Community outreach is one of activities that CADIF has integrated in all our programs. We believe in bottom-up approach and the community is our essential pillar for sustainability of our projects. We carry out sensitization, we involve the community in the planning of projects. Besides sensitization and involvement,we also empower them to take the project ownership beyond funding cycles. As such, we have been able to impact many lives positively in the neighboring communities hence the sense of carrying on with our projects.
Kisumu is one of the leading town with HIV/AIDs infection rate in sub Saharan Africa and second in Kenya. Most of the infection is due to Fish for Sex trade among women and fishermen's (JAPOYA Syndrome). Due to poverty and high rate of unemployment, climate change, there is little fish in Lake Victoria, the Lake has been invested by water hyacinth and fishermen can't get enough fish. This is the only source of Livelihood the women have ( to sell fish) so to get fish they have to exchange favor for sex to get fish at discounted rate, this is dehumanizing but also its one of the cause for High HIV/AIDS prevalence. CADIF has been targeting such woman with alternative livelihood support program, we train them on Entrepreneurship, assist them with small start-up capital , provide them with alternative life skills so that we reduce dependency on fish hence increasing their bargaining power for safer sex and reducing HIV/AIDs. We target fish landing beaches along Lake Victoria.
The youths have been the core strength of CADIF as an organization. We perform the recruitment of the youths as our staffs, mobilizers, volunteers and beneficiaries (Youth to Youth Approach). Wee conduct a variety of training based on the need assessment to equip the youths with the relevant skills and capacity to eradicate poverty and positively impact the lives of other community members. As the future leaders of their communities, we inspire them to actively involve themselves in policies making process.