Peer To Peer Uganda (PEERU) is implementing the HER Voice Fund (HVF) as the Country lead for Uganda supporting 6 local grantees with funding from the Global Network of Young People Living with HIV (Y+ Global), and support from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund) and ViiV Healthcare Positive Action. The project is strengthening the meaningful engagement and leadership of adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in decision making spaces with the aim of reducing HIV incidence and improving our broader health, wellbeing and rights. Despite the significant gains in the HIV response achieved over the last 40 years, AGYW continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV. In Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA), AGYW aged 15-24 years account for 68 percent of young people who are living with HIV (YPLHIV) and are 2.5 times more likely than our male peers to acquire HIV infection. In 2019, AGYW accounted for 26 percent of new HIV infections in the region.

HER Voice Fund recognises the expertise and power of AGYW in all diversity, and the importance of ethical empowerment, meaningful engagement and leadership of AGYW in decisions that affect their lives. We recognise the urgent need to address the inequalities and key drivers that prevent AGYW from having a voice and participating meaningfully in relevant decision-making spaces that influence AGYW programming at global, regional, national, and local levels. HVF aligns with PEERU’s new strategic plan 2023 – 2027, and the Y+ Global 2022-2025 strategy pillar one, Raise Our Voice, that focuses on strengthening accountability to ensure that laws and policies reflect the rights and needs of AGYW in all diversity, including AGYW living with HIV, AGYW living with disabilities, AGYW in conflict-affected zones, those in rural areas, AGYW who inject/use drugs, AGYW who sell sex, pregnant AGYW and young mothers. The HVF is also aligned with UNAIDS’s Global AIDS Strategy 2021-2026 and Generation Equality accelerated targets and plans for 2025 3 and the Global Fund strategy 2023-2028. HVF is working to reduce HIV incidence amongst adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and to improve our broader health, wellbeing and rights by supporting our meaningful engagement and leadership in relevant decision-making spaces.

At national level, we are influencing Ministries, parliamentarians, Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCMs) and Principal Recipients (PRs); While at district level, we focus on the DICA’s, and the District Coordinating entities.

HER Voice Fund stands as a custodian of meaningful youth participation and leadership principles, aligned closely to the National and Global agenda. Our remit focuses on amplifying the voices of AGYW in all diversity, and as PEERU we are proud to have built a strong track record of supporting movement-building, participation and consultation, creating AGYW champions and exerting influence in key platforms with and through our national and grass root structures. HER Voice Fund is creating, supporting and nurturing excellence in AGYW leadership in spaces that affect their lives, underpinned by their values of inclusion, perseverance, empowerment, ethics and accountability. We recognise that accelerating the leadership of AGYW in decision-making spaces on issues that affect their health and rights requires targeted investment to overcome the barriers to that affect our meaningful participation.

Our specific goals and objectives for the project;

To provide grants to support AGYW to participate and exercise leadership in key decision-making spaces at all levels that affect our health and rights.

To support the HVF Ambassador for Uganda and AGYW to exert influence and advocate effectively for policies and programmes that promotes the health, wellbeing and rights of AGYW.

To support movement building in the HIV response that celebrates the leadership of AGYW.

To collate the innovations being developed across the 6 grantees implementing HVF and share these in accessible formats for AGYW to encourage scale up, learning, and capacity building.

To identify and pursue opportunities to diversify the HER Voice Fund funding base beyond the current donors and existing funding agreements to ensure expansion and sustainability.

To expand our reach, coverage and impact to enhance the meaningful participation of AGYW across Uganda through HVF.

To support AGYW to participate and exercise leadership in key decision-making spaces at all levels that affect our health and rights.

To mobilise and advocate against laws, policies, programmes and practices that prevent or impede equal access, thereby reducing the barriers that prevent AGYW from engaging meaningfully in key decision-making spaces.

To improve the monitoring and oversight of HER Voice Fund grantees’ work at grassroots level.

To support movement building in the HIV response that celebrates the leadership of AGYW and bring together key stakeholders, donors and implementers to support AGYW empowerment in the development and implementation of advocacy agendas at all levels.

Facilitate and support a stronger role for AGYW to participate in existing community- led monitoring mechanisms to ensure the voices of AGYW in all our diversity and promote accountability.