In September 2026, Partners for Healthy Individuals and Communities (PHIC) held two cross-generational community dialogues on Adolescent and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), first in Namayumba Subcounty, Busiro North, on 8th September, and again in Masulita Subcounty on 10th September. Both convenings brought elders and young people into the same room, not to lecture one another, but to listen to one another.
The statistic driving both dialogues is difficult to sit with: one in every four girls in Wakiso District is pregnant or has already had a child by the age of 19, and Busiro North in particular carries a heavy share of that burden alongside rising HIV and STI infections, child marriage, and young people dropping out of school before their story has really begun. At PHIC, we have refused to let that be reduced to a statistic. Every percentage point in that data wears a human face- the face of an adolescent who deserved guidance rather than judgment, and a family that needed support rather than shame.
At both Namayumba and Masulita, PHIC brought together parents, religious and cultural leaders, teachers, health workers, police officers, youth political leaders, social workers, technical experts, and young people themselves, not as subjects of the conversation, but as equal voices in it. Adults heard, many for the first time, what their children are actually facing. Young people heard the wisdom, and the worry, behind their elders’ silence.
By the close of each dialogue, participants left with a shared commitment: to speak out against sexual and gender-based violence without hesitation, to protect the rights of every young person, to make accurate sexual and reproductive health information and services accessible, and to replace judgment with guidance whenever a young person reaches out for help, so that our young people can make choices that carry them meaningfully into their future.
A child raised by an entire village doesn’t fall through the cracks. Namayumba and Masulita both reminded us what that looks like in practice. PHIC is grateful to every parent, leader, officer, teacher, health worker, and young person who showed up in both subcounties and chose dialogue over silence.
Partners for Healthy Individuals and Communities (PHIC) continues its cross-generational dialogue series as part of its Sexual and Reproductive Health program to improve Health outcomes across Uganda.
A cross-generational dialogue session in Masulita Subcounty, Wakiso District, on Adolescent and Youth SRH and SGBV, 10th September 2026.
Elders and young people engage in open discussion during the Masulita cross-generational dialogue on adolescent SRH and SGBV, Wakiso District, 10th September 2026.
Community members follow the proceedings of the Masulita cross-generational dialogue on adolescent SRH and SGBV.
Young people and elders take part side by side in the Masulita dialogue, sharing perspectives on adolescent SRH and SGBV.
PHIC facilitators and local leaders lead the Masulita Subcounty cross-generational dialogue on adolescent SRH and SGBV, Wakiso District, 10th September 2026.