Sexual Health Outreach to 1000 youth in Uganda

STF-NYC/GLOBEMED PROJECT REPORT

OCTOBER TO DECEMBER 2012                 

28^th /12/2012

INTRODUCTION

 STF-NYC is in partnership with Globe Med at UCLA to implement sexual Health outreach project targeting 1000 youths in Northern Uganda in Nwoya District.

Project objective: To make an impact on the lives of about 1000 youth in Nwoya district by allowing general youth groups as well as special needs groups access to sexual health education, services and supplies.

 Specific objectives:

v To increase young people’s utilization of HIV prevention and other ASRH services at Nwoya youth Center in One year.

v To increase adoption of safer sex practices in adolescents through abstinence, condom use and reduced partners and faithfulness.

v To increase access to information and services for special needs groups in Nwoya district

Key project Activities

• School sensitization outreaches on adolescent sexual reproductive health both in Primary and secondary schools.
• Sanitary pads education and distributions.
• Games and sports (Youth friendly services) for ASRH.
• Condom awareness and distribution to young adolescents.
• Provide HIV prevention/ASRH to special groups (PWDs, Young positives, Young mothers etc)
• Gender structured talks (Boy/Girl Talk) for out of school adolescence.
• Goats Monitoring.

Project achievements

In the last three months of October to December, STF-NYC managed to reach out to a total of 3,307 youths (Male =1843, Female = 1464).

• School sensitization outreaches to both Primary and secondary schools:

Nwoya Youth center conducted a total of 43 school sensitization and 17 community sensitization on adolescence sexual reproductive health (ASRH) in Anaka and Purongo Sub-counties- Nwoya District.

The intention of this activity is to provide adolescent sexual reproductive health to allow youths to make informed decisions about issues concerning their health by adopting to safer sex practices and utilization of reproductive health services so that we can have a healthy generation of youths.

The center reached a total of 1,537 adolescents with sexual reproductive health messages (854 males, 683 females). Some of the topics discussed included safe male circumcision, Body changes, cross generational sex, drug abuse, gender based violence, teenage pregnancy, Girls education and HIV prevention among others.

Quotes: “The school sensitization and the provision of young talk by Nwoya youth center has made us informed on reproductive health issues surrounding us. I am abstaining from sex and promise to study up to university level before getting married.”  Juliet 16 years, P6, Patira Primary school. 

• Games and sports (Youth friendly services).

 STF-NYC reaches out to the adolescents through games and sports both in schools, community and static center. The purpose of this is to engage the youths in productive activities as opposed to getting involved in risky behaviors that would endanger their health. A total of 07 games and sports events were organized both in schools and in the community and these attracted 849 people. These games and sports has benefited the youths since it has a package of sexual reproductive health sensitization which makes them informed about their health and able to utilize and access reproductive health services and help them avoid engaging into risky behaviors like early sex, drug abuse, Stealing, Disco dance, gambling among others instead to take sports as a healthy productive leisure. This games and sports has unifies the youths through the interactions among the youths which in turn builds on more peace in the community.

Quote: “Sports has made me more flexible and healthy than before and has created more friends and more informed through the daily interaction among my team mates. I am able to share my problems easily with my fellow friend. I no longer complain of boredom”Otto,29years,boda man

• Sanitary pads education and distributions: The sanitary pads education and distribution is being appreciated by the all schools, parents, pupils and the District since these has remained a big challenge in that the girls find it difficult to access these pads due to the lack of materials and poverty thus may choose between absconding schools for the periods they are experiencing menstruation or decides to drop out from school to avoid shame that may be caused by blood stain from menstruation.

There are 80 young girls from seven different schools benefiting from the supply of sanitary pads while the rest of the young girls in school and the community are benefiting from the sanitary pads education to empower them on how they can make use of the local materials to make local pads and be informed on issues concerning their body changes and health.

A total of 318 girls benefited from sanitary pad education including the 80 girls who are being supplied with sanitary pads.

The schools where the 80 beneficiaries came from include Kulamuka Primary, Bidati Primary, Alokolum Gok Primary, Aparanga Primary, Purongo Primary, Oruka Primary and Gotapwoyo Primary schools.

Quote: I feel very relieved while using disposable pads. I come to school with confidence and attend lessons without any interference unlike those days when I would not be stable in class due to menstruation.

• Providing HIV prevention/Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health awareness to special groups: These categories face a lot of discrimination and stigma in the community yet they need our support in terms of access to services and health information. Therefore, this awareness aims at empowering the vulnerable groups like young positives, Persons with disability, child mothers among others. These can be seen by the good number of informed vulnerable groups accessing health services as per the regular visits made to the health centers. Some of the health information given includes; Prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT), Family Planning, Safe male circumcision, HIV counseling and testing, food and Nutrition etc as a component that would empower them and live a healthy life.

A total of 102 (Male=40, Female=62) special groups reached with HIV prevention messages and ASRH.

Quotes: This program has empowered me especially on issues relating to family planning and PMTCT which i used not to believe and have clear understanding of the benefits but I am now a beneficiary of these services since I feel relieved with my family planning services and also protected as I access PMTCT services. I request that more attention be given to the vulnerable groups in terms of health services to better their health.

Condoms awareness and distribution to young adolescents: A total of 1,027 pieces of condoms distributed to youths including condom education and demonstration. Condom education helps youth get to know how to make good use of condoms as one way of HIV prevention, avoiding unnecessary/unwanted pregnancies and other sexual transmitted infections. NYC demonstrates how a condom can be put on and used effectively and consistently. This is done both at the center and outreaches in the community to help reach out to youths in the villages.

A total of 348 adolescent sensitized on condoms (Male=242 and female= 106).

Quote: I use condom as a family planning measure and also to protect myself from sexually transmitted infection. The good thing with condoms is that it has no side effect as compared to other family planning methods so I advice all youths who are sexually active to use condoms to remain healthy and safe from STI’s and as a way of avoiding unwanted pregnancies common among youths.  

………Ronnie 21 years old boda boda man from Paduny village anaka. 

• Gender structured talks (Boy/Girl Talk) for out of school adolescence. This activity is done both at the center and in the community and its done to encourage full participation of both boys and girls in Sexual Reproductive Health. Most adolescents are reserved and have fear to share freely with other people, especially when mixed together; this makes it difficult to understand the issues affecting the Boys/Girls as they would be fearing one another. Therefore, adolescents are grouped  according to their sex and engaged into discussions relating to their reproductive health issues which include; staying safe and healthy, sexual transmitted infections, safe male circumcision, cross generational sex, HIV testing and disclosure, body changes, teenage pregnancy and ABC messages as a way of HIV prevention.

A total of 153 people reached in this activity. (Male=85 Female=68)

Through this activity, I was able to realize that adolescent influence peoples behaviors and its time you know how to manage your adolescents to avoid risky behaviors …………….Said (Gloria, 15years, in pabali Village Anaka)

Monitoring goat’s project: this project benefited 20 young mothers and each received 2 goats both male and female. All these goats are healthy and doing well according to the previous report.

The list of the 20 schools reached with STF/NYC-GLOBEMED project in Anaka and Purongo Sub-counties.

SCHOOLS IN PURONGO SUB-COUNTY.

S/N Name of school  Parish

1 Purongo P/S  Pawatomero

2 Puropbgo hill P/S Pawatomero

3 Aparanga P/S Paromo

4 Paraa P/S Pabit

5 Wii anaka P/S Pabit

6 Olwiyo P/S Pawatomero

7 Oruka P/S Paromo

8 Gotapwoyo P/S Latoro

9 Purong Seed Sec School Pawatomero

SCHOOLS IN ANAKA SUB-COUNTY

S/N Name of school Parish

1 Anaka P/S Nwoya TC

2 Anaka central P/S Nwoya TC

3 Anaka public P/S  Nwoya TC

4 Kulu amuka P/S  Kuluamuka

5 St luke te-olam P/S Todora

6 Patira P/S Ywaya

7 Agung P/S  Todora

8 Lamoki P/S  Ywaya

9 Bidati P/S  Pangora

10 Alokolum gok P/S  Pabali

11 Pope Paul anaka S.S Nwoya TC

CHALLENGES

Lack of stable power to facilitate office work has made it hard when it comes to writing project reports and any work that needs computer.

High demand from some community who are after material gains to help solve their problems.

Challenges of transport facilities to help in outreaches, the center has only 3 motorbikes attached to projects and this means we have to borrow from these project in case of outreaches and this causes delays and interfere with activity implementation. One bike is down.

Riding gears like helmets, jackets, boots and gloves are a big challenge and this puts our security in danger together with the Grow Team.

Staffing is also a challenge in that, out of 4 staffs the center now have only 3 staffs to help work on all the projects and this in turn slows or delays activities of some projects.  

Inadequate office space to accommodate all organization activities and staffing

RECOMMENDATIONS

 Need to keep building on a project and identify project activities within those already being funded by other donors to help in the sustainability and continuity of the project.

Need to have more discussion on logistics to perfect the project implementation. Things like protective gears, computer and transportation of the Grow team to the field.

Report compiled by:  Alfred Olweny

Agung FC Vs

Alokulum Gok Pupils with their pads

Oruka Primary school pupils with their pads

Condom awareness sessions

Goat project beneficiaries

Links:

• Visit GlobeMed at UCLA's website here!