Aspirations and sex: Coming of age in western Kenya in a context of HIV

This dissertation is rooted in the daily life worlds of young people between the ages of 16 and 25 in a rural area of western Kenya (called ‘Winam’). It seeks to draw our attention to young people’s hopes, aspirations, and expectations, and shows how these young people creatively construct their daily lives in a context where HIV/AIDS has taken a toll on human lives and livelihoods. I examine the livelihood opportunities and challenges of the young people of Winam with the goal of understanding their sexual relationships and networks. More precisely, this dissertation examines how they form sexual relationships, avoid the health risks associated with sex, and understand the links between sex, love, and money. I argue that young people’s aspirations and concerns need to be examined through a lens of intergenerational relations (see Cole and Durham 2007). Young people’s perceptions of a ‘state-of-the-art’ HIV/AIDS prevention project are also analysed in order to discern the role such interventions play in their daily lives.