An educated mind and a healthy body and soul are all necessary to truly empower a girl.

With extremely limited healthcare resources and education in our region, most people know very little about their bodies, particularly with regard to sexual and reproductive health and the harmful effects of female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriage.

These topics are also highly taboo, so they aren’t discussed in school or at home. This leads to higher rates of FGM, child marriageteenage pregnancy, school dropout, and cyclical intergenerational poverty.

Kakenya’s Dream has created interconnected health programs that give youth and adults across southwestern Kenya access to the health information, education, and services necessary to advocate for themselves and make informed choices about their health.

Jijue Health & Leadership Training

Our Health and Leadership Training program, also known as the Jijue program, (which means “know yourself” in Swahili), is offered as weekly after-school workshops in both of our schools as well as dozens of partner schools across southwestern Kenya. It is delivered over a three-year period (grades 5-7), ensuring consistent, age-appropriate engagement at a critical stage of adolescent development. The trainings equip boys and girls with information about their bodies, health, legal rights, and life skills training. 

Our team of skilled facilitators lead impactful and engaging sessions on gender equality, FGM and child marriage, sexual violence, sexual and reproductive health, self-defense, and skills like leadership, public speaking, and self-advocacy. This program also teaches participants to share the information they’ve learned with their siblings, parents, and communities and empowers them to become partners in promoting gender equality. To date, trainings have been taught at over 200 schools across Narok, Kisii, Migori, and Homa Bay counties.

girls and boys educated on their health and human rights through our Health and Leadership Trainings
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local schools served through our Health and Leadership Trainings
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facilitators trained to disseminate our unique and comprehensive Health and Leadership Training curriculum
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Verb

/lin-duh dah-dah/

"Protect a Sister" in Swahili

The Linda Dada program confronts the harmful social norms, practices, and systems that perpetuate widespread gender inequality and violence against women and girls in Kenya. The program brings together a wide range of stakeholders, including women and men, youth, elders, religious leaders, government officials, law enforcement, and health service providers. Through community dialogues and educational media campaigns, the program raises awareness of the issues women and girls are facing, strengthens referral pathways and protective systems, and encourages collective action to end common practices such as FGM and child marriage.

By creating a safe space for open dialogue on these issues, which are too often shrouded in silence, the program helps communities reexamine harmful norms and beliefs, forge a shared vision for change, and take action together. Rather than imposing solutions from the outside, we partner with communities to drive lasting change from within, creating a safer, more equitable society for everyone. 

community members engaged in community dialogues
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people reached across southwestern Kenya via educational radio and television programming
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Kakenya Health & Wellness Center

The Kakenya Health and Wellness Center (KHWC) is our pioneering youth-friendly health clinic offering essential services to a region that previously had little to no access to healthcare. Our clinic provides:

  • Primary and preventive care
  • Stigma-free sexual and reproductive health services
  • Mental health counseling
  • Specialized support for survivors of gender-based violence
  • Pharmacy and lab testing services
  • Monthly mobile pop-ups that bring care to the most remote communities

This clinic serves as a vital resource for rural communities, eliminating barriers to care and creating a safe space for youth and women to seek compassionate, life-saving medical support. In addition to on-site services, we conduct pop-up clinics and outreach programs to build a trusted presence across communities and expand access to care. We also work alongside the Ministry of Health to improve care and build capacity at other medical facilities, amplifying our impact across the region.

patients have been served to date in 2025
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patients on average receive care each month at the Kakenya Health and Wellness Center
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