Today we take the opportunity to celebrate our Gap year students. In Kenya, a gap year represents the transitional period when students have cleared high school and await admission to college. The goal of Hatua’s Gap Year Program is to develop leadership skills among our most recent high school graduates by offering them a chance to serve as peer educators within their community. 
For effective delivery, the graduates are trained in facilitation and basic counselling skills so as to build their self-confidence and public speaking skills as well as course delivery techniques. The program enables them to address issues affecting fellow youth in their community on a volunteer basis.
The theme for this year’s gap year program is on Reproductive Health and Healthy Relationships. The subtopics in focus include Gender and Sexuality, Healthy vs Unhealthy Relationships, along with HIV and STIs Prevention. Teachers across Likoni have agreed that these topics will go a long way in informing youth about the risks of early pregnancy and diseases while equipping them with ways to stay safe and focused on a healthy future.
According to the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) factsheet of 2015, Coast Region has Kenya’s second highest rate of adolescent pregnancy at 21%, a clear reason why this program is so important to the youth of Likoni. As much as the government is doing to address the issues of reproductive health, there is a lot that needs to be done within our community to complement those efforts.
This year Hatua’s 46 gap year students will facilitate lessons in over 30 schools that will participate in Hatua’s peer education program. Some of the schools launching the program this year include Likoni Muslim Secondary, Pwani Secondary, Victory School, and Mrima Secondary, just to mention a few.
The sessions a quite interactive and fun. Hatua students begin by meeting every afternoon at 2 pm to discuss the topics to be delivered that day in schools. During the actual lessons, high school students participate in skits, brainstorming exercises, and open floor question-answer sessions. 
By facilitating these lessons, Hatua’s Gap Year students are actively developing their leadership skills by managing classrooms filled with their peers. While at the same time, they are helping to give back to their community and keeping themselves engaged during a time that, for other, more idle youth, can be risky. In the end, it is a win-win for the Hatua’s students and all students throughout Likoni.
Already a wave of excitement is being witnessed, thanks to Boniface Kimunyi, Hatua’s High School Mentoring Coordinator who is championing this worthy cause.
This year we aim to impart knowledge to over 5,500 youth in Likoni. With our strong team of 46 gap year students, we are sure to reach this goal.