Kahuho Health Club - Build Africa's 'peer educator' programme in Kenya

20 year-old John Nduku is a young man on a mission. As a trained ‘peer educator' he is responsible for communicating important messages about sexual health to his fellow students and the wider community.

His peers voted him in as Chairman of the Kahuho Secondary School's Health Club in the Central Region of Kenya because of his strong leadership skills. And his counselling skills have been an invaluable contribution to the significant impact the Kahuho Health Club is having on the young people they come into contact with.

The club interacts with nearby primary and secondary schools, performing plays and telling stories which highlight the social dangers that young people can be exposed to. They also lead by example, collecting litter around their school and encouraging responsible behaviour amongst their contemporaries. As he says himself:

"I think I have benefited from being part of the group. I took part in training which helped me to understand the challenges faced by young people in this country. I am more confident and can lead people".

Kahuho Health club has gone from strength to strength since it was founded in 2004. It meets once a week as a forum for young people to discuss the issues that affect them, like teenage pregnancy, drugs, the threat of HIV and other obstacles to their long term education. Members join in Year 1 at the age of around 14 or 15 and take part in the club's activities until they leave school aged 18 or 19. It is a critical period for a young person since ill-informed decisions could affect the rest of their lives.

The rate of teenage pregnancy within the school has dropped dramatically since the club was established, with Kahuho losing just two students over the last two years. Similarly the use of recreational drugs was quite high, with many students smoking cannabis (locally known as ‘bhang') because they had no idea about the consequences of its use. Nowadays members of the health club believe that few students are continuing to abuse drugs and not a single student has been caught smoking in school since the health club was set up.

And this is largely due to the inspirational work of John and his fellow peer educators. It is a role he wouldn't change for the world:

"I also like that the club develops things in people that they do not realise they have, like acting or singing. I read poems and create dramas to perform in presentations. It is good to entertain people because it reduces stress. The only thing I don't like is singing. I can't sing!"