TASO Factsheet on providing youth friendly services

1. YOUTH FRIENDLY SERVICES
7,913
in care at 11 centres
YOUNG PEOPLE
TASO is committed to improving the range and accessibility of adolescent and
youth friendly services in all its units.

2. In 2007, research was conducted by TASO and other partners (USAID and Population Council Frontiers) to address the reproductive health needs of adolescents prenatally infected with HIV in Uganda, in particular understanding adolescent sexuality (desires, experiences, beliefs, values and practices) and to identify fears they have while growing up. The results emphasized the need to scale up prevention services among adolescents and provide appropriate information to enhance informed choices on adolescent sexual and reproductive health. From the results TASO appreciated that adolescents have needs that are unique to those of children and adults and therefore developed a package to suit these unique needs. TASO introduced adolescent friendly services that include psychosocial, medical care and treatment where 7913 young people (10 -24 years) are in care at all its 11 service centres.
YOUTH FRIENDLY SERVICES
INFORMING
for behavioral change
YOUTH
The AIDS Support Organisation
Uganda
Old Mulago Hospital Complex
P.O. Box 10443
Kampala, Uganda
+256 414 532 580
mail@tasouganda.org
www.tasouganda.org
Recommendations/interventions to strengthen youth friendly services for adolescents and young people (10 - 24 years);
• The adolescent clinics accommodate only young people 10-24 years so they have enough time to interact with the service providers who prepare them to be transited into adult care.
• Allotted space is used to engage the adolescents and young people (10-24 years) in in-door and out-door games, service delivery and behavior change communication activities such as health talks, drama group sessions, pinning posters, showing videos on adolescent sexual reproductive health.
• Establishment of peer support meetings to address psychosocial issues and in-turn build their self-esteem; non-clinic days are used in order to have enough time with the young people
• Service providers (counselors) are trained in youth friendly service provision. TASO currently has 22 counselors trained to offer youth friendly services.
• Information is given through counseling and health talks regarding sexual reproductive health issues e.g. emergency contraceptive, sexual abuse, pregnancy testing, post abortion care, prenatal care, HPV immunization and family planning services.
• Young people are involved in their own health care through identifying peer education, design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of HIV services, policies and programmes. This helps enhance their leadership skills to equip them to demand for youth friendly health services and programmes.
• Establish resource centers with different educational materials like magazines, brochures, comic books, video tapes, computers where adolescents and young people can access information regarding their health and future prospects
• Revised Standard Operation Procedures for provision of adolescent sexual and reproductive health services in a youth friendly manner.