The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Young content creators have been trained on specific Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) issues to strengthen the youth agency to lead SRHR awareness and action.
The training forms part of ongoing efforts to strengthen youth agency through the creation and dissemination of accurate, age-appropriate, and culturally sensitive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) content. It focused on enhancing participants’ capacity to produce impactful digital content on issues such as HIV prevention, teenage pregnancies, unsafe abortions, gender-based violence, and child marriage—challenges that continue to disproportionately affect adolescents and young people, who are also the largest consumers of online information.
The week-long engagement focused on building capacity in both sexuality education and digital content creation, enabling young people to serve as agents of change in their communities. Participants explored how digital platforms can be leveraged not only for awareness creation, but also for advocacy, dialogue, and positive behaviour change among their peers.
The training was conducted under the O3 Programme — standing for Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future, in collaboration with UNESCO, and implemented by Reach A Hand Uganda (RAHU) alongside partner organisations working to advance comprehensive sexuality education and youth-led advocacy. It is part of a broader initiative that empowers young people to serve as agents of change, using digital media, film, and storytelling to address key SRHR challenges in Uganda and Kenya.
A total of 48 young people were awarded certificates of participation at the end of the training.
Speaking during the engagement, Ambassador Rosa Malango, Presidential Envoy on Tourism and Trade, commended the initiative for amplifying youth voices in national development conversations. “Young people shape online conversations every day. When we equip them with the right digital skills, we strengthen their ability to transform communities by sharing accurate, engaging, and life-saving information,” she said.
Teddy Chimulwa, National Programme Officer for Education for Health and Well-being at UNESCO, said, “The experiences gained through this initiative will help us scale our (UNESCO) impact across Africa and beyond. We encourage young people to give their best, because we believe they will drive positive change across the country.”
Meanwhile, Shantal Katana, Lead Gen Z at Reach A Hand Uganda, encouraged young people to embrace positivity and responsibility in their use of digital communication as a tool for meaningful transformation in sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).
Participants welcomed the training, noting that it bridges the gap between digital creativity and social impact, while positioning young creators as credible messengers on sensitive but critical issues affecting their generation.
The digital capacity-building initiative aligns with national and regional priorities to curb rising HIV infections, early and unintended pregnancies, gender-based violence, and child marriage, contributing to informed decision-making and healthier outcomes for adolescents and young adults.
