How to Connect Young Ugandans to Family Planning and HIV Services amid COVID-19 Lockdowns

By Esther Tumbare, Senior global technical director for HIV ; Irene Mirembe, Knowledge management manager, IntraHealth International ; Denis Ako-Arrey , Chief of party, Regional Health Integration to Enhance Services in Eastern Uganda ; Damasco Wamboya, Family Health Technical Team Lead ; Michael Herce, Global Technical Lead for HIV/AIDS and Infectious Diseases A community youth dialogue on teenage pregnancies with young women in the Ngora District of Uganda.November 29, 2021In 2020 alone, 1 in 10 girls between the ages of 15 and 19became mothers and 1 in 5 got married or entered into a civil union. In Uganda, COVID-19 related restrictions such as lockdowns and school closures led to pregnancies forover 90,000 girls under 18.These statistics demonstrate how critical it is to help women of reproductive age make informed decisions regarding sexual relationships, contraceptive use, and reproductive health.To do this, family planning services are key. IntraHealth International, through the USAID-fundedRegional Health Integration to Enhance Services in Eastern Uganda (RHITES-E) project, works with the Uganda Ministry of Health to implement a comprehensive program in the eastern Uganda and Karamoja regions that offers clients services in family planning, HIV, and maternal, neonatal, and child health.Here are six approaches the project uses during COVID-19 lockdowns to improve services for young women and girls:1. Community youth-only dialoguesRHITES-E hosted 1,000+ yo...
Source: IntraHealth International - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Family Planning & Reproductive Health HIV AIDS COVID-19 Community Engagement World AIDS Day Source Type: news