Our Theory of Change
When a young mother is emotionally supported, connected to health care, back in education or earning, and backed by her family, she and her child thrive, and the cycle of early pregnancy and HIV vulnerability weakens with her.
Where the pathway starts
In the communities around Lake Victoria, teenage pregnancy is closely tied to HIV risk, unequal relationships, and limited access to youth-friendly health services. Nearly one in four girls aged 15–19 in Homa Bay has begun childbearing, and the four counties where we work carry the highest HIV prevalence in Kenya. A girl who becomes a mother at fourteen or sixteen here usually loses school, family support, and safety at the same time.
That is why our model responds to all of it together, rather than one issue at a time. See the challenges girls face here.
The Pathway
Four connected moves, in order, each building on the one before it.
Reach girls where they are
Trained mentor mothers in each community, alongside schools and health workers, identify pregnant girls and adolescent mothers aged 13–23 who have dropped out of school, been rejected by family, or lost access to services.
Stabilize and support
Psychosocial counselling, peer groups, and case management address trauma and stigma first, while referrals connect each girl to HIV testing and care, PMTCT, antenatal and postnatal services, child health support, and menstrual health.
Build a future
School re-entry, literacy and life-skills classes, vocational training, and agriculture-based livelihoods give each mother a realistic path to income and independence.
Strengthen the family around her
Parenting and caregiver support informed by evidence-based approaches such as the Sinovuyo programme rebuilds the home environment, so gains last beyond our direct involvement.
She and her child thrive
Stabilized, in care, back on a path to income, and held by a stronger family, a young mother is positioned to break the cycle of early pregnancy and HIV vulnerability for herself and her child.
See this pathway inside each program
Every step above is delivered through a specific program area, with its own referral routes, partners, and measures.
Our Programs