UGANDA: ENGINEERING WORKS PROMOTING HEALTH RIGHTS IN COMMUNITIES THROUGH CONSTRUCTIONS

Lydia Alyecho writes

The communities dwelling in these areas have a high HIV / AIDS prevalence of 6.2 % in Purongo Sub County, Anaka town council, Nwoya district stands at 4.2 %

NWOYA-UGANDA: Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA), has commended Reproductive Health Uganda (RHU) for its handling sexual reproductive health issues in communities having road construction.

Joana Nasuuna, UNRA Sociologist says RHU has handled well sexual reproductive health issues among communities living along various clusters of seven (7) kilometersGulu – Anaka road that was constructed in the last one year by Zhongmei Engineering Group Limited.

She says Ugandan communities face Sexual and gender-based violence issues among members of communities where road construction takes place. This can increase the risks of teenage pregnancies, constructing of HIV, cervical cancer and other sexual disease.

“we at UNRA shall continue to recommend Reproductive Health Uganda to sensitize communities where road construction is ongoing, so as for they to benefit from reducing the dangers of sexual and gender-based violence, teenage pregnancies and unsafe abortions which are rampant where road construction takes place in Uganda” Nasuuna says.

The road construction was done in Anaka town roads in Anaka town council through four parishes of Ceke, Labyei, Ogom, and Akago-7km.

In Gulu city roads Pece road from Layibi trading center – Aywe – Nyerere road near Pece stadium and Aboo road off Gulu- Moroto road to Laro road – near Gulu University- 3Kms.

The communities dwelling in these areas have a high HIV / AIDS prevalence of 6.2 % in Purongo Sub County, Anaka town council, Nwoya district stands at 4.2 %

Dr. Peter Ibembe, RHU Director of Programs says the communities where road construction was done have benefited from sexual Reproductive Health and rights awareness, trained and services to ease Female genital mutilation, gender based violence, teenage pregnancies, access to family planning and provision of HIV awareness in Gulu City and Anaka town.

According to Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) Reproductive Health Uganda (RHU) was nominated by UNRA to offer consultancy services for promotion of gender sensitization and awareness creation, mitigation and management of HIV/AIDS and other social safeguard risks to communities along the Anaka- Gulu road, construction project from July 2020 to July 2021.

Agnes Akello, Nwoya district RDC says the project hascreated behaviour change among the target population and translated into service acceptability, uptake and subsequent reduction in HIV transmission, gender-based violence and discrimination and thus a more productive workforce and supportive community.

But Maurice Obwona, Gulu City Deputy Town Clerk commends the Gulu – Anaka road construction for the contributed to national efforts to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic, mainstream gender and manage occupational hazards through applying positive educational messages on HIV/AIDS, sexual health, gender and OSH in the workforce and project affected communities.

He says with 13,705 clients reached in 47 outreaches carried out, 15,047 sexual reproductive health rights (SRHR)services were offered by RHU which is a very tremendous job done. 10.9% of these SRHR were offered to young people below 24 years of age in Gulu City and Anaka, Nwoya district.

The writer of this story was trained under the media advocacy program in partnership with RHU and Advanced Family Planning (AFP)