Peer education report 2014

PEER EDUCATION ACADEMY PROJECT

WDC DATA

WOMEN DELIVER REPORT

8,903

Number of girls & women directly affected

140,678 13,647 197, 083 Number of girls & women indirectly affected

Number of people directly affected

Number of people indirectly affected

Numbers

15

79

50

schools contacted

schools that applied

young people who applied

young people who went through

43

7

38

12

school going young people

2

79

young people out of school

young people who completed the 8 months

young people who dropped out

Executive Summary: Reach A Hand, Uganda (RAHU) recognizes that young peoples’ concerns can only be well addressed by young people themselves bringing in the spirit of volunteerism and peer to peer mentoring hence the need for well-trained peer educators. This is why our slogan is “young people for young people.”

In January 2014 RAHU started the first ever Peer Education Academy in Uganda, a unique initiative to train young people in life skills development, self-awareness and Sexual reproductive Health and rights as key elements in their lives. In this strategy, 50 peer educators including in and out of school 23 female and 27 male young people, were trained in peer mentoring and counseling, life skills, Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights, Drug, Alcohol and Substance use and integration of social media with sexuality education.

Our approach at the Peer Education Academy uses a multiplier effect assuming a cascade model to behaviour change. With this approach, behavioural change starts with the peer educator who influences positive behaviour change among fellow peers. Also our trained peer educators were attached to different mentors who guided them during their 7 months practice. These 50 trained peer educators were able to directly reach 13,647 young people that is 8,903 female and 4,744 male with accurate and comprehensive Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights information and skills through the in school focus group discussions, school activations and youth health camp.

Reach A Hand, Uganda as a youth-led organization that aims to address key issues that leave Ugandan youth vulnerable to health outcomes like HIV, Sexual Transmitted Infections and unintended pregnancies. Our work focuses on changing social norms and values that limit access to accurate and comprehensive Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) Services and Information by designing effective communication strategies and campaigns to create awareness and mitigate these sexual health problems among the young people today.

PEER EDUCATION ACADEMY PROJECT WOMEN DELIVER REPORT

1

Our Vision: Young people making informed choices in life

Our Mission: To empower young people in Uganda aged 12-24 years with complete information, skills and tools which enable them live a healthy, focused and productive life.

Original Specific Objectives 1. Strengthening comprehensive sexuality education programs in schools and communities.

2. Strengthening linkages between sexual and reproductive health and rights information and SRH services through referral systems and providing information about available Family Planning health care services 3. (Youth-led) advocacy and awarenessraising to remove social and legal barriers in accessing information and services about sexual Reproductive Health particularly for the girl child and Young people living with HIV (YPLV).

2

Context UNFPA is supporting the Ministry of Education and Sports/ National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) to integrate and eventually institutionalize comprehensive sexuality education in the secondary school curriculum. The curriculum review process started in 2012 and will take a period of five years and culminate in a new secondary school curriculum by 2017. The curriculum development process provides a unique opportunity and entry point for addressing current and emerging issues in adolescent sexual and reproductive health and improving the health and quality of life of young people.

RAHU is supporting the process through focused group discussions and peer learning sessions in schools and communities. Recently during our one day Intergenerational Dialogue on SRHR, young people pushed for access to youth friendly services both in and out of school and also the legalization of abortion to reduce maternal mortality rates and notable was the easy access of SRHR information in schools.

Strengthening comprehensive sexuality education programs in schools and communities.

1. Peer Learning Sessions The peer educators that were trained at the Peer Educators Academy in January 2014, have visited 15 secondary schools including; Hana Mixed High School, Atlas High School, Brilliant High School, Namirembe High School, Our Lady of Africa High School, Bishop Cipriano High School, Lowell Girls High School, Mariam High School, Mbogo College, Katale Community College, Kamda Secondary School, Kiwoko Secondary School, and carried out discussions with 2,297 young people ( 1,340 females and 957 males) in existing youth clubs.

PEER EDUCATION ACADEMY PROJECT WOMEN DELIVER REPORT

3

2. Orientation of School Health Staff This was the initial visit to the schools and as such focus was on working with the SRHR School Champions. These activities included; debates, poster discussions, assembly presentations, staff room discussions with teachers, and organizing theme sports on providing positive SRHR messages. These were being supported by RAHU Peer Educators.

Through the In School Focus Group Discussions we identified and empowered ‘school champions’ to act as readily accessible peers mentors, responding to the SRHR needs of peers and where necessary linking fellow peers to other support services including the trained in school health workers.

At Namirembe Hill Side School, the school chaplain was initially skeptical of the intentions of the School Activation exercise, however, by the end of the exercise, the packaging of the messages, the content within and the sight of a religious figure talking about SRHR changed his attitude and brought him on board as an advocate of youth SRHR. This was one of our biggest highlights, the fact that not only young people, but also teachers, chaplains and other adults embraced the message of SRHR. From the endline survey we conducted for the Get Your Mix Out Campaign in the month of May 83.5% of the respondents (Young People in School) agreed that there is need for young people whether sexually engaged or not should freely access information on sex and reproductive health. This has built much on our dissemination of SRHR information to young people.

4

We continued to build the capacity of school health workers to address the health associated needs of the young people. Particular to this Year was to bring to the fore the issue of having Youth friendly services, and also empowering the health workers themselves to become advocates for better youth SRHR services and adoption. We orientation of 30 school health service providers including School Nurses, Senior Woman Teachers from 30 schools (27 females, 3 males). Sessions included; • Sexually transmitted infections & STDs ( types, symptoms and treatment) • HIV/AIDS symptoms, prevention and how to prevent stigma.

• Life skills ( including decision making, self-esteem & careers for young people) • Referrals.

At the end of the training, an assessment was done and 96% scored above 95%. The health service providers also promised to work more closely with health centers near their schools to refer cases and support children get comprehensive services.

The School Health Workers that were trained were tasked to identify health problems being experienced in the different schools and identify measure of how to prevent them.

Point incase is at Hanna Mixed School in Nsanji Wakiso District a multi international and cultural school where the In School Health worker realised the need to link up with a SRHR service provider and this led to a strong relationship that has been made with Reproductive HEalth Uganda and RHU now has constant visits to the school to carry out HIV Counselling and Testing and STI Screening.

At PMM Girls School in Jinja District the School Health worker now has sessions with the girls where she conducts session on use of different contraceptives.

During one of the focused group discussions being conducted by our Peer Educators the students appreciated their School Health Worker (Matron) who taught them on how to use a female condom.

3. Sexuality campaign under 18, through talking environment.

RAHU introduced the “Sexuality campaign under 18, through talking environment” which involves the use of dustbins, specifically designed with stickers bearing SRHR messages. The talking environment platforms were distributed to 15 schools in and around Kampala, placed in strategic areas where rubbish is disposed off thus becoming a good avenue for young people to access the messages freely.

Focused Group Discussions including young people in and out of school, teachers, peer educators and other community leaders developed messages that were printed on the dustbins. The messages that were printed on the Dustbins include; • I am The Future, I need information on Sexual Reproductive Health.

• Understand facts about sex. Take Control of your body.

• Knowledge is swag!!! Get to know your HIV Status • Say NO To Sex before Marriage • Deal with the choice. Not the consequence. Choose abstinence • Drugs Compromise Judgment • Am Independent, Young and empowered with facts on sexuality.. Are You?

• My health is My Wealth • Think Positive, Stop the Stigma • Your Body, Your Life, Your Choice. Make the Right Decisions.

The three dustbins were placed in strategic places in schools like around the assembly grounds, dining halls and dormitories. With this we hope the messages shall reach over 8,000 young people in schools directly and also facilitate the process of making informed choices in life by the young people.

During focused group discussions conducted by Peer Educators during the distribution of dustbins, young people freely discussed about the messages on the dustbins and thus sharing experiences with fellow young people on SRHR.

PEER EDUCATION ACADEMY PROJECT WOMEN DELIVER REPORT

5

And this is what some of the young people had to say Amina Nalule, a Senior Four student of Miriam High School, said the project has helped students understand issues around sexuality. “It is a good communication tool [in situations] where teachers fear to speak out. I think all schools should adopt it.”

“I love the message of ‘Knowledge is Swagg’ on the dustbins because it influences many of us to make informed choices in life,” pointed out another student, Aisha Najuma, of Hana Mixed School.

The deputy headteacher of Mariam High School said students in her school have already nicknamed dustbins ‘sexuality dustbins’, an indication that the project is working.

Strengthening linkages between SRHR information and SRH services through referral systems and providing information about available Family Planning health care services.

RAHU has mapped out 48 health centers in Kampala, Wakiso, Mukono and Entebbe. A referral fact sheet containing health facility, location and contact of health personnel has been developed and is being shared on our social media pages, television programs, in schools and communities. These health facilities have committed to providing youth friendly services. RAHU will with time set up a mechanism to track the number of young people that have accessed these services.

The mapping exercise also helped in highlighting key issues such as the curiosity on sexual orientation, safe and unsafe abortion and access to youth friendly services. Together with the young people from the mapped schools, we were able develop tailored messages to respond to these and other SRHR related issues.

Youth-led advocacy and awareness-raising to remove social and legal barriers in accessing information and services about sexual Reproductive Health particularly for the girl child and Young people living with HIV (YPLV).

6

1. Condom Drives With support from our peer educators, we carried out two community outreaches in Nsangi Town Center and Kyadondo ground. This was to provide SRHR information to young people in communities and the local people. During these outreaches, the peer educators distributed 1,000,000 condoms provided

by UNFPA. Both outreaches were attended by 3,700 people.

During the condom drives, RAHU Cultural icons and Peer Educators conduct condom demonstration.

One of the key issues that was highlighted in the condom drives was It is possible to significantly increase condom use in commercial, casual, marital/ steady and youth sexual partnerships and while there is significant increases in condom use measured use during commercial sex than in any other type of partnership.

PEER EDUCATION ACADEMY PROJECT WOMEN DELIVER REPORT

7

In an online survey on attitude, perception and knowledge about female and male condoms under the Its Not on Its Not Safe Campaign. Conducted between 14th to 25th September by Reach A Hand Uganda indicated that 47% of the respondents had unprotected sex a month before the survey was conducted and 47% of the respondents believe if given choice most males won’t use a condom and 6% strongly disagree.

With these findings we realise that there is more need for RAHU to conduct more condom drives and ease access of condoms to young people.

8

2. Intergenerational Dialogue 2014 Organised to commemorate World Sexuality Day in Uganda, under the theme “Strengthening Effective and Meaningful involvement of a Young Nation in Sexual Reproductive Health.� The first inter-generational dialogue aimed to bridge the generation gap, focusing on role of adults, policy makers and community leaders in promoting comprehensive sexuality education and youth friendly sexual and reproductive health and rights services.

PEER EDUCATION ACADEMY PROJECT WOMEN DELIVER REPORT

9

10

The all-day event was an exchange to promote effective and meaningful involvement of the youth in Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) program development. Through these conversations, participants highlighted; what young advocates can learn from the experiences of the old advocates to become better advocates of youth SRHR. Reality of youth SRHR issues and needs for the perspective of young people. With young people putting forward their views to policy makers, leaders and elders to address as key issues on SRHR. The dialogue took place at National Water and Sewerage Corporation International Resource Centre, Bugolobi, Kampala, on 13th September, 2014 With over 250 participants attending, the event was presided over by Dr. Collins Tusingwire, assistant commissioner reproductive health in the ministry of health represented the Minister of State for Primary Health Care as the guest of Honor.

During the dialogue, the Key issues identified included Access to youth Friendly Services and Unsafe Abortions leading to high mortality rates.

Jackson Chekweko, the executive director of Reproductive Health Uganda said there is no need for abortion, adding that government only needs to reorient its health service providers to learn how to handle young people.

Phiona Mbabazi, a student of Community Psychology at Makerere University said young people are not given the attention they deserve in health facilities.

“The problem is that when we young people visit health facilities to get help, we are not given due attention to explain our problems by the adults. They shout at you, judge you and regard you as an outcast,” she said.

Nargis Shiraz, co-founder Woman Foundation and coordinator of ‘It Takes Two Campaign’, said government should promote peer-to-peer education at health centers. “Peers can easily handle fellow peers once trained.”

PEER EDUCATION ACADEMY PROJECT WOMEN DELIVER REPORT

11

3. Social Media Activations Reach A Hand Embarked on using social media as a tool to reaching out to young people with information on Sexual Reproductive Health because of the increasing numbers of young people using social media in Uganda. RAHU operates various social media platforms i.e. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and two websites We have integrated social media in all our activities and have carried out social media activations on different campaigns. And given our strength in social media we have manged to create strategic partnerships and we are currently running different campaigns on our social media platforms like; a. The Its Not On Its Not Safe campaign by Uganda Health Marketing group and UNFPA aimed at inspiring and encouraging young people take care of their health by practicing safer sexual behavior, making informed choices and choosing to be responsible citizens and make a change in their communities by using condoms correctly and consistently. b. Generation Next Uganda is a campaign by DSW Uganda advocating for small and manageable families through the use of contraceptives c. Ministerial Commitment on comprehensive sexuality education and sexual and reproductive health services for adolescents and young people in Eastern and Southern African (ESA) d. The It Takes Two Campaign: It Takes Two means that it takes women and men to ensure access to sexual and reproductive health information and services for all young people. While family planning efforts have traditionally focused on girls and women, involving boys and men in the discussion has shown to increase partner communication, joint decision-making within relationships, and approval rates of family planning among men. This fosters a relationship based on gender equality and challenges traditional gender norms in the community.

12

• 50 peer educators (Ambassadors) who were trained during the Peer Educators Academy on use of social media in SRHR have been commenting and sharing posts on SRHR • RAHU has now 42,670 people liking and following the social media pages reaching over 500,000 people • 20 Street casts (Short videos) with SRHR Messages and Testimonies have been recorded and uploaded on our YouTube channel • 60 Articles including Blogs, Testimonies by Young People and Information Articles have been published on the websites with 4731 people visiting the site since January 2014 • We have conducted different tweetups Condom use, Contraceptive Use, Intergenerational Dialogue reaching over 200,000 young people online.

A Graph Showing the Reach during the TweetUp about the Intergenerational Dialogue.

PEER EDUCATION ACADEMY PROJECT WOMEN DELIVER REPORT

13

4. Partnership with Miss Uganda Foundation At the beginning of the year we partnered with the Miss Uganda Foundation to empower young girls in and out school with life skills and information on SRHR so as to make informed decisions in life. RAHU and Miss Uganda Foundation have conducted focused group discussions in schools and out schools, During our Annual SRHR Youth Camp the Miss Uganda Foundation had mini dialogues with girl focusing in areas of gender equality.

14

5. Conclusion The Idea of having Intergenerational Dialogues between young people and elderly is now a reality and no longer a concept we would like to appreciate the funding from Women Deliver and other international and local partners that has enabled RAHU train more young people, carry out more activities to reach out to more young people with information on SRHR & HIV/AIDS, build capacity of its staff, create more beneficial networks and maintain old ones. During our implementation some of the challenges identified include limited transport.

As we expand our work in more schools and communities, there is a need for reliable transportation as most of the schools are located in remote areas. Also, RAHU currently has few computers that are insufficient for all the staff and peer educators, building up our capacity and developing of monitoring and evaluation tools, and This has greatly impacted our work.

To sustain our activities, we have managed to create strategic partnerships that have supported us in activity implementation.

7. Financial Report Please review materials presented with the grant award agreement and use the budget presented with the proposal to compare and report on predicted and actual expenses.

PEER EDUCATION ACADEMY PROJECT WOMEN DELIVER REPORT

15

Plot 7502, Block 244, Kitaranga Kansanga, Gabba Road.

P.O.Box 21288 Kampala, Uganda Tel: +256 414 697037 Mob: +256 774 256 109 Email: info@reachahand.org www.reachahand.org

16