Providing Critical Reproductive Services for Youth in Rural Uganda

This year’s SRHR Alliance Week was held in Uganda's Kapchorwa District from 11-15 August, and it featured a lot of action, connection, and youth-driven impact. Under the theme, “Centering Youth Partnerships for Sustainable Development”, SRHR Alliance Uganda aimed at  setting the stage for meaningful conversations, collaborations, and change. Alliance Week 2025 was designed to be transformative, building on past successes while embracing fresh energy and new voices.

Why Kapchorwa?

Young people in Kapchorwa, in eastern Uganda, face enormous challenges when it comes to their sexual and reproductive health (SRHR). Many teenagers become sexually active at a young age, with the numbers increasing from 29% to 55% since 2015.

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is also a major concern, with a significant rise from 21% to 60% in some areas over the past 10 years. These issues are made worse by factors like child marriage, poverty, and lack of access to healthcare and education. As a result, young people are unable to make informed decisions about their own bodies and health, highlighting the crucial need for support and solutions to address these issues.

Successful SRHR Outreach 

A range of activities were held over the course of the week, including community dialogues and door-to-door health talks. Additionally, a team of service providers set up health camps at healthcare centers, offering free services such as HIV counseling and testing, health talks, STI treatment, and family planning services.

There were also school outreach sessions, where peer educators led Q&A. Students wrote down their questions about sexual reproductive health and received answers in a safe, interactive space that encouraged open dialogue. This helped to burst myths and misconceptions on various SRHR topics, including teenage pregnancies, menstrual health, and drug abuse.

As part of a Corporate Social Responsibility effort, there was also a charity drive where there were provisions of sanitary towels, bedding, clothes, and shoes for school children, pregnant mothers, and families in need.

The activities were concluded by a post-youth day celebration held at the district headquarters, attended by district leaders, religious leaders, cultural leaders, and members of the public.

During the celebration, Peter Swilkey Kiisa, leader of the Sabiny tribe that makes up the biggest population of the residents of Kapchorwa, said, as a cultural institution, the Sabiny are deeply concerned about the challenges of teenage pregnancy, early marriage, and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). “While we've made efforts to tackle FGM, we believe it's time to work together to completely eradicate it. We call on all stakeholders to join hands in fighting this harmful practice,” he added.

Other cultural leaders also promised to review cultural norms and work hand in hand with numerous stakeholders to help move forward on reforms, such as to eliminate child marriage.

Peter Swilkey Kiisa, leader of the Sabiny tribe.

Throughout the week-long stay in Kapchorwa, the SRHR Alliance and their partners reached 2,549 people, including 1,080 young people in schools, 882 at health camps, and 587 through Corporate Social Responsibility.

Making Changes for Youth

While concluding the Alliance Week, Esther Chelangat, a member of the Youth Advisory Committee, emphasized that young people must be meaningfully included in decision-making processes with real influence, voting rights, and access to budgets, as governments expand youth-friendly SRHR services and integrate comprehensive sexuality education into schools and communities.  Safe, stigma-free spaces and supportive families are essential at the community level. Meanwhile, faith and cultural leaders must use their influence to promote dignity, challenge harmful norms, and encourage inter-generational dialogue.