Tagged as: refugees

In humanitarian response, RHU calls for a greater focus on adolescent sexual health needs.

According to Jackson Chekweko, Executive Director of Reproductive Health Uganda (RHU), humanitarian organizations must prioritize displaced adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health needs as soon as possible during a crisis to protect young people from sexual violence, sexually transmitted diseases, and early pregnancy.

Chekweko says that although relief agencies focus on providing food, water, and shelter for refugees in emergencies, the sexual and reproductive health needs of vulnerable displaced young people, particularly girls, are often overlooked or ignored entirely.

“We’re urging humanitarian organizations to include adolescent reproductive health services right from the start of any emergency response,” Chekweko told reporters at RHU headquarters.

With funding from the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), RHU, together with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Office of the Prime Minister in Uganda (OPM), and Medical Teams International, collaborated on a two-year project in Adjumani and Kampala refugee settings.

According to Annet Kyarimpa, the RHU-DANIDA MoFA project lead and manager for safe motherhood, governments, donors, and humanitarian and development organizations in Uganda are effectively addressing adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health risks in crisis situations.

Members of refugee communities say the cost of not doing so or disregarding adolescent sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is enormous, especially in locations like Adjumani and Kampala, which have expanding and chronic refugee populations due to violence and natural catastrophes.

Young people are not only a significant subgroup, but they also make up the majority of the population in many conflict and post-conflict zones. More than half of the population in conflict zones like South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Burundi, and Ethiopia is under the age of 20, according to Robert Andeoye, Pagirinya refugee camp Commandant.

Aldon Walukamba G, the author, is the RHU Media Advocacy and Documentation Coordinator.

Kyangwali Settlement Stakeholders Call for Continued SRHR Service Delivery as ACCESS Project Closes

Stakeholders in the Kyangwali refugee settlement in Kikuube district are calling for continued sexual reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services, if there is to be a tremendous reduction in unplanned births, maternal deaths, teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.  In 2021, Reproductive Health Uganda’s (RHU) ACCESS, a project funded by the United Kingdom government (UKaid) was launched in the Kikuube district to accelerate the acquisition of enhanced and integrated SRHR and family planning services among the refugees and host communities in Kyangwali refugee settlement.

According to Dr. Peter Ibembe, RHU Director of Programs, the project focused on strengthening public systems to integrate and adopt SRHR services through training village health teams (VHTs), peer educators to provide home care.

The ACCESS project was also launched to co-produce solutions that improve preparedness efforts, response, and recovery efforts and that tackle urgent and sensitive SRHR issues.

The ACCESS project was reduced to nine months from three years after @UKaid called off funding its implementation.

This stunned RHU the ACCESS project implementers and stakeholders like United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), Office the Prime Minister (OPM), Medical Teams International (MTI), Kikuube district local government, and Spice FM.

Kyangwali refugee settlement was selected to benefit from the project because:

• more than 30 women were dying each month from birth-related complications
• 600 babies are body every month
• The host communities and 130,000 refugees are underserved with family planning and other SRHR services
• High cases of teenage pregnancies, sexual and gender-based violence
• High HIV/ AIDS prevalence and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

However, within nine months of operation, 8000 people have benefited from free SRHR services, 60 VHT’s trained, and 20 health care providers. The project also provided bicycles to VHT’s, sanitation equipment and conducted outreaches at all health Centers in the Kikuube district.

However, as the project winds up in the district, stakeholders argue that the SRHR services offered and ACCESS project gains must be sustained.

Nicholas Kwikiriza, Kikuube district health officer says without the RHU – ACCESS project, maternal health challenges, teenage pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, and gender-based violence may increase. He calls on the OPM, UNHCR, and MTI to continue supporting the RHU – ACCESS project.

“the UNHCR, MTI, and OPM need to come out bravely to support RHU – ACCESS project to continue because of the demand for SRHR services and family planning created by the RHU – ACCESS project,” Kwikiriza said.

Robert Musiime, HIV/AIDS Coordinator at MTI says the challenges are still available that need the RHU – ACCESS project needs to continue.

John Bosco Kyaligonza, Kyangwali refugee settlement Commandant says such a very crucial project must be supported by another funder to maintain and increase SRHR services in the settlement.

Dr. Ibembe, however, says RHU is here to stay and welcome other funders to come on board after the ACCESS project closed its operations.

RHU – ACCESS project stakeholders from Kyangwali refugee settlement in Kikuube district