By Shem Oluchiri.
In the arid heartlands of Isiolo County, Northern Kenya, a quiet revolution is taking shape led not with protests or parades, but with compassion, courage, and conviction. Amidst vast landscapes where young herders move alongside livestock and girls walk miles to school, the SHARP project—Solutions for Supporting Healthy Adolescents and Rights Protection—is changing how communities protect and empower their adolescents.
The Challenges Adolescents Face
In this region, adolescence is often marked by challenges few should ever face:
- Early and forced marriages
- Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
- Teenage pregnancy
- Lack of access to accurate sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information
- Discrimination against youth with disabilities
- Limited access to health services in pastoralist settings
One young participant put it plainly:
“Sometimes we’re told to keep quiet. But we need to talk about these things. We need to know our rights.”
Faith at the Frontlines of Change
Enter Faith to Action Network, partnering with religious leaders to drive a faith-rooted response to adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights (ASRHR). Through SHARP, Christian and Muslim leaders in Isiolo are standing boldly in their pulpits, reimagining faith as a force for protection, not punishment.
“In our sermons, we now speak openly about early marriage, consent, and health with scripture as our guide, not a barrier,” shared one local pastor.
“The Qur’an teaches us to protect the vulnerable,” added a local Imam, “and that’s what we are doing training fellow leaders to support youth with knowledge and dignity.”
This faith-based approach is not only breaking silence but building trust, acceptance, and lasting transformation.
Policy in Action: Taking Services to the Margins
SHARP also works hand-in-hand with government officials to strengthen local health systems and extend their reach. Mobile health outreach programs now travel with pastoralist communities, ensuring youth have access to contraceptives, information, and compassionate care regardless of their location.
“We’ve updated our local policies to ensure adolescents can access reproductive health services,” shared a Ministry of Health official. “Now, we take the services to them even in the remotest areas.”
Safe Spaces and Youth-Led Advocacy
Through peer sessions and safe spaces, SHARP has cultivated a new generation of youth advocates—boys and girls equipped with knowledge, agency, and voice.
“Our safe space is where we talk about FGM, about our periods, and even about love without shame,” shared one teenage girl.
“Now, I help others understand their rights. I feel proud,” said a young Christian boy.
These safe spaces are more than physical locations, they are places of healing, confidence-building, and social change.
It’s About Rights, Not Just Services
At its core, SHARP is not just about providing health services. It’s about affirming rights:
- The right to bodily autonomy.
- The right to choose whether, when, and whom to marry.
- The right to access education, health, and protection.
- The right to live free from violence and shame.
And it’s about embedding those rights into homes, schools, faith spaces, and policies.
Join Us – No Adolescent Left Behind
SHARP, powered by Faith to Action Network and supported by the European Union, meets adolescents where they are in the classroom, under a tree, in a mosque or church, and in mobile clinics.
Together with faith leaders, government allies, youth mentors, and community champions, we are creating a new normal one where every adolescent is safe, seen, and supported.
Join us in amplifying this movement. Protect the rights of every adolescent.
