- UGANDA MEDIA WOMEN's ASSOCIATION & MAMA FM -

We have the capacity and the experience in developing and managing information and public education campaigns. We have developed the following information and media campaigns among others:

PROJECT CONCEPT

 HEALTH PRIORITIES FOR YOUTH PROJECT IN MUKONO DISTRICT (HP4YOUTH)

 Introduction:

 Uganda Media Women’s Association (UMWA) in partnership with Uganda Youth Development Link (UYDEL) is implementing the above mentioned project with emphasis on Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) for young people. This action is supported by DSW through the Healthy Action programme. It seeks to compliment the activities of DSW on health budget studies and civic education on sexual and reproductive health for young people. This is an advocacy project which will engage decision makers at the district and sub-county level to prioritize and increase resource allocation towards SRH information and services for young people in health budgets.

 The overall objective is to increase access to and utilization of friendly SRH information and services for improved quality of life and development among young people. Apart from the above activity, the overall objective will be achieved through other activities that have been lined up for a period of eight months. It’s anticipated that, among other things, the project will result into reduced teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS.

 Paying attention to the SRH needs of young people who form more than half of the country’s population, may not only bend the HIV/AIDS curve but will tremendously reduce on the population growth burden , alleviate the burden of infant and maternal morbidity and mortality rates, improve the status of women and girls, reduce school drop outs and reduce poverty.

 Background to the project:

 The importance of investing in health and young people’s SRH in particular has been under estimated at national and district levels in Uganda. Young people face various barriers in accessing information and services, SRH inclusive. For young people in rural, poor and urban slum communities face unique challenges such that access and utilization of even the few available services becomes difficult. The challenges range from the distance to the health facilities to the costly services and unfriendly service providers among other things.

 As a result young people carry the biggest burden of disease and have the poorest SRH and HIV indicators. . Adolescent pregnancy is on the high side leading to unsafe abortion and maternal death. The World Health Organization reports indicate that Uganda’s maternal mortality rate stand at 435 per 100,000 live births and that teenage pregnancies contribute more than half of the mothers who die while giving life and who suffer fistula.

 Despite the government’s numerous policies and programs geared towards improving SRH and rights of young people, much remains on paper. That’s why there are limited youth friendly services in government health care facilities. Mukono district has a sizeable amount of investment in the health sector (13%) but does not have specific reproductive health activities in the work plan 2008/9. This implies that SRH issues for young people were either not addressed at all or were lost among other competing priorities.

 The Health Priorities for Youth project (HP4Youth) is to be undertaken against this background to advocate for increased prioritization and investment towards SRH of young men and women.  The action will also contribute to the Health Action projects of increasing commitments at local government levels for SRH as well as accelerating achievement of MDGs 3, 5 and 6.  

 Project activities:

 This project shall be implemented in Mukono at district level and 5 selected sub counties. 

The following are specific advocacy activities that will be implemented in a period of 8 months (September 2011- March 2012).

1. Orientation/sensitization meetings for district and sub-county leaders.
2. Conduct dialogues at district and sub county levels with District leadership, sub county leadership, Health service providers, youth and opinion leaders/members in selected communities.
3. Organize/conduct music dance and drama exhibition with community youth groups to identify and voice SRH concerns of young people from their own perspective.
4. Develop and disseminate advocacy messages (IEC materials, radio spots, radio programmes and talk shows on SRH on radio and print materials

 About UMWA and UYDEL:

Uganda Media Women’s Association (UMWA) is an association of media women established in 1983 with a mission to enhance the status and visibility of women/girls and other marginalized groups through advocacy, capacity building, and awareness creation and networking to realize gender equality. UMWA believes that information is an important tool for sustainable development and putting issues of marginalized people on the public agenda as a critical matter hence the HP4Youth project. 

 The organization runs advocacy and awareness campaigns on women and girls rights including health rights on its radio station 101.7 Mama FM and has experience in working with communities to enhance their skills to claim for their rights, participate in planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of developmental programs.

 Uganda Youth Development Link (UYDEL) on the other hand is a youth serving organization established in 1993 to provide cognitive livelihood and life skills for the empowerment of young people into useful citizens of Uganda. Like UMWA, UYDEL has implemented several health programs in many parts of the country including Mukono. Through its interventions in Mukono, institutions working with youth on SRH have been mobilized and their capacity to provide integrated HIV and SRH services to young people enhanced. 

 The implementing team looks forward for positive support and participation from stakeholders including Mukono district leadership, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) local leaders, youth, private sector and general community in this project.  

 1. Information and media campaign against teenage pregnancies, Kivvulu slum, Kampala, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

2. Public education and media campaign on the Referendum 2000 to change political system.

3. Public education and media campaign on Presidential and Parliamentary Elections 1996.

4. Public education and media campaign on Local Council Elections 2001.

5. Public education, campaign to revoke the impact of HIV/AIDS on agriculture in Iganga and Masaka districts 2003.

6. Public education campaign on updating the national voter’s register.

7. Public education campaign on Uganda’s referendum 2005 to change political systems. *

We have also participated in the development of communication strategies including: Empowering women and girls infected / affected by HIV/AIDS to speak out, and express themselves on the media and in public. Children’s rights, supported by The African Network for Prevention and Protection Against Child Abuse and Neglect (ANPPCAN). Population Census 2002, supported by Uganda Bureau of Statistics.