ECM
The ECM Project equips adolescents, peer educators and youth networks in eastern Uganda to prevent child marriage, strengthen SRHR and GBV awareness, connect communities to services, and engage decision-makers through youth-led advocacy, community dialogue and media outreach across priority districts.
Supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Background & Need
The ECM Project works across Kween, Bukwo, Kapchorwa and Kamuli to help adolescents and young people gain the information, skills, voice and service linkages needed to reduce child marriage and related sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence risks.
Adolescents in Uganda face teenage pregnancy, child marriage, gender-based violence and limited access to youth-friendly health services. In the priority districts, harmful norms, poverty, limited education and gaps in quality Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care deepen these risks.
Implemented by Naguru Teenage Centre within a UNFPA-led country programme, in partnership with government institutions, the project combines peer education, youth advocacy, media engagement and community dialogue.
Objectives
- Increase knowledge of SRHR, gender-based violence, safeguarding and available services.
- Prevent child marriage by promoting girls' rights, gender equality, school retention and practical alternatives.
- Strengthen youth leadership, social accountability and evidence-based engagement with decision-makers.
- Equip peer educators and youth networks to mobilise communities, facilitate dialogue and make referrals inclusively.
Target Groups
- Adolescents and youth at risk of child marriage, teenage pregnancy or school dropout.
- Girls aged 10-19, including those divorced or separated, living with disabilities, or in humanitarian, host, poor urban and climate-affected communities.
- Peer educators, youth structures, parents, young men, health workers, teachers and local leaders.
Areas of Implementation
Kween, Bukwo, Kapchorwa and Kamuli, with additional social accountability training in Mbale and interface meetings in Nabwigulu Sub-county (Kamuli) and Kapsinda Sub-county (Kapchorwa).
Major Activities
- Training peer educators to mobilise communities, share information and promote service access.
- Building youth networks' advocacy, leadership, accountability and budgeting skills.
- Facilitating adolescent-led forums and interface meetings with decision-makers.
- Using radio, television, print and social media to promote girls' rights and gender equality.
- Strengthening safeguarding, inclusive programming and SRHR/GBV referral skills while engaging parents, young men and duty-bearers.
Key Achievements
- 30 peer educators and mobilisers trained against a target of 25 (120%).
- 30 youth representatives trained through youth structures and networks against a target of 20 (150%).
- Six adolescent-led dialogue and decision-maker engagement meetings completed (60% of target; four deferred to Quarter 3 due to budget constraints).
- 10 media talk shows completed (100% of target), delivered by district leaders.
- Young people moved from passive participation to evidence-based civic engagement, with interface meetings generating community-owned recommendations in Kapchorwa and Kamuli.