This paper explores the potential of expanding a youth-focused
asset-based intervention program for poor communities heavily affected
by HIV and AIDS-currently underway in one East African
country, Uganda-into similar communities in the other two
East African countries: Kenya and Tanzania. This concept paper
is informed by prior work on youth-focused asset-based programs
first proposed in the United States of America and now successfully
implemented in Uganda (Ssewamala, 2008; Ssewamala,
Alicea, Bannon, & Ismayilova, 2008; Ssewamala & Ismayilova,
2008, 2009) and grounded in an asset-based development theoretical
framework, which denotes an integrated approach to human,
social, and economic capital development (Sherraden, 1990, 1991).
Although each of these three East African countries faces unique
barriers to addressing poverty among youth, including those residing
in communities heavily affected by HIV and AIDS, we argue
that the promising results realized in Uganda could be effectively
replicated in Kenya and Tanzania-given that the three countriesshare a common geographic boundary, with similar postindependence
social and economic (and to a lesser extent political)
policies and programs. The three countries also have related ethnic
and tribal groups.