YOUR-COACH: Young People Leading the Way Towards Better Health in Mwala Sub-County, Kenya

The C.O.AC.H. project – Community Oriented ACtions against HIV - is an international research initiative coordinated by Medicus Mundi Italia (MMI) and funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS). Within this framework, the YOUR-COACH (YOUth Responsive COACH) study is led by the Department of Diagnostics and Public Health of the University of Verona (ID-CARE team). The study is built on a simple but powerful idea: when young people help shape healthcare services, those services become more accessible, acceptable, and effective for their peers.

Implemented in Mwala Sub-County, Kenya, YOUR-COACH aims to strengthen youth-responsive HIV and Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) services by evaluating innovative intervention strategies that can improve access to care and generate evidence to support future scale-up.

As part of the study, a workshop was recently held at the Mwala Level 4 Hospital Youth Friendly Centre. Twenty-eight young people participated in creative and interactive activities—including art, games, digital storytelling, and spoken word performances—to explore key topics such as HIV and STI prevention, tuberculosis, mental health, gender-based violence, family planning, and menstrual hygiene. The workshop provided a safe and engaging space for participants to share ideas on how health services can better respond to the needs of young people, reinforcing their role as active partners in promoting health and preventing infectious diseases.

The event also welcomed Mr. Francesco Giulietti from AICS during a monitoring visit, offering an opportunity to observe first-hand how youth-led approaches are fostering more inclusive and effective health services.

More than an acronym, YOUR-COACH reflects the project's vision: empowering young people to take the lead in building healthier communities and shaping services that are truly designed with youth, for youth.

Find out more about C.O.AC.H. here: https://www.id-care.net/projects/c.o.ac.h-kenya