“Each day, nearly 6,000 young people between the ages of 15 and 24 become infected with HIV worldwide, yet only a fraction of them know they are infected.”

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)

Awareness raising

One of the key challenges facing any attempt to improve sexual and reproductive health in Africa is to find a way of dispelling widespread misconceptions. With the growing spread of HIV/AIDS, this is a challenge that SAFY is tackling head on.

When SAFY first started working in Kitamanyangamba slum, Kampala, six out of ten young people were unaware of the danger of HIV/AIDS. They did not know that they needed to protect themselves. Our Social Workers would overhear young people saying “condoms are bad for you” and “HIV can be cured if you have sex with a virgin”.

These terrifying misconceptions came from a lack of reliable information appropriate for young people. Our society had failed to educate its young people about the risks they faced.

One of SAFY's key roles is to be a resource for young people, providing them with reliable, 'youth friendly' sexual and reproductive health information. Through talks, movie and radio shows, drama groups, games and even sports tournaments, SAFY's staff, volunteers and Peer Educators help young people to understand the issues, protect themselves and act responsibly.

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