Today, the Naguru Teenage Centre (NTC) team launched the Peer Educators (PE) Reflection Meeting in Arua City under the SHE SOARS Project. This initiative brings together peer educators to review progress, provide feedback, and strengthen strategies aimed at enhancing adolescent health interventions across the district.

Peer educators are the frontline champions of adolescent sexual and reproductive health (SRH), bridging the gap between young people and essential services. Their role extends beyond awareness creation; they mentor peers, guide health-seeking behaviors, and ensure that every adolescent has access to accurate information, services, and support.

The reflection meeting serves multiple purposes. First, it provides a platform for peer educators to share experiences and insights from their work in the community, highlighting successes and identifying challenges that may hinder effective implementation. This open dialogue ensures that lessons learned on the ground inform future planning.

Second, the meeting focuses on addressing gaps in profiling and implementation. By reviewing data, tracking progress, and discussing strategies, peer educators and facilitators aim to ensure that all project targets are met efficiently and effectively. This process helps to streamline operations, making interventions more targeted and impactful.

Finally, the meeting emphasizes leveraging strategies to achieve the set targets for FY5. Through collaborative discussions, peer educators identify innovative ways to reach more adolescents, enhance engagement, and ensure high-quality delivery of SRH services. The session also reinforces the importance of teamwork, accountability, and continuous learning in achieving meaningful results.

Throughout the meeting, facilitators from NTC guided the discussions, providing mentorship, technical guidance, and support to ensure peer educators are well-equipped to drive community-level change. Their contributions are crucial in creating youth-friendly health spaces and promoting equitable access to services.

As the reflection meeting unfolds, it is clear that empowering peer educators is central to the success of the SHE SOARS Project. By listening, learning, and planning together, NTC and its partners are strengthening adolescent health systems, ensuring that interventions are responsive, inclusive, and sustainable.

The Arua City reflection meeting underscores a simple truth: when peer educators are supported, listened to, and equipped, they become powerful agents of change, transforming the lives of young people and the communities they serve.