June 23, 2026
Photo: Sarah, fifth girl from right, with her peers and mentors at a recent International Day of the Girl Child celebration in Masindi District, Uganda.
At 16, Sarah had dropped out of school and spent her days helping her mother run a small roadside stall in Kijura Trading Centre, Masindi District, Uganda. Like many girls in her community, she had limited access to accurate sexual and reproductive health information and faced a heightened risk of HIV infection.
Conversations about HIV and sexual health were rarely held openly, leaving many girls without the information or support they needed to make informed decisions about their health and futures. Early relationships and peer pressure added to those risks.
Making Space for Courageous Conversations
This began to change when Kinvia’s local partner, Child Rights Empowerment and Development Organization (CEDO), intensified its work with adolescent girls and young women as part of the Accelerating and Sustaining HIV/AIDS Epidemic Control and Related Diseases project.
Sarah and her peers were invited to participate in formal peer-to-peer learning sessions, community dialogues, and awareness activities focused on HIV prevention and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). These sessions created a safe space where girls could ask questions, share experiences, and learn without stigma.
Sarah Finds Her Voice
A turning point for Sarah came during the celebration of the International Day of the Girl Child in Masindi District. Organized by Girls Not Brides Uganda — a coalition of more than 140 civil society organizations throughout the country, including CEDO — the theme of the 2025 event was “The girl I am, the change I lead: Girls on the frontlines of crisis.” The event provided a high-profile platform for girls to express themselves and take leadership roles in the conversations affecting their lives.
For Sarah, this was her moment. With encouragement from her peers and mentors, she delivered a spoken word performance that highlighted the challenges girls face and the importance of self-worth, resilience, and informed decision-making.
Before a large audience, Sarah spoke with confidence about HIV prevention and the need for girls to take charge of their futures — something she had never imagined herself doing before.
One Conversation Leads to Another
Today, Sarah shares accurate information about HIV prevention, sexual and reproductive health, the importance of HIV testing, and staying in school.
Sarah, second from left, performs a drama at an International Day of the Girl Child event.
As her confidence has grown, she has become a peer advocate whom other girls look to for advice and encouragement.
Sarah’s personal transformation, from shy and quiet girl to outspoken advocate, reflects a broader shift within her peer group and the broader community.
She starts conversations that many young people in her community have never had. With each one, another girl gains the confidence to speak openly about HIV, sexual and reproductive health, and her rights. Each conversation creates space for another, replacing silence and stigma with knowledge and informed choices.
Through thousands of conversations like these, the goal of ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 comes within reach.
The initiatives described in this article are generously funded by The Slaight Family Foundation's NGO Emergency Support Initiative. We are grateful for their support.
