Capacity Building Toolkit for Religious Leaders on Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and HIV Prevention in Uganda

Abstract

The toolkit was developed as part of the adaption process of the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) Regional Religious Leaders' Toolkit on Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights developed UNESCO Regional Office for HIV and Health Education in 2019. The adaption process was participatory involving a formative assessment that adopted two approaches namely: 1) Religious Leaders Regional Inter-faith Dialogues conducted in Kampala, Jinja, Mbarara and Arua, 2) Consultations with religious leaders selected through Inter-Religious Council of Uganda, and other key stakeholders at national and regional level including the Ministry of Education and Sports. The rationale for this toolkit is the need to build capacity of religious leaders and enable them appreciate and address sexual and reproductive health and rights issues among adolescents. This toolkit therefore serves two purposes: First is to guide training and capacity development for religious leaders in adolescent sexual reproductive and health rights (SRHR). The second is to provide resource material that religious leaders can use in their congregations and communities to reach out to adolescents with SRHR information and services. The toolkit contains different units that are derived from the ESA Regional Religious Leaders' Toolkit and from the formative assessment findings that was conducted as part of the adaptation process. It has learning objectives, activities and information that religious leaders can utilize to promote ASRHR in their places of worship and in the larger community. It also has some scriptures that religious leaders can refer to during engagement, and they are encouraged to generate more scriptures to support their communication on each of the units in addition to what is already included. Religious leaders can use information from this toolkit to fit different settings (e.g., from the pulpit, meeting youth groups, weddings, funerals, graduation celebrations and other events). Although the units suggest the amount of time to allocate for each activity, religious leaders can adjust the time to meet their specific needs. Thus, when there is more time available, participants should be allowed to fully share their views on particular themes especially during capacity building workshops that can last to 2-3 days. When there is less time available, a single activity or key points are provided can be utilized by facilitator move to other themes. Users of this toolkit are encouraged to prepare before use by; becoming familiar with the toolkit, its structure and content. Users are also encouraged to seek out local fact sheets related to Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. And the toolkit will be supported by periodical and up to date global fact sheets that provide information about HIV among adolescents, teen pregnancy, child marriage, and sexual violence Sources for this will include the websites and local offices of United Nations and Uganda Ministries of Health, Education and Sports (MOES) as well as Gender, Labor and Social Development (MOGLSD).