO’s are strengthened and coordinated for lobby and advocacy
  2. CSO’s appreciate that Child Trafficking, Child Marriage, and Economic Empowerment are critical issues and prioritize them for Advocacy.
• GOVERNMENT– 1. National and County govt. understand/appreciate their role in addressing Gender Based Violence and Economic Empowerment.
  2. National and County govt are aware of Gender Based Violence and Economic Empowerment Legislation and policies and existing gaps.
• PRIVATE SECTOR– Private sector appreciate and acknowledge their role in addressing Gender Based Violence and Economic Empowerment vulnerable adolescent girls and young women
  Our strategies will include but not be limited to lobby, advocacy, knowledge and research, capacity development and linking and networking. We aim to focus all our efforts on challenging negative social norms and influence positive policy that protect children.