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Kellen Mbabazi, 25, is married with two children aged 10 years and 4 years. She recently faced one of her greatest fears: getting screened for cervical cancer. “Cancer is a big deal in the community today. There are so many people -including women that I know who have the disease. I also know of families that have lost a loved one to cancer. For a long time, I was so terrified of testing for cervical cancer because I was scared I would get a positive result. I imagined that this would be an automatic death sentence for me, yet I’m still young and with a great future ahead of me. I still plan on getting more children, so I didn’t want to be told that I have cervical cancer,” she confesses. However, one day, Kellen decided to take charge of her own health and mustered the courage to get screened for cervical cancer, having learnt of its importance through a community outreach conducted by Reproductive Health Uganda (RHU) –Kampala branch. “During the outreach, I heard one of the mobilizers say that with cancer, the key is to detect it early because when it is discovered at a late stage, then it is what might kill you. This information convinced me and that is why I decided to screen for cervical cancer,” she says. Also Read: "The Radio Announcement that Changed My Life" -Gertrude Mugala Kellen then went to the nearby Kiswa Health Center in Kampala, where she met a team from Reproductive Health Uganda who screened her for cervical cancer. Following her experience, which she says was eye-opening, Kellen then decided to become a cervical cancer mobilizer. “My mother and my sisters were the first people I encouraged to come for screening. I then informed my friends and encouraged them to test too. This is something that I will continue doing, because I have realized that it is not the disease that kills people, but fear for testing. Yet, early screening is one of the best solutions to cervical cancer. This is the information that I have been sharing with my female networks, and I will not relent in doing so,” she says. RHU implements the Cervical Cancer Screening and Preventative Therapy (CCSPT) Initiative, which uses static clinics and outreaches as the main service delivery modes. The CCPT initiative aims at maximizing the number of cancer services offered to women through a validated, low-cost screening and preventative therapy approach. Screening is carried out using Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) -an evidence-based and affordable alternative approach for cervical cancer screening in low-resource settings. The CCSPT Initiative offers instant treatment for clients with pre-cancerous lesions using cryotherapy –a method that involves freezing of precancerous lesions. Related: Reproductive Health Uganda: Effectively Responding to the Cervical Cancer Burden Ms. Annet Kyarimpa, the Special Projects Coordinator in the IPPFAR Member Association in Uganda –Reproductive Health Uganda (RHU) says that CCSPT Initiative outreach activities provide the biggest bulk of clients (over 75%). The success of this approach is largely attributed to the fact that the outreaches are conducted in lower level health facilities (including government health facilities) that provide a conducive service delivery environment. Story by Maryanne W. Waweru, IPPF Africa Region.

Every Thursday a team from RHU Gulu district provides a mobile outreach clinic in Atega village in the Omoro district in Northern Uganda. The outreach team goes out into this poor remote area which would otherwise not have access to sexual and reproductive health services.  The outreach clinic provides a range of services including diagnosis, testing and treatment, family planning such as fitting implants, providing condoms and HPV vaccines. Laboratory technician, Denis Bongonyinge carries out testing for malaria, Hepatitis B, HIV/AIDS, pneumonia and other infections. Other members of the team provide immunisations and vaccinations.  Provision of integrated services in such remote areas is vital for the local community; many men, women and children would not be able to receive the types of treatment and care that RHU works diligently to provide. 

One of the principles that IPPFAR stands for and champions across the region, is the empowerment of adolescent girls and young women. This it does by implementing, through Member Associations, different programs and projects that are focused on this population. One such initiative is the ‘3E Project’, currently being implemented in the three countries of Malawi, Kenya and Uganda. In these countries, girls and young women aged between 10 – 25 years and who are particularly vulnerable to HIV, as well as those living positively with HIV are empowered to voice their needs and concerns through mentoring activities and through social media. The trained youth advocates play a key role in mobilizing other young women by building their advocacy skills on HIV and Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). This they do through community outreaches, conducting educative sessions in schools, in their neighborhoods, as well as sending out messages on popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp.   “When women hold key decision-making positions, then they are able to push for the agenda of all women across the country, and advocate for their rights. Since 2015, the 3E project has been on a journey to nurture the leadership skills of adolescent girls and young women, especially in the area of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR),” says Ms. Nathalie Nkoume –IPPFAR’S Gender, Sexual Rights and Advocacy Advisor, who is coordinating the 3E project. To date, the project has trained over 75 young passionate and vibrant girls who continue to raise awareness on different aspects of SRHR among their peers, their parents and the school community (including teachers). These passionate young girls – Africa’s growing leaders, have spearheaded different initiatives in their own communities that are focused on empowering fellow young women and raising their status in society. “We go to schools, colleges and talk to girls in the neighborhood about sexual reproductive health and through this, many girls have come back to us and told us that they have been able to make informed choices about their sexuality because of the information we shared with them,” says Bridget Ndagire from Uganda. 19 year-old Caroline Mulenga from Malawi says that she has been able to refer hundreds of young girls for reproductive health services. “Through the 3E project, I have got to learn of facilities that offer youth-friendly services in my area, and I refer young girls there. Previously, they were reluctant to access SRHR information and services at health centers because they were not as accommodating of their needs. But I have been able to let them know that nowadays, many health providers have been trained on how to effectively handle the sexual reproductive health needs of young people, and I have seen them taking up services,” she says.   Bridget, Caroline and other young advocates trained by the 3E project are now recognized as sources of quality SRHR information in their communities, and continue to raise their voices in different platforms they are invited to –including at the national and regional levels where they raise thier voices and all for the prioritization of the reproductive health needs of young African women. The project has also had an effect on the girls at a personal level.  "Before the project, I was not able to stand up and speak before people. I was afraid and shy. But not anymore. I am happy to say that my engagement with the 3E project has made me more confident, and today I can address a huge gathering of people in my community, where I share with them information on among others: sexual and reproductive health,” says Jacinta Auma from Siaya County in Kenya.  The 3E Project, implemented through the technical assistance of IPPF Africa Region and with financial support from UN Women, has indeed transformed the lives of adolescents and young women in the three countries. Story by Maryanne W. Waweru, IPPF Africa Region.

The Access, Services and Knowledge (ASK): what young people want, what young people need’ programme targets young people (10-24 years) including underserved groups, with a specific focus on uptake of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services in the countries of Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Ghana and Senegal. ASK aims to ensure that young people not only receive direct information on sexual and reproductive health and rights so that they can make independent informed decisions. The ASK programme is a joint effort by 7 organisations: IPPF Rutgers WPF, Simavi, Amref Flying Doctors, Choice, dance4life and Stop Aids Now! Child Helpline International is engaged in the programme as a technical partner.