The United Nations (UN) in Kenya, led by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Partnership Platform, together with the Government of Kenya, the global Non-Profit Organization (NGO) Triggerise, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), and Bridges Outcomes Partnerships, has announced the launch of a Development Impact Bond (DIB).
The bond is aimed at addressing the challenges of teenage pregnancy and new HIV infections among adolescents in Kenya.
It will fund the delivery of high-quality, adolescent and youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services, including HIV testing and treatment, to adolescent girls aged 15-19.
According to the 2023 National HIV Estimates, Kenya is facing a significant adolescent health crisis, with 7,307 new infections recorded among adolescents and young people aged 15-24 in 2022. This accounted for 41% of all new HIV infections.
“The Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) Development Impact Bond (DIB) will address the problem of teenage pregnancy, new HIV infections, and AIDS- related deaths among vulnerable adolescent girls in Kenya, focusing on challenges such as the lack of information about sexual and reproductive health and rights and inadequate access to services tailored to young people,” read the statement from the NGOs.
The NGOs said the Bridges Outcomes Partnerships will provide upfront funding to Triggerise through a two-year pay-for-success program with the objective of supporting sexual and reproductive health and HIV services to over 300,000 adolescent girls.
Bridges Outcomes Partnerships Investment Director Lucia Santirso Richards said the bond will “enable more girls can take control of their own health and, in doing so, enable them to live happier and healthier lives.”
The DIB backed by $10.1 million (approximately Ksh.1.49 billion) in funding provided by the Joint SDG Fund and CIFF is set to leverage Triggerise’s Tiko platform, a mobile-based digital landscape designed to connect adolescents with health clinics, pharmacies, community-based organizations, and health workers.
“This innovative program is timely as the Government is currently scaling up efforts to address the challenges of teenage pregnancy, adolescent HIV, and GBV,” said Dr. Bashir Issak, Head of the Directorate of Family Health at the Ministry of Health.
Dr. Stephen Jackson, United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator, underscored the importance of providing accurate information and top-tier sexual and reproductive health services to adolescents in low-income settings.
“Even when services are available, concerns about privacy and service provider bias often discourage adolescents from seeking help. Such issues highlight the urgent need to support adolescents in relation to their sexual and reproductive health and rights,” he highlighted.
The program will be implemented in counties that bear a significant burden of HIV and adolescent pregnancy, including Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Homa Bay, Bungoma, Migori, Kisii, Nyamira, Kakamega, and Busia.
