Executive Boards of UN Agencies Visit UNFPA Supported Health and Youth Centre

Executive Boards members of World Food Programme (WFP), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and UN Women visited Kisenyi Health Centre IV that houses Muvubuka Agunjuse Youth Centre in Kisenyi, a Kampala city suburb on 30 April 2018.

Muvubuka Agunjuse Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health Information and Service Provision Centre (MUAG) is an initiative by the Ministry of Health in Buganda Kingdom. The youth-led organization is implementing the Youth Enterprise Model (YEM), that aims to ensure that young people are not only building employable skills, but are also gaining knowledge and safe decision-making behavior in relation to their sexual and reproductive health.

Ssemambo Amooti, a Peer Educator at the Youth Centre says that they go to schools, communities, workshops to mobilize young people and refer them for services.“We might not have all the tools we need, but we are focused on our aim, to reach as many young people with sexual and reproductive health information so that they can seek for services,” Ssemambo told the three visiting members of the UN Executive Boards, who were accompanied by UNFPA Representative, Mr. Alain Sibenaler.

To get a clear picture of YEM implementation, the delegates visited a Metal Fabrication Workshop and a craft selling stall to meet some of the young people who have benefited from the services of the Youth Centre.“YEM has changed my life – I used to beg money on streets to survive and knew nothing about business and my health,” said Nashra Rajab, a 22-year-old YEM Peer Educator who sells crafts for a living.“I am very thankful for UNFPA’s support because now I know how to protect myself from health risks, such as HIV/AIDS and unwanted pregnancy, while learning and growing my own business.”

Speaking on behalf of her peers, Nashra says that their dream is to make their business of selling handcrafts bigger and open stores in many districts across Uganda.

Sharing the experience following the visit to the Youth Centre, H.E. Amb. Zoltán Kálmán, the WFP Executive Board President, advised that there should be efforts to stop these slums from happening in the first place because they eventually become expensive for the Government to manage.

The YEM programme at Muvubuka Agunjuse Youth Centre is supported by UNFPA, through Straight Talk Foundation. Other partners include Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and Naguru Teenage Information and Health Centre.

The visit was part of the Executive Boards of 6 UN agencies (UNDP, UNFPA, UNOPS, UNICEF, UN Women and WFP). The joint visit is taking place in the Republic of Uganda from 30 April - 4 May, 2018. The purpose of the field visit is to help the members of the Boards to understand the extent and ways in which United Nations organizations work together and contribute to the achievement of national development plans and global development agendas.

By Mina Nozawa and Prossy Nakanjako