Many women face disadvantageous circumstances based on their gender as well as extraordinary challenges arising from the social-cultural status they occupy in the patriarchal society. As a result, they are deprived of several opportunities, especially access to education. As a result, they are deprived of several opportunities, especially access to education. The DREAMS Project is dedicated to empowering girls and young women between 10 and 24 years and encompasses themes such as HIV prevention, contraceptive methods, health, education and social economic interventions.
The DREAMS Project is a pilot project and is in its early stage of implementation. USAID and PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief) founded this project, which is now implemented by APHIA PLUS. Along with two other organizations in Kisumu, Make Me Smile is responsible for the implementational process, including coordination of the project and direct involvement in the life space of the children. In total, we are supporting 3.942 DREAMS-Girls, who are cared for by 40 mentors.
The DREAMS Initiative is a two year intervention whose goal is to prevent new HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women. Since its launch, we have successfully re-admitted 33 Adolescent Girls and Young Women back to school, trained 500 parents on parenting skills, trained 240 Parents on small live stock management, identified a girls safe space where the girls visit three times a week for girl-talks and distributed 579 solar lamps to adolescent girls and young women. The solar lamps have mobile charging devices, a torch that they can use at night and bulbs for reading as a replacement for kerosene which has health related complications.
The mission of this project is to develop these girls into Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored and Safe young women.