Access to effective Health Care. “I walked 34km to deliver Medication for my fellow Peers living with HIV because I couldn’t sit back and watch them miss out their monthly refills due to the total country lock down that was declared in my Country with the intention of slowing down the spread of COVID-19 a global pandemic that was believed to be contagious,” a testimony from Niwamanya Hillary one of the Y+ Ambassadors here in Uganda.

Lack of enough information on HIV and COVID-19. With all efforts that have been put in by Networks and Organizations working towards ending HIV in Uganda, still there isn’t clarity on how much Young People living with HIV are likely to be affected by this Global Pandemic especially Health wise, however, one thing is straight up, with the closure of all Transport Services, accessing Health Care Services has continuously become a very big challenge to them. Not forgetting Mental Health stability especially among Adolescent Girls and Young Women as majority of them are experiencing high stress levels as well as fear of Stigma and Discrimination being on the rise in their Communities in such a period of survival. Truth be told, it’s been intense everywhere especially for the Young People due to emergency measures that the Government put up minus giving them a period to prepare enough for a long period of a country lock-down.

Limited access to SR-HR Services and Commodities. Don’t be surprised when our population sky rockets in Years to come, need I talk about the increased cases of HIV? Well, access to contraceptives for Adolescents and Young People have become a huge challenge during COVID-19. It’s been clear that Young People are sexually active and hence it’s difficult to control their sexual urges. With movement restrictions and closure of majority non-food stores, access to contraceptives like Condoms, Pills, is becoming complicated each day that goes by. It’s quickly turned into an “If I die, I die situation,” for majority Young People because this is a the period when the demand for contraceptives heightens yet the government priorities have shifted more to System Strengthening other than provision of adequate health services for Young People.

Management of side effects of contraceptives among Adolescents and Young People who are under enrollment has become a great challenge too in Uganda.

Hunger .The other biggest challenge Young People Living with HIV are facing during the COVID-19 period is Hunger. Yes, relief is being offered but only through Political Task Forces thus this has given emergency a different direction where Governments Priorities became different from the majority population’s needs. Just to be clear Young People cover 78% of the overall population.