Over 50 teachers from 15 primary and secondary schools in Adjumani and Obongi districts have undergone training in handling sexual and reproductive health issues among adolescents and the youth.
The training, held on January 24, 2024, at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) in Adjumani, and facilitated by the CONSCOV project of Gulu University, aimed to equip the teachers with knowledge in sexual and reproductive health, and the prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV/AIDS.
It also aimed to strengthen their ability to support the delivery of information and reproductive healthcare and services to young people and others in the community.
The CONSCOV consortium, which includes Gulu University, Gulu Regional Referral Hospital (GRRH) and Reproductive Health Uganda (RHU), has since 2022 been researching the impact of COVID-19 on the reproductive health of the youth and adolescents.
Alongside the research, the CONSCOV team has been extending free counseling, testing and treatment of some STIs to young people in Gulu City and the districts of Adjumani and Obongi. The consortium is supported by the University of Copenhagen and its activities are funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark through Danida.
Titus Jogo, the Head of the OPM’s refugee desk in Adjumani, emphasised the seriousness of reproductive health issues among young people in northern Uganda and challenged the participants to increase their efforts in addressing them.
Mr. Titus Jogo (l) and the CONSCOV Principal Investigator Dr. Agatha Alidri (r) with CONSCOV Ambassador Sarah Joseph Allan. Sarah, a refugee girl from South Sudan and a student of Lewa Secondary School, is the face of the CONSCOV project brand.
“Concentration on senior male and senior female teachers to handle these [sexual and reproductive health] issues in schools is not enough. You [teachers] need to take a few minutes [during your lessons] to talk to the learners about reproductive health,” said Jogo, while officially opening the workshop.
Dr. Agatha Alidri, the CONSCOV Principal Investigator (PI), said there was a ‘moral crisis’ brought about by COVID-19. Pregnancy, child marriages, gender-based violence as well as sexually transmitted infections increased among young people.
“We want to arrest this crisis. Our principle is ‘leave no one behind.’ We want to reach out to everyone including refugees in settlements and the socially excluded youth,” said Dr. Alidri.
Filda Anicia, the head of RHU in northern Uganda, and one of the facilitators, urged the teachers to adopt ‘a friendly attitude’ to be able to help learners with their sexual and reproductive health challenges.
Ms. Anicia presents during the training
“We learned from the schools that many learners fear you the senior women and senior men teachers. How would you expect them to tell you their problems when you are not approachable,” she said.
CONSCO now plans to launch clubs in schools for peer-to-peer support on sexual and reproductive health issues.
