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Evaluation of the Cash Plus Project’s Contribution to Reducing Vulnerability amongst Adolescent Girls & Young Women to HIV in Turkana County

Países
Kenia
Fuentes
Kenya Red Cross
Fecha de publicación

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Background. The Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) was the non-state Principal Recipient (PR) for the Global Fund HIV Grant, over the period January 2018 to June 2021.

In April 2021, KRCS commissioned a final evaluation of the Cash Plus Project for Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) in Turkana County. The main objective of the evaluation was to assess the contribution of the Cash Plus Project in reduction of STIs and HIV infections among AGYW, and to document the changes associated with the project, promising practices, and lessons learnt for future project implementation. The evaluation was undertaken in accordance with a detailed terms of reference (TOR) and based on the project’s theory of change (ToC), as reconstructed by the evaluation team. The evaluation included a comparison of results in Kilifi County where AGYW-focused HIV prevention interventions were implemented, but without cash transfers to the AGYW. The preliminary evaluation report was reviewed by KRCS and discussed with other stakeholders before finalization.

Project context. In line with the Global Fund Strategy 2017– 2022, which committed to scaling-up programs to support AGYW in 13 countries including Kenya, KRCS supported the implementation of AGYW focused interventions in selected sub-counties in Turkana, Machakos, Kilifi, Kisii and Siaya counties. The interventions aimed to ensure AGYW have access to a defined package of biomedical, behavioral and structural interventions to reduce their vulnerability to HIV infection. As a part of the interventions, a cash plus project was implemented in three sub-counties of Turkana County.

The overall objective of the Cash Plus project was to promote HIV risk reduction and scale up access to HIV prevention, care and treatment among AGYW in Turkana County. The project targeted 9,000 AGYW aged 10-24 years with cash transfers and dignity kits as structured interventions, combined with other behavioral and biomedical interventions to support HIV prevention and risk reduction. The project area encompassed the three sub-counties of Turkana Central, Turkana South and Turkana West, identified as areas with a comparatively high HIV prevalence by the PR, in collaboration with the Turkana County Health Management Team (CHMT). The specific objectives and components called for combination prevention programming. In this way, cash transfers to AGYW in and out of school would be combined with other interventions aimed at increasing awareness on HIV prevention and behavior change, increasing access to HIV testing services (HTS), linkage of adolescents and young people (AYP) living with HIV to treatment, care and support services, and improving awareness and response to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) cases at community level.

The review period (2018-2020) was characterized by implementation of a revised project design that had benefitted from lessons learned in phase one of the project. The project embraced a multi-stakeholder approach with active participation of the Turkana County Cash Transfer Task Force, Sub-Recipients (World Vision Kenya and AIC Health Ministries) and the PR, as well as other partners. The first disbursement under the project was made in November 2018 to 2,470 AGYW, although by the fifth disbursement, the project was able to reach 9,100 AGYW with cash transfers and other biomedical and behavioral interventions. The project concluded at the end of December 2020.