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REPACTED: Forum for Behavior Change

Rapid Effective Participatory Action in Community Theatre Education and Development

P.O. Box 13361, 20100 Nakuru, Kenya

REPACTED’s mission is to define ourselves, shape our experiences, identify our strengths, tackle our challenges and celebrate our successes.

REPACTED is a community based youth to youth organization fully registered with the department of culture under the Ministry of Gender, Sports, Culture, and Social Services.

REPACTED is composed of highly qualified youth and community volunteers who form a multi –disciplinary team encompassing the field of behaviour change communication including theatre for development, HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, sexuality, gender issues, drugs and substance abuse. The team contains strong field experience and profound knowledge of the local community and their cultural behaviors.

REPACTED was formed in the year 2001 by youth theatre artists from the Nakuru Players Theatre Club within the Impact Project of the Family Health International (FHI) under the technical assistance of the Programme for Appropriate Technology in Health-Kenya (PATH- Kenya). The youth thespians formed the organization with an aim of improving their community by encouraging young people to make informed decisions and to involve them in community development. They achieve this by volunteering their theatrical skills and talents in participatory theatre methodologies, awareness campaigns and peer education and counseling.

REPACTED initiative seeks to address a range of youth development issues directly associated with HIV/AIDS: sexuality, abstinence, negotiation skills, gender issues, relationships, reproductive health, safer sexual practices and methods of protection against pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Activities that improve knowledge attitude, skills and behaviours are organized in several settings, from learning institution to communities and special circumstance institutions, targeting youth between the ages of 15 – 24 as partners, allies, and agents of change.

Past and Current Initiatives, Collaborations, and Awards:

-APHIA II Project – funded by USAID June ’07 – Present

-Impact Project with FHI – Behavior Change Communication funded by USAID 2001-2004

-Abstinence and Behavior Change for Youth with ADRA-Kenya (Adventist Development and Relief Agency) funded by USAID 2003 – Present

-School and Prison Outreaches funded by the MTV Staying Alive Foundation. June ’07-Present

-Peace Tiles with Peace Tiles Global Project 2006 – Present

-New York Film Festivals ‘Best Finalist – Short Stories’ for a film about gender inequality

-Collaborations with Princeton University students and professors

-Founding Member elected to the national CACC (Constituency AIDS Control Committee)

-Over 800 Community Theatrical Outreaches since 2001

Contact: Collins Dennis Oduor +254721637457 oduoduor@yahoo.com, repactedkenya@yahoo.com

Progress Report

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Hello to all

Just wanted to share with all of you, a progress report for the last one month of the events that we have been undertaking as REPACTED.

Introduction
After the visit by the MTV, staying alive foundation representatives Sarah and Georgia and sharing a lot of information about the foundation, the award and the organization (REPACTED). The organization held a two days strategic planning meeting that was attended by all the members. Through group works the members come up with ideas, methodologies, and strategies of reaching young people during the project period in the project area.

They also come up with a work plan for the first quarter, beginning July to September 2007, some of the proposed activities were as follows; 13 Magnet Theatre Outreaches and 6 mobile VCT per month in four community sites ( Lumumba, Manyani, Hilton, and Free area), three major youth events targeting youth in learning institution, and open forums, one visit per month at the Nakuru GK Prisons.

Activities
The organization held 13 Magnet Theater outreaches in the month of July. During the 13 MT outreaches, the organization reached 5400(2500 youths in prison both male and female) youths, and 56 youths between the ages of 15-24 took the HIV test and 19 people between the ages of 25-49 also took the HIV test and the results were as follows, one person turned positive, the organization also managed to distribute a total of 1933 Condoms and several IEC materials on the thematic area and concerns of the project were given out, posters, comic books, brochures, and pamphlets.

Main activity related to AA is a Peace Tiles event that we carried out with youths who are artists at the Nakuru player’s theatre for a whole day. 45 tiles were created on the day.

Challenges
Although the organization developed some IEC materials in the strategic planning meeting, there is still a great need of adopting IEC materials from other like minded organization so that we can give out variety

Young people need condoms and they kept asking for condoms during the outreaches the
Organization gave out condoms though not enough and currently we are out of stock.

One of the biggest challenges is that the organization has attracted a great number of young people who want to join the organization; this is a good challenge since the young people are from the community.

Another challenge is that we have to fit into the VCT councilor’s programme since we network with the organization that offers the service and they have their own programmes.

Way forward
The organization has set up a task force of three people to mobilize thematic IEC materials and condoms from any reliable sources through the spirit of networking

The organization is forced by circumstances to increase the number of the members and find how to accommodate them in the activities by increasing the number of the Magnet Theatre community mobilizers from 10 to 15 in order to maintain and sustain positive behavior from the new members.

The organization will hold a joint planning meeting with the VCT services providers in order to avoid inconveniences. The organization is also planning to have three of its members trained on VCT services provision and counseling.

Mostly the activities carried out are supported by staying alive foundation, apart from the PT session which was supported by the artists themselves.

Prisons Nakuru Kenya

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I will skip the introductions for later

Report of the Magnet Theatre outreach at the Nakuru G K Prisons

Introduction
The group members meet at the Nakuru Players Theatre on Monday 26th February 2007 for the preparation of the outreach at the Nakuru G K Prisons. Several themes come up during the meeting this included: S T Is, H I V and AIDS, Drugs and Substance Abuse, and V C T. Since it was the first visit the group settled on V C T after consultation with one of the V C T counselor who is also a prisons officer at the Nakuru G K Prisons.
Theme: V.C .T. (voluntary counseling and testing)
KEY QUESTIONS
  1. Who is supposed to go for V.C.T?
  2. What is V.C.T?
  3. What is the importance of V.C.T?
  4. Can an inmate access V.C.T. services?
Rehearsals
After a long deliberation the members come up a story line on the theme, followed by casting of the skit. The skit hard four characters and a simple story line: Okinda who is an inmate and as served a jail term of three years is finally going home to meet his wife Mama Safi, Mama Safi is also waiting to meet her love who as been away for three years. But while Okinda was away Mama Safi hard a secret friend called Mamboyote. Okinda is about 27 years old, he also a hard working young man, he loves his wife, Okinda is not employed. Mama Safi is a house wife who sales vegetable at small kiosk near her place, she’s talkative and likes making friends she is 25 years old, Okinda and Mama Safi have two children who are all boys. Mamboyote is local businessman who owns a well stocked village shop, Maboyote is 30 years old. Since Okinda went to jail he as been helping his family by supplying them with food and any necessary support they needed.
The skit starts with a scene where Mamboyote is demanding payment from Mama Safi. Mama Safi who doesn’t have, promises to pay him when she as money or the husband returns from prison, Moboyote refuses and asks for a sexual favour instead, the facilitator freezes the skit, this is the first freeze point. The following questions come up as the discussion points; should she give in? If yes why and if no why? Are there any consequences if she gives in? How can we help her?
The next scene the Okinda comes in, he receives a warm welcome from his wife Mama Safi. Okinda who has missed his wife for the last three years wants sex but the wife refuses to give in, Okinda pushes her but the wife refuses, this makes the first freeze point the process facilitator comes in to lead the discussion. Should the wife give in or not? If yes why and if no why?
Activity
On 27th February the group left for the Nakuru G K Prisons at 8:30 we reached at the prison at 9:30. The group met the welfare team who took us around the prison and introduced us to his seniors at the prisons, before leading us to grounds where inmates already had settled .We were introduced to the inmates who were very enthusiastic to see us. Odu the lead facilitator started by introducing the team members and the theme of the day to 520inmates(male) and 105 (female).The session was followed by a participatory and involving ice breaking session. Then there was an official introduction of the skit and the cast to the inmates.
During the introduction the inmates were given a chance to rename the characters in the skit. They came up with the following names. Mama Safi was renamed tuktuk while Mamboyote was renamed Mwewe and Okinda was renamed Kipengele during the male inmates session. During the females session the characters were renamed as follows; Mamasafi was renamed Matata while Perpetual was renamed Kanini and Okinda was renamed Makokha. After the introduction of the characters the process facilitator led a small discussion on the theme before the start of the skit.
The skit started and rolled up to the first freeze point which triggered a heated discussion with some inmates joining in the skit and giving their own solutions to the problem paused by the skit. Some like Jacinta (female inmate) suggested that tuktuk and kipengele should use a condom while some suggested that they should go for a V.C.T. test before the reunion .Some said that they go on and have sex since they are married and Makhoha was away for three years. This suggestion was objected by majority of the inmates who suggested that since Makhoha was in prison he might have had anal sex while tuktuk might have engaged in sexual activity with Mwewe. One of the inmates by the name Kamaliza (male inmate) agreed to come forward and offer some advice to the couple who had a dilemma and suggested that they first visit a V.C.T. centre for help before engaging in any form of sexual activity. This suggestion was approved by almost all the inmates who seemed to have some information on V.C.T. but needed much more education about V.C.T. During the end of the session the process facilitator asked if there were people who would want to be tested and almost every inmate lifted their hand.
Another issue that came up during the outreach is the issue of anal sex. Some inmates argued that one can’t get infected with an STI through anal sex. This issue brought a heated argument but the matter was solved by inmates themselves. Some said that provided there is exchange of body fluids and friction during anal sexual intercourse. Some suggested that anus is not meant for sexual intercourse so friction could cause tear of the anus lining hence increasing the chances of infection.
CHALLENGES
  • It was the group’s first theatre outreach in prison and working under tight security.
  • The other challenge was controlling and entertaining the inmates the lack of a public address system leading to inaudibility of some of the inmates who were contributing to the sessions.
  • We also lacked IEC materials to enhance the sessions.
  • Prison is quite a distance from the town centre there is need to look for means of transport to the prison.
RECOMMENDATION
  • The inmates suggested that we be making frequent visits. This suggestion was made by two inmates by the name Njoroge and “PROF.” Bomachake.
  • We also promised them that the next time we go we shall provide them with IEC materials.
  • We also agreed with the Welfare team from the prison that we shall be visiting the prison twice a month.
  • There was also another suggestion that the outreach Programme be extended to the officers at the prison.
  • The welfare department and the group members came up with a plan of organizing a mobile V.C.T. service to the inmates and the prison officers and their families.