This is our youth empowerment innovation relying on ICT and mentorship to give space to young people in Karamoja to learn about SRH processes and services in their communities and become youth advocates.
Youth in Karamoja are empowered to actively participate in their communities, advocate for youth related issues, and hold key duty bearers accountable for providing youth friendly SRH and HIV/AIDS services.
Objectives of the Karamoja Connect Program
The program is implemented by Reach A Hand, Uganda (RAHU) with support from UNFPA Uganda. It comprises of three main components; youth empowerment, advocacy, and monitoring of SRH related issues in Karamoja.
Fourteen select youth from Karamoja are provided with information and the necessary skills to enable their empowerment to advocate for and monitor the provision of youth friendly SRH and HIV/AIDS services in the region. The selected young people act as youth advocacy champions through the Karamoja Connect program to hold key duty bearers accountable for the provision of youth friendly sexual and reproductive health services.
The youth champions in Karamoja are trained in basic ICT, advocacy and monitoring skills regarding the quality of youth friendly SRH services with an emphasis on access to HIV/AIDS services and information. Each youth leader is assigned to an outstanding member of the community who is involved in district affairs, SRH, and/or youth related activities to mentor them throughout the project.
Impact