Sexual and Reproductive Health & Maternal health
There has been inadequate sensitization on the SRHR. This is compounded by the low levels of formal education, which are necessary to enhance women and girls make the right choices with their bodies and live optimal and fulfilling lives, with a focus on the following issues.
- (i) Prevention of HIV/AIDS among young People and women in Uganda:
Culture is a main vector of transmission of HIV/AIDS throughout Bugisu sub region partly
due to traditional norms like during male circumcision, which promote indiscriminate sex
episodes, use of a single un- sterilized knife on multiple candidates, rape and also during
the popular “INEMBA DANCE” where the circumcised are officially inaugurated into
manhood, all participants in the dance are not supposed to refuse any sex advance
irrespective of age save for relatives in a bid to avoid incest.
This has led to high levels of HIV/AIDS contraction. Two thirds of the total population of Eastern Uganda is young. They have no fear regarding the infection of HIV and AIDS. As a result, this risk has been increasing day by day and this becomes the obstacle to build safe and developed life for the youth. We need to think about the risk of spreading HIV/AIDS among the youth.
(ii) Reduction in maternal deaths: Another aspect that this organization strives to achieve is to scale down and provide information that effectively guides actions to eliminate preventable maternal mortality at health facilities in the community and Strengthen early infant diagnosis (EID) services for HIV Exposed Infants (HEI).Infants acquire HIV infection most commonly through mother to child transmission (MTCT) during pregnancy, labor and delivery, or breastfeeding.
Owing to rapid progression of HIV disease among infants, early infant diagnosis (EID) and treatment remains the hallmark to ensure infant survival. In many settings, follow-up of HIV-exposed infants has been poor In order to achieve this goal, SACHARC has been implementing this program with the assistance from Stephen Lewis Foundation, Aids Information Centre-Uganda, CARE Uganda among others
