The onset of COVID-19 and the lockdowns that followed led to an alarming surge in teen pregnancies across Kenya, largely due to increased sexual violence during girls’ isolation at home and girls being forced to resort to survival sex to meet their basic needs. In response, we launched the Linda Dada campaign to raise awareness about this issue and reduce unplanned teen pregnancies. With diverse stakeholders across communities, including government officials, religious leaders, the media, parents, and youth, we work together to create collective, tailored solutions to address these challenges and better support girls. 

The Linda Dada campaign also provides in-depth education through community-based workshops about sexual and reproductive health, safe sex practices, and healthy interpersonal relationships. The workshops duly aim to combat stigma by encouraging more open communication around taboo topics that are interconnected with the rise of teen pregnancy, including child marriage, FGM, menstrual health, and sexual violence. We also partner with local media to disseminate this information via radio and television messaging to drive behavior change within the adolescent community.