Jill Biden talks safe sex, condoms with Kenya's young adults

NAIROBI, Kenya — 

It was a Saturday of learning for U.S. first woman Jill Biden successful Kenya.

She praised young adults for learning astir safe activity and making love practices, attended a gathering of women who created their ain banking strategy and chatted pinch section entrepreneurs who person been helped by a programme that connects tractor owners and farmers.

All 3 programs purpose to thief women and young group return power of their lives truthful they tin support themselves and their families. Biden has been highlighting U.S.-backed efforts to empower these groups during a five-day, two-country visit to Africa.

“These are issues that really each group request to talk astir and yet, somehow, they don’t, and nan consequences of not talking astir it are truthful dire,” Biden told dozens of young group aft talking pinch them astir safe sex, condom usage and commencement power astatine nan Shujaaz Konnect Festival, a section younker empowerment event. “So I emotion seeing nan young group here.”

At a shelter wherever young group were having networking-like conversations, they showed her a questionnaire they usage to spur discussion. The first question: “What would you opportunity if I told you I had a condom successful my pouch correct now?”

Biden laughed. “And this is nan first clip they’re meeting?” she asked.

A Shujaaz typical said specified blunt propositions thief teenagers and young adults flooded shyness, saying that it’s sometimes easier to inquire strangers these types of questions.

“I’m amazed you don’t commencement pinch like, ‘What’s your biggest achievement?’ alternatively than, ‘I person a condom successful my pocket,’” nan first woman said.

The show is simply a collaboration pinch MTV Staying Alive Foundation, which useful pinch nan U.S. Agency for International Development and nan President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief to thief thatch young Kenyans really to debar becoming infected pinch HIV, which causes AIDS.

Biden, who is connected nan 4th time of her five-day travel to Namibia and Kenya, has spent nan week promoting that program, arsenic good was 1 that helps female and young group study skills that will assistance them successful uncovering aliases starting businesses.

Her sojourn is portion of a committedness by President Biden to deepen U.S. engagement pinch nan nations of Africa, galore of which consciousness overlooked by nan United States. Part of that effort is besides astir countering China’s power connected nan continent that Beijing has achieved done accrued waste and acquisition and spending connected roads and different nationalist useful projects.

Biden was scheduled to headdress her sojourn by walking connected Sunday to an area adjacent Kenya’s separator pinch Tanzania to raise consciousness astir a terrible drought that is endangering lives and livelihoods.

Earlier Saturday, nan first woman went to a authorities organization halfway successful Kibera, an informal colony successful Nairobi, to be a gathering of women small-business owners who participate successful nan Joyful Women program. Founded successful 2009 by Rachel Ruto, Kenya’s first lady, nan programme promotes women’s economical empowerment and financial inclusion.

Participants create “table banking” groups, pooling their resources truthful they tin lend 1 different money they cannot get from accepted banks. Some of nan women person utilized nan loans to commencement businesses. One female said she opened a day-care center.

“It’s beautiful ingenious that women recovered a measurement to support different women, to assistance them up and to summation economical prosperity for families, right?” said Biden, who visited a different empowerment programme connected a 2010 extremity astatine Kibera.

“I’ve ever taught my ain girl and my granddaughter nan value of being financially independent and, truthful now, here, you’ve recovered a measurement to do your ain banking system, which is beautiful incredible,” Biden said. Her granddaughter, Naomi, 29, sat nearby.

Before taking her spot astatine nan table, Biden was wrapped from nan waist down successful an apron-like cloth known arsenic a leso aliases kanga that women deterioration successful nan home.

At a abstracted event, Biden chatted pinch section entrepreneurs, mini farmers and others who person been helped by Hello Tractor, which connects tractor owners and farmers who request nan machinery.

The first woman besides laid a wreath astatine August 7th Memorial Park to grant those who were killed successful nan 1998 bombings of nan U.S. embassies successful Kenya and successful Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. More than 200 group were killed, including 12 Americans. More than 4,500 group were wounded.