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The Lake Victoria Rights Programme (LVRP)

The Lake Victoria Rights Programme’s (LVRP)

overall objective is a ‘strengthened civil society

contributing to the increased realisation of human

rights, in particular sexual and reproductive health

rights, among the fishing communities of Lake

Victoria.’ It has three interrelated components:

a) Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR)

– to enhance the capacity of rights holders to

individually and collectively understand,

respect, promote and claim their SRHR;

b) Access to Justice (A2J) – to individually and

collectively advocate for human rights in

various decision-making bodies, locally,

nationally and regionally;

c) Economic Empowerment (EE) – to enhance

entrepreneurship and improve the living

standards of the fishing community.

Context

The LVRP builds on the gains of the Lake Victoria

Livelihoods Programme (LVLP) (2006-2012) with

a strategic shift from ‘livelihoods’ to ‘rights based

approach’. LVLP made significant contributions in

reducing poverty, changing attitudes of people

living with HIV and AIDS, responding to gender-

based violence and child abuse cases, empowering

women economically and raising public

awareness.

However, many challenges continue to face the

fishing communities living on or around the

shores of Lake Victoria. The poverty levels are

higher than national averages despite the robust

economic potential of the Lake Victoria basin,

public service delivery is poor, limited or non-

existent, HIV and AIDS prevalence and other

sexually transmitted diseases

remain high, gender

inequality remains high,

public participation in democratic and decision

making processes remains low with the voices of

the fishing communities being minimal or absent

in many national policies and policy-making

forums.

LVRP aims to deepen the interventions of LVLP by

responding to systemic issues through human

rights advocacy beyond the local level to the

national and regional levels. These systemic issues

are informed by the 2012 SRHR baseline survey

undertaken in Kenya (Osiri, South West Seme, Sio

Port and Mfangano Island), Tanzania (Ukerewe

Island) and Uganda (Ssesse Islands).

2013 - 2015 LVRP Advocacy Strategy

This 2013-2015 Advocacy Strategy has a special

focus on Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights

(SRHR). The rights-based approach is core in

implementing this strategy which recognises that

all human rights, including SRHR, are universal,

inalienable, indivisible and interdependent.

Goal

To strengthen the voices of fishing communities

around Lake Victoria Basin at local/county,

national and regional levels to promote and protect

their human rights, with a specific focus on sexual

and reproductive health rights.

The objectives are:

(i) Policy Influencing: To influence policy and

administrative practice around the Lake Victoria

Basin.

“Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights and the Lake Victoria Fishing Communities”

Advocacy Strategy for the Lake Victoria Rights Programme (LVRP) 2013-2015

An Overview

Advocacy Strategy for the Lake Victoria Rights Programme (LVRP) 2013-2015

An Overview

2

(ii) Developing Capacity: To enhance partners’

and other stakeholders’ skills and knowledge in

policy and legislative advocacy.

(iii) Networking and Mentorship: To encourage

national and regional networking on key advocacy

issues that enhances impact.

Priority Issues

a) Sexual and reproductive health and rights:

Issue 1: Access to reproductive health services for

vulnerable and marginalised groups (including

comprehensive and continuous sex education for

adolescents and post-abortion care)

Issue 2: Male involvement in sexual reproductive

health (men supporting their partners and

promotion of access to sexual reproductive health

for men)

Issue 3: Gender-based violence and inequality

b) Access to Justice:

Issue 4: Access to and administration of justice for

sexual reproductive health violations and

protection (including engagement with the

judiciary, security, probation, traditional elders,

administration)

c) Economic Empowerment

Issue 5: Access to credit for women’s groups

(including economic decision-making and policy)

Implementation

The implementation of the strategy will be

contextual; based on the local and national socio-

political environment and driven by the

implementing partners in Kenya, Tanzania and

Uganda. Each partner will identify their key

priority areas, develop an annual work plan and

budget, and report on how their intervention

implements the strategy.

Good Partnership

Most of the partners are faith-based organisations

(FBOs). These are: The Anglican Church of

Kenya through the Anglican Development

Services Nyanza (ADS Nyanza) and Western (ADS

Western formerly WRCC), Church of Uganda

through the Planning Development and

Rehabilitation Department (CoU-PDR), Baraza

Kuu la Waisilamu wa Tanzania (BAKWATA)

and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of

Tanzania (ELCT), and the Ufadhili Trust and

Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya (FIDA

Kenya).

Resource organisations within the East African

Community namely Kenya Community Paralegal

Association (KCPA), Foundation for Human

Rights (FHRI) in Uganda, and Women in Law

and Community (WLAC) in Tanzania continue to

enhance the paralegal approach.

Strategic partnership will be developed with the

Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA Uganda),

Tanzania Women Lawyers Association

(TAWLA), East African Health Platform

(EAHP), East African Civil Society Forum

(EACSOF), East African Community Network

(EACOMNET) and Lake Victoria Basin

Commission (LVBC).

Key Approaches

Strategy for Change: This advocacy is directly

linked to the overall objective of LVRP and

Diakonia’s Vision and Strategy for Change. This

enhances learning which begins with awareness

creation, mobilisation and organisation towards

advocacy.

Paralegal Approach: Paralegals play a critical

role in awareness creation, mobilisation,

investigation, dispute resolution, whistle blowing

and advocacy. The coordination, capacity

development and networking of paralegals

associations at national and regional levels will

enhance policy advocacy initiatives. This will

strengthen their voice, resource mobilisation,

replication and documentation of best practices.

3

Faith-based Approach: FBOs have legitimacy,

extensive outreach and voice. They have strategic

and unlimited support and goodwill among many

publics in the political, academic and religious

institutions. Their voice and ‘brand’ in SRHR is

critical and sustainable to enhance learning,

replication and resource mobilisation.

Principles of Engagement

Partnership: LVRP will continuously seek and

engage in strategic partnerships at both the

national and regional levels with institutions and

bodies that focus on the Lake Victoria Basin and

the East Africa Community as a whole.

Capacity development: Peer learning, training

and institutional building of partners to develop

knowledge, skills and systems will be continuous

and needs-based to enhance effective advocacy.

Evidence-based: Research and analysis directly

or through consultants on relevant national and

regional policies or practices will be undertaken

to inform policy interventions and positions.

Public Participation: Capacity development and

engagement of the vulnerable and marginalised

groups as rights holders and duty bearers will be

undertaken to increase their effective

participation and policy formulation.

Communication Strategy

The objective of the communication strategy will

be ‘to promote the work of LVRP with a focus on

raising the profile and visibility of the advocacy

work’.

The communication strategy will publicise

information and trends on the SRHR situation

among the fishing communities living in and

around the Lake Victoria Basin, changes resulting

from the advocacy interventions at the national

and regional level and stories of change.

This will be done through the print media (briefs,

brochures, press releases, thematic studies or

surveys), electronic media (video documentaries,

radio and TV talk shows), folk media (community

theatre, road shows, art, song and dance) and

social media (Website, Facebook, Twitter,

Youtube, SMS, Instagram). Information technology

through the use of social media will particularly

be used for information sharing, documentation,

branding, advocacy, profiling and monitoring.

LVRP has already been activated some of these

tools:

•Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/LakeVictoriaRightsPr

ogramme?ref=ts&fref=ts

•Twitter Handle: @LakeVictoriaRP

Participatory Monitoring, Evaluation,

Reflection and Learning (PMERL)

Continuous learning, documentation, monitoring

and evaluation of the advocacy process and

change is critical. The tools used include: partner

bi-annual participatory monitoring and review

(PMR) meetings, ileadership advocacy forums to

identify and share lessons learnt and best

practices, documenting and isharing of stories of

change and highlight stories, peer exchange

learning and evaluations. Case studies will be

documented through video and the Most

Significant Change (MSc) Approach will be utilised

to develop case studies that show change.

Table: General Overview of the Key Advocacy Actions, Tactics and Audiences.

Key Actions Advocacy Tactics Target Audience

Issue 1: Access to reproductive health for vulnerable and marginalized groups (including comprehensive and continuous sex education for adolescents and post-abortion care)

Create awareness on barriers to rights holders’ access SRHR, how and from

Research or surveys Statistics

Ministries of Health, Water, Sanitation, Gender, Children

4

Key Actions Advocacy Tactics Target Audience

whom they can claim these rights Build capacities of duty bearers to

promote and protect SRHR Mobilise demand for increasing health

facilities that offer SRH services, number of relevant staff, better supply of equipment and SRH materials, reliable transport and outreach services and affirmative action on user fees for SRH.

Contribute to analysis of budget, budgeting and planning processes to ensure accountability and inclusion of specific allocations for SRH services in target areas

Advocate for policy change/ review/ enactment on SRHR issues

Lobby for review of government and church policy on sex education for adolescent boys and girls

Network with other institutions (FBO/PBOs/INGOs) promoting SRHR

Involve church leadership in advocacy to increase visibility of advocacy issues

Increase accountability and transparency among relevant authorities at political level, in the health and private sectors

Promote greater involvement of non-state actors in policy discussions within regional institutions such as the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) and East African Community (EAC).

Lobby for the review and prioritisation by EALA on the draft protocols/bills on gender, human rights and governance (with focus on SRHR)

Policy analysis Briefs and memorandums Lobbying Community mobilisation Meetings with relevant

policy stakeholders at local/county, national and regional level

Participation in relevant and strategic events e.g. national regional celebrations i.e. World Aids Day, national, regional and EAC conferences and policy forums

Development of Behaviour Change and Communication materials

(including cabinet secretaries, ministers and health officers)

Ministry of East Africa Community ( including minister and cabinet secretaries)

Members of Parliament Members of Senate Members of County Assemblies Representatives of local

councils/county administrations of health facility committees (at village, district, county)

Religious leadership Community and traditional

elders East African Community

(including the East Africa Legislative Assembly and the Lake Victoria Basin Commission)

Community members Paralegals Public schools

Issue 2: Male involvement in Sexual Reproductive health (SRH)

Educate rights holders and duty bearers on the significance of male reproductive health

Mobilise support to introduce ‘male friendly RH facilities’ that provide related services and special spaces for both genders

Build capacities of health service providers on issues of male reproductive health to address negative attitudes and misconceptions

Awareness raising (e.g. using music, dance and drama)

Mobilising support groups for introduction of male SRH services

Establishment of gender friendly facilities

Development of Behaviour Change and Communication materials

Communities Public schools Traditional elders Local authorities/ County

governments Health facilities and committees Health directors (including

health facility staff and other service providers)

Issue 3: Gender-based violence (GBV) and inequality

Engage custodians of culture to address retrogressive cultures that entrench gender-inequality and lead to GBV

Lobby for the enactment/review of legal aid and awareness guidelines, policy and/or bill

Lobby for review of administrative and legal fees related to GBV cases

Lobby for participation of traditional and religious leaders and paralegals in

Awareness raising (music, dance, drama)

Legal aid clinics Public/chiefs barazas,

meetings Letters to relevant

authorities Translation of or brief

highlights on specific clauses of laws into local

Ministries of Justice and Constitutional Affairs

Members of Parliament/County Assembly/Senate

Local/County administrators Traditional elders Magistrates and judges Security and/or police Legal aid agencies

5

Key Actions Advocacy Tactics Target Audience

the Court User Committees to enhance the administration of GBV cases

Lobby for review of government policy, laws on marriages, GBV, etc

languages Collaborations with other

organisations Recording and publishing

stories of change Development of Behaviour

Change and Communication materials

Women focused agencies Health Committees Paralegals and paralegal

associations/networks Law Societies of Kenya, Uganda

and Tanzania East African Community Media Community Public Schools

Issue 4: Access to justice for SRH violations and protection

Lobby to enhance access to justice through legal aid centres, establishment of mobile courts, justice boats, increase of law enforcement personnel on Islands ( police, children and probation officers)

Strengthen capacities of paralegals in litigation, investigation, evidence preservation, alternative dispute resolution, human rights monitoring and reporting

Ensure community representation and participation in local judicial, security and administrative committees (Local District Council, court user committees, probation case committees, community policing committees, anti corruption committees)

Lobby for formation and strengthening of county, national and regional paralegal networks with linkage to the EAC

Lobby for prioritisation and enactment of pre-detention guidelines

Enhance the administration of justice through open days, marches, public forums and meetings with the judiciary, national police, children and probation

Engage in public interest litigation on access to health services

Lobbying Meetings with relevant

stakeholders Letters to policy makers Policy reviews,

memorandums and briefs Networking with like-

minded PBOs, Participation in relevant

policy forums and workshops

Development of Behaviour Change and Communication materials

Ministry of Justice, Judiciary (especially the Chief Justice)

Agencies providing legal aid, paralegals, national and regional paralegal networks, magistrates, police, local courts, Law Society of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, East Africa Law Society

East African Community.

Issue 5: Access to credit for women’s groups

Engage with the local/district council, county and national governments on targeted funds for women and youth

Enhance cooperation with private sector (e.g. micro-finance institutions) to increase access to capital

Lobby micro-finance to support income generation plans and market access especially in the islands

Support women’s participation in income generating groups towards strengthening their entrepreneur skills and possibilities of accessing capital and markets

Lobbying with strategic economic institutions

Promotion of public and private engagement

Meetings and networking with relevant micro finance authorities

Negotiation with micro-finance institutions

Micro-finance institutions and banks (e.g. FAULU, etc)

Women representatives in the National, East African, Count and Senate Assemblies, Senate and counties

Ministries managing special funds for women and youth

Private sector in East Africa and Europe

Academia in Kenya and Europe East African institutions