Huu’wezo project creates visibility for the sexual and reproductive health and rights of young women with disabilities through applying business principles of marketing and advertising. The existing narrative of asexuality has meant that young women with disabilities are closed off from accessing what are their fundamental rights. Efforts to correct the situation have often taken up a charity or medical model, which is not sustainable in the long term.

Making the case for investment through running a combination of photography series, advertising and advocacy campaigns around disability and sexuality, the project initiates stimulating conversations and educating the general public on disability rights, while also being supported by collaborative activities within mainstream media companies and targeted engagement with young women with disabilities. The project also increases access to quality sexual and reproductive health services and information for young women with disabilities by infiltrating mainstream media.

Despite  the  strides  made  in  increased  advocacy  for  the  rights  of  women  in    Kenya,    young    women    with  disabilities    have  remained    a  marginalised group with their rights left out of the conversation.  

With  this  project,  This  Ability  aimed  to create    visibility    for    the    sexual    and  reproductive    health    rights    of    young    women    with  disabilities    through  business  principles  of  marketing  and  advertising.  The  existing  narrative  of  asexuality    has  meant    that young    women    with    disabilities    are    closed    off  from  accessing  what  are  their  fundamental  rights.  The methods    aimed  at stimulating conversations  and  educating the general public on disability rights, while    also  being  supported  by  collaborative    activities    within    mainstream  media    companies    and    targeted    engagement    with    young    women  with disabilities. Additionally,  the  project  also  aimed to  increase  access  to  quality sexual  and reproductive  health  services  and  information  for  young  women  with disabilities by infiltrating mainstream media.  

The learning questions the project seeked to answer was: 

1. What new and unconventional methods of advocacy have not been explored in the area of disability activism? 

1. How  effective  is infiltrating  mainstream  media  with  positive  images  of  disability  in  shifting existing narratives? 

1. What happens   when   power   is   given back   to young   women   with   disabilities and   the conversation centered on them exclusively? 

1. Does exploring the non-sexualisation of women with disabilities result in increased access to quality sexual and reproductive health services and information? 

The various results achieved included; the positive visibility created around women with disabilities and their sexual and reproductive rights. This Ability has been  changing  the  narrative  on  women  with  disabilities,  from  a  “victim” standpoint to a positive and powerful narrative from a gender and human rights standpoint.  Through the 4 advocacy forums in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Kajiado counties creating awareness about the rights of women with disabilities and opening discussions on their own needs and proposals to change the reality, the  women initiated “controversial” and taboo topics like menstruation health, hygiene and safe abortion within the public discourse.  

The  use  of  new  technologies, such as  social  media  channels, the  newly developed eLearning  platform,  Youtube  channel  and  USSD  mobile  technology provided  useful  tools  and  platforms  to  create  visibility  on  the  sexual  and reproductive rights of women and girls with disabilities.  The eLearning platform provides an opportunity to support and build capacities of key groups of health service providers on sexual reproductive health and rights of women with disabilities.  

This Ability was able to infiltrate mainstream and  social  media  through  various  campaigns:  #SRHRplusD  on Sexual   and   Reproductive   Rights   during   ICDP+25,   #EndPeriodShame   on menstrual hygiene and #DigitalDada on Digital Literacy 

This-Ability Trust has partnered with county-based community health providers in Mombasa, Kajiado and Kisumu on the provision of Reproductive Health Services to women and girls with disabilities. The selected 3 health centres: Mombasa, Kisumu and Kajiado, shall benefit from disability inclusion support through their procurement and training efforts and serve as models of excellence that can be scaled across respective counties.