Hope Kwa Vijana Mtaani

Hope to youths in the slums

Vision Changers Kenya

Juvenile crime in Kenya is firmly rooted in poverty. 80% of children appearing before the juvenile court are slum children, some arrested for committing crimes, and some taken in to be 'processed' by the care and protection system. The majority are poverty-related crimes that are most difficult to prevent without broad socio-economic reform.

After being released from the justice system, many of the reformed juveniles and the youth often slide back to crime probably as a result of bad decisions made within a split second due to lack of proper reintegration systems that could – instead of victimising them – empower them to be productive members of the society. Because of the poor or lack of proper reintegration systems in Kenya, many juveniles and youths are falling victims to extrajudicial killing by the police who ought to protect and preserve their fundamental human rights.

Project support start: 01-04-2022

Project location: Kenya

The three-year project aims to use table tennis as a rehabilitation tool for juvenile offenders' rehabilitation. Reaching 1,000 reformed youths and juveniles directly, the project has been designed to integrate table tennis into youth crime prevention strategies by enabling youth to constructively make use of their time while reducing stress level, enhancing social development, and increasing employment opportunities.

Contribution to the Global Goals

Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere.

Individual Change: Cognitive development and positive behavioural changes.
Community Change: Protect children and young people from committing drugs and poverty related crimes whilst promoting the rights for the development of children and youth both physically and mentally.

Behaviour or attitude
- Positive mindset for the adolescent and youth participants to help them believe in themselves and empower them to see a brighter future than they currently think of.
- At least 70% of participants in the project modeled to demonstrate positive behaviour change, and improved cognitive development through the structured mentorship, mental health care and psycho-social support programmes within the project.
- Increased acceptance and end to victimisation and stigmatisation of ex-offenders by their peers and the community.
Knowledge and Skills
- At least 70% of participants develop employable competencies like respect, teamwork, communication, leadership, critical thinking, and self-confidence.
Circumstance, quality of life or well-being
- Reduction in violence, petty crime and anti-social behaviours among the in school and out of school high-risk children and youths.
- Increased school re-entry and reduced drop-out rates recorded among the male high-risk adolescents in the target urban slums of Nairobi.
- Increased participation of the community in the crime and drug prevention and reintegration programme for the high-risk children in slums.
- Increased community and school involvement in crime prevention among the adolescent through the mainstreaming of the sport for development strategies in to their existing programmes.

Teachers, coaches and volunteers have improved understanding in the use of TT4D.
At least 70% of participants have recorded positive behaviour change and measurable cognitive development through regular participation in sessions.
In school, participants have better access to educational material and resources to support their studies while improving their community relationships and responsibilities.
80% of participants linked to established peer to peer networks engaging in constructive recreational mentorship and apprenticeship activities within the community.
S4D is being mainstreamed as the most viable rehabilitation and reintegration tool in the community justice system in place of incarceration.
Increased acceptance, forgiveness, thus, reduction in crime, violence and drug abuse among the youth within the targeted communities.
Documented children participating in all sessions helped examine their stress level, and assisted in tracking their daily behavior change.

Regular consultation with stakeholders in the justice system, education directorates, teachers, coaches and volunteers.
Regular sessions to use table tennis for improved behaviour change and cognitive development among the in-school and out-of-school adolescents.
Workshops for sports teachers, human rights defenders and sport practitioners to enhance their understanding of S4D.
Development and production of online and offline peer to peer training and mentorship modules to be used in mentorship and character development sessions.
Quarterly apprentice programmes from the ex-offenders as an incorporated income generating activity to mitigate on poverty related crimes.
Regular juvenile supervision and mentorship session in partnership with the children’s department, schools and community human rights defenders.
Quarterly mental health care and psycho-social support programmes for the high-risk adolescents and children through the established Community Mental Health Intervention Structures to enable them express, verbalise and discuss their feelings.
Periodic monitoring, evaluation, and learning component to allow the interventions evolve, self-improve, and remain accountable to the community for crime and violence reduction results.