Reach A Hand Uganda (RAHU) has trained young content creators to use social media to address key socio-economic and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) challenges affecting young people.
The training aimed to strengthen youth agency by equipping participants with knowledge and skills to create accurate, age-appropriate and culturally sensitive digital content on SRHR. Key focus areas included HIV prevention, teenage pregnancy, unsafe abortion, gender-based violence and child marriage — issues that continue to disproportionately affect adolescents and young people, who also make up the largest share of online audiences.
The week-long programme combined sexuality education with hands-on digital content creation, enabling participants to use online platforms for awareness, advocacy, dialogue and positive behaviour change within their communities.
The initiative was implemented under the O3 Programme — Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future — in partnership with UNESCO, and led by Reach A Hand Uganda alongside other organisations advancing comprehensive sexuality education and youth-led advocacy. The programme forms part of a wider regional effort to empower young people in Uganda and Kenya to use digital media, film and storytelling to address critical SRHR issues.
A total of 48 young people completed the training and were awarded certificates of participation.
Speaking at the engagement, Ambassador Rosa Malango, Presidential Envoy on Tourism and Trade, commended the initiative for amplifying youth voices in national development discussions.
“Young people shape online conversations every day. When they are equipped with the right digital skills, they can transform communities by sharing accurate, engaging and life-saving information,” she said.
Teddy Chimulwa, UNESCO National Programme Officer for Education for Health and Well-being, said the initiative would help expand UNESCO’s impact across Africa.
“We encourage young people to give their best, because we believe they will drive positive change across the country and beyond,” he said.
Shantal Katana, Lead Gen Z at Reach A Hand Uganda, urged participants to use digital platforms responsibly and positively to drive meaningful change in SRHR.
Participants welcomed the training, saying it bridged the gap between digital creativity and social impact while positioning young creators as trusted voices on sensitive but critical issues affecting their generation.
The initiative aligns with national and regional efforts to reduce HIV infections, early and unintended pregnancies, gender-based violence and child marriage, contributing to better-informed decision-making and healthier outcomes for young people.
