RUCOMODE has played a significant role in supporting teenage mothers in Rukungiri, Kitagwenda, Kisoro, Rukiga, Kanungu, Kabaale and Mitooma districts by offering HIV prevention services in line with ministry of health guidelines. RUCOMODE embraces approaches that target the biggest drivers of HIV epidemic by focusing on the interventions geared at reducing new HIV infections among the Most at-risk populations (MARPS) often referred to as key population (KPs) and priority population.
We give a minimum service package that includes risk reduction counseling, HIV testing, counseling and referral for art initiation, food items, transportation, TB screening and treatment, GBV counseling, STIs screening and treatment, condom distribution, and HIV self-testing kits testing and distribution among others, peer leader and KP focal persons helped in identifying condom distribution points and hot spots that increased a big number reached. The most challenging issue is that teenage mothers and youths are unproductive due to unemployment hence a need for their economic empowerment for their alternative sources of income.
RUCOMODE from last 2023 has spearheaded other activists in elimination of sexual and gender based violence at household level and at community levels, this was done under Gender, Equality and Economic Justice Program. This is aiming at unblocking the societal patriarchal norms and equal participation in the decision making processes in Uganda. Pastoralists are associated with sexual related issues such as incest, early marriages and women economic injustices.
Rukobarwomunda for Community Mobilisation and Development (RUCOMODE) has employed a number of interventions through capacity building of stakeholders, civic education engagements, community dialogue and focused group discussions to send a message of economic justice, equal participation in the decision making processes and elimination of sexual and gender based violence. This has been done through RUCOMODE member based strategy, the community were mobilized to form 18 women groups, each group ranging from 25-30 member per group making 540 members. These were trained to be community facilitators and send a message on our behalf in different forums. Furthermore, these groups went ahead and formed village SACCOs called Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA) which has helped them improve household income.
