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. The training will be conducted with young people in schools, prison inmates and church 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. Around 3575 will receive direct training this year with tens of thousands indirectly benefitting as the information filters through families and communities.
What we like about it:
We are deeply appreciative of our partner’s wisdom and knowledge – they know the gaps in the reproductive health sector and know that if men and women are not reached and educated, cultural change will never come about. They have a proven track record and we like the way they work in collaboration with other local organisations to bring about positive change in the community. Our partners have been recognized for the good work they are doing which we have seen first-hand. We have been impressed by the way our partners have been able to adapt their program to allow for COVID-19 restrictions. This is our third project with this partner.
Budget: $23,000 for year two of a two-year project (total budget $46,500)
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. 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. There is a lack of trained facilitators on these topics across Uganda.
Life Change:
