Adolescent Girls & Young Women Empowerment

Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) Empowerment Program

The project, “Empowerment of AGYWs through Integrated DREAMS Services,” is an initiative to address social, economic and reproductive health challenges faced by Adolescent Girls and Young Women aged 15 – 24.

DREAMS Acronym: Determined, Resilient, Empowered, Mentored and Safe

With funding from USAID/PEPFAR, Kitovu Mobile limited in Partnership with Rakai Health Sciences Program has implemented the Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) empowerment program since 2016 in Rakai, Kyotera and Masaka Districts. The program aims at strengthening the most vulnerable and most at risk Adolescent Girls and Young women aged 09-24.

By strengthening the Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYWS), the program seeks to achieve the accelerated HIV/AIDS epidemic control among the population.

PROJECT GOAL:

To reduce HIV incidence among Adolescent Girls and Young Women, through socio economic strengthening, provision of adolescent friendly services and linking their partners and potential partners for VMMC and ART.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES:

  • Improved income levels of AGYWs aged 15 – 24 and their households.
  • Increased access to VMMC services among AGYW partners and increase the number of AGYW male partners living with HIV accessing antiretroviral treatment (ART).
  • Increased access to adolescent friendly services among the targeted AGYWs.

Sub groups of

  • Adolescent Girls (10-19 years old)
  • Orphans and Vulnerable Children
  • Young Women (20-24)
  • Male Sex Partners (20-49 years old)
  1. Enrollment and orientation of AGYWs on DREAMS Services especially Social Economic Strengthening.
  2. Financial literacy training for AGYWs
  3. IGA Identification for AGYWs and Registration of AGYWs for Agriculture or Vocational Skills Training
  4. Formation and Strengthening of Saving Internal and Lending Community (SILC) groups among the enrolled AGYWs.
  5. Training of AGYWs in Vocational skills and basic agricultural practices
  6. Provision of IGAs to the AGYWs
  7. Partner tracking for AGYWs and conducting sensitization meetings for AGYW male partners
  8. HTC testing camps for potential partners and setting up Friendly Corners at model safe spaces
  9. Identification, assessment and follow up of AGYWs affected by violence, and conducting quarterly post trauma counseling sessions for survivors.
  10. Conducting and supervision of Parenting Sessions among AGYWs, to strengthen the role of caregivers in supporting the AGYWs to achieve their goals and stay healthy
  11. Education subsidies to vulnerable in-school AGYWs to sustain them in school.
  12.  

Through the AGYW empowerment program, Kitovu Mobile has been able to;

    • Scale up on partner service provision and this has helped us to engage males into our programming.
    • Train AGYWS in Hair dressing, bakery and tailoring in Kyotera, Rakai and Masaka These were also supported to develop business skills before completion and were given start up packages.
    • AGYWS have been sensitized more about GBV thus can now openly talk about the vice.
    • Keep girls in school by providing school fees and scholastic materials.