The work done by our country offices in East Africa is fundamental to the success of DSW. Without it we would not be the organization we are today. Through this blog we will periodically bring you the stories of young men and women who are working every day to support their peers in taking control of their health and futures.
Youth champions working with DSW in Uganda, from Kasanje Youth Empowerment Centre and Muvubuka Agunjuse Nsangi, have been involved in organising and mobilising a peer learning session at Jjungo Senior Secondary School, reaching out to young people between the age of 12 and 17. These peer learning sessions were divided into five groups; each group was facilitated by two peer educators, and the topics dealt with included; STI/STDs, HIV and AIDS, menstruation, teenage pregnancy, adolescence, growth and development, and alcohol and drug abuse.
Peer-to-Peer Counselling
The sessions lasted for an hour and half, and were a participatory activity where young people asked questions. After the peer-to-peer sessions, DSW talked with the school principal. Mr. Kyewusa James, who welcomed this activity, noted that they were a rare opportunity for his school because ever since he joined no one had come up to talk to his students, students were afraid to talk about sex and issues around HIV and AIDS issues, and the school has no student-focused clubs. It was also noted that Kasanje has high teenage pregnancy rates.
GeNext
As a way forward; the GeNext (a collaboration between DSW and Bayer within the context of World Contraception Day) project 
officer tasked the leader of Kasanje Youth Empowerment Centre to take up the task of opening up a club in the school, a club which DSW can then offer training to the teachers and selected students on sexual reproductive health, as they have done for other schools in Uganda now and in the past.
This activity was conducted under the My Life, My Future project, which aims to support young people in the Wakiso and Busia district in Uganda to make informed choices about family planning and their sexual and reproductive health. This project is implemented in partnership with Reach a Hand Uganda.
Want to know more about DSW’s pioneering Youth-to-Youth project? Check out our website for more information on how these youth groups are improving the lives of young men and women every day in East Africa.
