Five Ugandan youth to attend Women Deliver 2013

By Vision Reporter
Publish Date: May 22, 2013

Five Ugandan youth are among 100 youth leaders from all over the world selected to attend Women Deliver 2013, a global conference that will bring together over 5,000 leaders, experts and advocated from 160 countries in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia next week.

Women Deliver is the decade’s largest global conference focusing on girls’ and women’s health and empowerment.

The conference aims at keeping on the global agenda the issue of investments in girls and women.

Uganda has the largest number of youth leaders from one country. The youths will have the opportunity to learn more about women and girl issues and connect with experts from around the world.

Elman Nsinda, a journalist volunteers at the White Ribbon Alliance to advocate for maternal and newborn health issues. He is one of the delegates.

Nsinda believes that to improve women and children’s health, men need to be tasked to explain when their wives deliver at home and get complications.

“In our community boys don’t understand women issues. I have just started appreciating that what I need, a woman also needs,” he says.

He argues that men in our society are the ones with the economic muscle. “It is their role to save money, to make decisions,” he says.

Orphaned in Primary One, Nsinda was raised by a grandmother. At 17, she too passed away and he was taken on by a paternal aunt.

“I was raised by women and I have seen and understand their challenges,” he explains and this inspires him to work for their cause.

Martin Wanzala, another of the young delegated to Women Deliver believes culture is the biggest impediment to progress in achieving reproductive health.

The team leader at Allied Youth Initiative–Uganda, a youth organization in Mbale has observed that culture envelopes the discussion around sexual and reproductive health issues.

He says young people cannot freely discuss reproductive health issues because of cultural taboos.

“We use drama, music and dance to deliver the message in a gentle way,” he says.

Humphrey Nabimanya, another young leader and founder of Reach A Hand Uganda testifies to the power of the arts in engaging young people for health.

Source:  http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/643037-five-ugandan-youth-to-attend-women-deliver-2013.html