The Young, Empowered and Healthy (YEAH) project is a multi-faceted project designed to use social media and key influencers to promote uptake of modern family planning methods among girls so as to contribute towards the reduction of the ever-rising teenage pregnancies, which are affecting the educational outcomes of many girls in secondary schools and universities in Uganda. YEAH equips young people in universities and secondary schools with correct information on modern contraceptives, debunking myths around family under the projects campaign dubbed, Achieve Your Dreams.
Achieve Your Dreams campaign runs for three months on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Twitter. Key influencers will play a key role in driving the campaign key messages (Family Planning is safe, convenient, accessible and reliable) using their social media platforms.
The campaign targets to reach 10,500 young girls and boys aged 13 – 25 years with scientifically accurate sexual and reproductive health messages, promoting uptake of modern family planning methods and debunking popular myths and misconceptions about family planning.
Uganda’s maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) remains high, estimated to be 336 deaths per 100,000 live births of which 17.2 percent of the deaths were among those aged 15-19. Almost a quarter (25%) of Ugandan women have given birth by the age of 18 resulting in nearly 35% of girls dropping out of school due to early marriage and 23% drop out due to teenage pregnancy. This has ruined the future of several young girls in Uganda keeping them uneducated and poor with no hope of breaking the poverty cycle.
