Women who use drugs in kenya

Three Kenyan harm reduction organisations conducted a study with the support of Mainline on the needs of female drug users (FDUs) on the Kenyan coast. This investigation was done in order to adapt and design services based on the needs of FDUs. In addition, female specific barriers to accessing services was investigated based on observations that FDUs often face higher access barriers than their male counterparts. In this report, results of the study will be discussed.

The report starts with an introduction as to why special attention should be payed to FDUs, the context of the Kenyan coastal area and what makes FDUs a hard-to-reach population. Next we look at the barriers in accessing services, followed by health risks and predominant needs. This reports ends with intervention suggestions which respond to the needs of FDUs, and considerations for the implementation of these interventions in order to challenge the service barriers which FDUs experience.

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