MobilART: Empowering Women for Health Equity

Limited access to sexual and reproductive health information among young girls and women in Uganda has led to a range of negative health outcomes. Teenage pregnancy is a top cause of death among young girls in Uganda (UNICEF 2019). The country's Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) stood at 336 deaths per 100,000 live births and regarding maternal mortality rates, 17.2 per cent of the deaths were among those aged 15-19 (UNFPA 2021).  Insufficient awareness and limited access to accurate healthcare knowledge exacerbate these issues, preventing women from making informed decisions about their health.

Uganda Youth Consortium for Antimicrobial Stewardship (UYCAS) proposes a unique initiative called MobilART Uganda, which combines creative art with mobile clinics to enhance access to sexual and reproductive health information. The primary objectives of MobilART Uganda are:

a) To increase awareness and knowledge regarding sexual and reproductive health among young girls and women in Uganda.
b) To empower women to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.
c) To promote preventive practices to reduce the incidence of teenage pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, unsafe abortions, and maternal mortality.

MobilART Uganda consists of mobile clinics equipped with trained healthcare professionals, along with artists and educators. The mobile clinics travel to local communities and schools, where interactive and informative sessions shall be conducted using various forms of creative art, such as drama, music, storytelling, and visual arts. These sessions will effectively engage participants, providing them with accurate information on sexual and reproductive health topics, including contraception, STIs, menstrual hygiene, family planning, and safe motherhood.

The target population of MobilART Uganda is young girls and women in Uganda. This population is currently underserved in terms of access to sexual and reproductive health information and services due to a variety of factors, including gender biases and cultural attitudes around gender, limited access to healthcare facilities, and lack of education and awareness about sexual and reproductive health

MobilART Uganda aims to directly and meaningfully improve the lives of this target population by addressing these barriers and promoting sexual and reproductive health. The solution combines creative art with mobile clinics to enhance access to sexual and reproductive health information and services. By increasing awareness and knowledge regarding sexual and reproductive health among young girls and women in Uganda, MobilART Uganda aims to empower women to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health and promote preventive practices to reduce the incidence of teenage pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, unsafe abortions, and maternal mortality.

MobilART Uganda's approach of combining creative art with mobile clinics could help to overcome some of the barriers faced by young women in accessing sexual and reproductive health information and services. By bringing the clinics to the community, MobilART Uganda will increase access to healthcare facilities and services for young girls and women who may not have the means to travel to a healthcare facility. Additionally, the creative art component of the solution will help to engage and educate young girls and women who may not have had access to formal education or awareness campaigns about sexual and reproductive health

Uganda youth consortium for antimicrobial stewardship under the leadership of a young enthusiastic & passionate young professional, Dr. Edema Fred Otto  has been using creative art to educate and raise awareness about antimicrobial resistance and the project is one of the most successful youth-led project in Uganda. Out of the 8 members on the executive board,  all have ever participated in the SRH education projects ran by UNESCO. 

The team has a vast experience of over 10 years combined in SRH and able to deliver whatever it takes to make MobilART a success. there are 5 young ladies in the team in addition to the patron who happens to be a young lady too.

lastly, we have been in communities actively engaging in health talks and this is our advantage

We have about 5000+ young people on our platform. 

It should be noted that Uganda Youth Consortium for Antimicrobial Stewardship has been doing projects aimed at preventing antimicrobial resistance among the youths with innovative approaches such as use of creative art to educate and raise awareness about antimicrobial resistance in Uganda.

we shall leverage on the number of youths on our platform to reach out to young girls and women for SHRH empowerment.

The initiative will generate revenue through partnerships with local businesses, organizations that sponsor the mobile clinics and through the creative art sessions.

MobilART Uganda is likely funding through grants, donations, or partnerships with organizations that support sexual and reproductive health initiatives in Uganda such as UNFPA, UNESCO etc.