The Alliance of Women Advocating for Change celebrated love the intersectional and safe way
22 June 2023
On the global day for celebrating love, Valentine’s Day, The Alliance of Women Advocating for Change (AWAC) spread love under the Make Way programme and hosted a Modern Contraception Awareness Dialogue at the secretariat offices. The activity was held to amplify and empower the voices of AGYWs with different intersectional vulnerabilities to opine on the access of contraception and the challenges due to lack thereof.
The event empowered minoritized Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) from 6 districts in Kampala, Uganda namely, Wakiso, Terego, Tororo, Kalangala, and Gulu) who had never had the opportunity to speak in civic spaces where duty-bearers and district leaders are gathered and make a contribution to the discussion.
Due to the presence of healthcare officers with expertise working in AGYW on issues of SRHR who also contributed to the discussion, many misconceptions concerning contraception were demystified. The participants especially the minoritized youths (such as the AGYW engaging in sex work) were empowered with more authentic knowledge on contraception and the options available. This enabled the AGYW to understand that access to contraception is their inherent health right regardless of any circumstance.
These further got contacts of duty bearers and influencers to use in case of further inquiries and help. The Dialogue adopted an intersectional approach in raising awareness on contraception in its implementation, this encompassed, sharing of experiences of AGYW with disabilities as well as those who are LBQ. This left the audience with a comprehensive understanding of modern contraception issues among the minoritized youths in Uganda. The crossroads/junction where the mural art was drawn has a road traffic of over 5000 road users every day and these will be in position to see the information on contraception clearly drawn on the mural art.
Owing to the fact that the participants came from different districts and these will cascade information to their peers in their respective districts and communities.
The Dialogue provided an opportunity to have different population constituents represented i.e., rights holders (such as: AGYW in sex work, including those living with disabilities, affected by displacement (like those in humanitarian settings), LBQ youths, AGYW in sex work from Island areas, health workers and duty bearers. This strengthened social cohesion as a lee way to combat stigma.
Many thanks to all partners on board, Akina Mama wa Afrika, MakeWay Programme Collaborating Partners, Youth Panel of Uganda, media and duty bearers who made this a success.
The Alliance of Women Advocating for Change (AWAC) is an umbrella network for grassroot female sex worker led-organizations in Uganda. Established in 2015 by the champions of the female sex worker movement to give visibility; promote meaningful involvement and collective organizing of rural & peri-urban Female Sex Workers (FSWs), especially those operating in hard to reach areas such as slum areas, landing sites, transit routes and boarder areas to strengthen a unified, vibrant, national, and sustainable FSW led movement Uganda. Read more about AWAC’s work here.
