Changing the Narrative: End GBV among Students

The University of Nairobi in collaboration with UNESCO is in the process of implementing the Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future (O3 Plus) project. The overall goal of the 03 plus project is to ensure that young people in higher and tertiary education institutions in the Eastern and Southern Africa realize positive health, education and gender equality outcomes through sustained reductions in new HIV infections, unintended pregnancy and gender based violence.

As part of implementation of the O3 Plus activities, The Office of the Dean of Students on October 25-26, 2022 held a training for 40 student champions. The two-day training was also attended by the Dean of Students, Assistant Deans of Students from all Faculties and campuses and core staff from the Office of the Dean of Students.

Students from the 10 UoN implementing Campuses (Main, Chiromo, Kenyatta, Kenya Science, Kikuyu, Lower Kabete, Upper Kabete, Parklands, Mombasa and Kisumu Campuses) participated in the training. The champions will then engage comrades with activities and behaviour change messages during the 16 days of activism from November 25 to December 10, 2022.

Top of the training agenda were topics on Gender Based Violence (GBV), Alcohol and Drug Abuse (ADA), HIV Infections, Mental Wellbeing and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR).

It is hoped that this training and subsequent sensitization forums with fellow students will help in the reduction of HIV infections, GBV cases, unplanned pregnancies, and mental health cases among students.