Overview:
This project addresses issues such as health literacy, education, life skills development, family and reproductive health – key elements needed to make wise choices about life – especially in Uganda where 80% of the population is under 25 (source: www.upfpa.org). The training will be conducted with young people in schools, prisons and school communities where ignorance and poverty, together with cultural “myths”, results in school dropouts, crime, street children, HIV/AIDS, unwanted pregnancies and births, unsafe abortions and maternal death.
Why support this:
Our partners know the gaps in the reproductive health sector and understand that if men and women are not educated about this, cultural change will never happen. They have a proven track record and work in collaboration with other local organisations to bring about positive change in the community, which we have seen first-hand. By providing young men and women with knowledge targeted at their needs, there is the potential to shift mindsets. Current family size in Uganda is seven children and teen pregnancy to older men is common, especially in lockdowns. Regular training with excellent content will be conducted.
Budget: $28,500 for year two of a two-year project (total budget $55,000)
This includes training of facilitators, training materials such as kits, banners and educational material, monitoring and evaluation and workshops.
The Need:
Understanding about reproductive health has the potential to reduce poverty and maternal and neo-natal deaths. There are many uninformed beliefs around these topics. Cultural understanding is that a large family is a gift from God – whether you can afford it or not. Men are the head of the household and wield the most power in deciding how many and when to have children. There is a lack of trained facilitators on these topics across Uganda.
Life Change:
