Unemployment and poverty top youth concerns

By Flavia Lanyero

Poverty and unemployment are the most pressing needs the youth would like government to address if their lives are to improve it has emerged.

Other challenges facing the youth, in descending order , include: Stigma and discrimination to access Reproductive Health Services, Insufficient funds to Sexual and Reproductive Health Services, Limited youth friendly health facilities and bad attitude of health workers, Ignorance on sexual and reproductive health issues, HIV/AIDS and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Infections.

These issues emerged at a youth discussion on Wednesday 6th 2015 organised by World Vision Uganda to commemorate this year’s Global Week of Action under the theme: Counting Loses, Consolidating the Gains: Prioritise women, children and adolescent health in the Post 2015 Development agenda. The Global Week of Action is a popular mobilisation campaign to help raise voices of women, youth and children for their leaders to put them at the centre of new development agenda. It runs from 4–11 May 2015.

The youth also suggested a number of solutions to their problems which will presented to government representatives tomorrow 8th/ May/2015. The solutions endorsed by the youth include: formulation of vocational youth centres, increased awareness on Reproductive Health Services, Affirmative Action on youth friendly services, increased funding to the health sector and involvement of youth leaders in budget formulation.

Esther Nasikye the World Vision Child Health Now (CHN) Coordinator said that the Global Week of Action will; Influence Uganda to put children, women and adolescents at the centre of the Sustainable Development Goals, Increase support from key decision makers for our post-2015 recommendations and targets on poverty, health and nutrition, Increase public support for action by national leaders on post-2015 and MDGs, Increase support from key stakeholders to increase demand for and access to life saving commodities for mothers and children, Empowering children, families and communities to practice disease prevention and risk reduction behavior.

Activities scheduled for the Global week of Action include; Citizen Hearing, National level Citizen Hearing, Exhibitions, High Level Policy Engagement on Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, Nutrition in the post 2015 agenda and a Hand-in ceremony of the Global Week of Action.