Africa-Press – Uganda. SEXUAL|REPRODUCTIVE|HEALTH
Experts have said that working with community influencers is key in improving Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR).
Speaking during a graduation ceremony of community influencers, the director of programmes Nascent Research and Development Organisation, Annah Kamusime said, “We have impacted skills to enable community influencers to identify SRH challenges, but also to be able to handle these challenges,”Community influencers are leaders at village level including councilors, leaders of village savings and loan associations, Boda Boda Associations, Local leaders in women and youth groups, among others.At least over 80 community influencers from Kawempe and Bulambuli -Iganga district completed the 12 module SRHR leadership in action course jointly delivered by Makerere University School of Public Health (MAKSPH), Nascent Research and Development Organisation and International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam (ISS-EUR).
The training was to empower community influencers to address issues related to adolescent health and maternal health.The Chairperson Influencers, Bulambuli Jamada Kisame said the training has led to improvement in the level of awareness adding that cases of Gender Based Violence, and teenage pregnancies have gone down.She said cases of early marriages, drug abuse, and domestic violence have reduced. In Uganda, it is estimated that about 214,000 unintended pregnancies occur annually.At least 28% of women have an unmet need for family planning, a decline from 34% in 2011. Uganda has a high maternal mortality ratio at 343 per 100,000 live births a reduction from 505 per 100,000 live births in 2001/2002.
Paul Bisiki, the Senior Community Development Officer Iganga district said, ever since they started the Strengthening, Educating and Training (SET)-SRHR programme, some changes in the rate of teenage pregnancies has been realised.He said at the moment, they have registered about 20% reduction in teenage pregnancies in Bulambuli, and this is attributed to the community influencers who visit the homes to give psychosocial support.Iganga was among the districts with a high rate of teenage pregnancies.The deputy Vice Chancellor Lira University Prof Okaka Opio said under SET-SRHR, the academic staff has been trained on SHR adding that they are in the process of putting up a Centre for SRH at the university.”The building will be a one-stop centre where people can access information on SRHR, Maternal health and it will also be a place where members of the community will carry the same message on SHR,” Opio added.
