Project title: Care and support for STI/HIV/AIDS infected and affected youths involved in transient trade in Mbarara, Uganda

Implementing body: Family Planning Association of Uganda (FPAU)

Aim: To advance the sexual and reproductive health rights of marginalized youth and under-served rural communities

Uganda is one of Africa’s success stories when it comes to reducing HIV/AIDS prevalence rates. But, despite the inroads being made, there are still many marginalized and desperately poor rural communities at risk.

These are some of the facts that define this country:

• Almost two million people in Uganda require HIV/AIDS care and support services
• Around 1.2 million children have been orphaned as a result of the pandemic
• HIV/AIDS is now more serious than either TB or malaria, accounting for as many as 12 per cent of deaths annually

In spite of the stress on the country's health resources created by poverty, malnutrition and poor access to clean water, the success of Uganda's HIV/AIDS prevention programmes has been widely acclaimed.

HIV/AIDS prevention messages have been taken to youth in schools as part of a presidential initiative. But only 12 per cent of Uganda's children continue education to secondary-school level, so it’s important to target out-of-school youth.